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Spurs crush Kings, wrap up No. 1 seed

Apr 7, 2011 - 5:01 AM San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - Manu Ginobili scored 25 points and the Spurs shot over 60 percent from the field in a 124-92 blowout of the Sacramento Kings.

The win, coupled with the Lakers' loss to Golden State, clinches the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the Spurs.

George Hill added 19 points and Gary Neal 14 for the Southwest Division champions. Tim Duncan totaled 12 points and eight rebounds for San Antonio, which won its third in a row since a six-game slide, the longest since the team drafted Duncan with the No. 1 overall pick in 1997.

Tony Parker scored 15 for the Spurs, who locked down their fourth 60-win season in franchise history, and beat Sacramento for the 12th consecutive time.

Hill had 12 of his points during an incredible third quarter for the Spurs. They shot 82.4 percent (14-of-17) in the period, outscoring the Kings, 41-21. The second half margin was a decisive 73-43 for the Spurs, who finished the night shooting 60.5 percent. They also went 12-of-19 from beyond the arc.

"We played very good defense, and it fueled the offense that you saw. That is where it all starts for us," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said.

The Kings, who had a two-game winning streak broken, were led by 16 points from Tyreke Evans. DeMarcus Cousins tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Samuel Dalembert had 12 with 10 boards.

Sacramento had the game even at 55 in the third, but the Spurs then embarked a on a 26-10 burst, finished by a pair of Duncan free throws with 3 1/2 minutes left. That led to a big 92-70 cushion going into the last quarter.

San Antonio coasted from there and used a great fast break to all but squash the Kings. The Spurs outscored Sacramento, 36-11 on fast break points.

"My overall assessment is that the Spurs are very, very good," opined Kings head coach Paul Westphal.

The Spurs held a 23-22 edge after one quarter, but they trailed by as many as four in the second, at 45-41, following a Dalembert basket with over two minutes left. San Antonio rallied to take a 51-49 halftime lead.

Game Notes

The Kings have not beaten the Spurs anywhere since a 112-99 home victory Nov. 26, 2007. Sacramento has lost nine straight and 13 of 14 games in the Alamo City...Beno Udrih had 11 points and Francisco Garcia 10 in defeat...With Wednesday's victory, Popovich surpassed Red Auerbach and took sole possession of second place on the all-time wins list with one team with 796. Red Auerbach had 795 wins with the Boston Celtics (1950-1966) and Jerry Sloan sits atop that list with 1,127 wins with the Utah Jazz from 1988-2011.