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Spurs battle Bobcats in Alamo City

Mar 19, 2011 - 2:47 PM (Sports Network) - The San Antonio Spurs will welcome the Charlotte Bobcats to the Alamo City tonight for a showdown at the AT&T Center.

The Spurs are an NBA-best 55-13 this season and 31-3 as the host. The home record ties the best start in franchise history, matching the 2004-05 squad that went 31-3 through the first 34 home games and finished the season a franchise-best 38-3 in the Alamo City.

Four NBA teams have registered a 38-3 home mark, most recently the 1995-96 Utah Jazz. The Spurs set a single-season record with 22 consecutive home wins from Dec. 3 - March 4 this season.

San Antonio went 2-1 on a three-game road trip culminated by Friday's 97-91 win at Dallas thanks to Tony Parker's 33 points on 14-of-22 shooting. Manu Ginobili had 25 points and Tim Duncan contributed 22 and eight rebounds for the Spurs, who have won six of eight games and rebounded from Monday's 30- point loss at Miami.

"Tonight we just wanted to make sure to play good defense and stay in front of people and make sure the shots were hard for them," said Parker. "I thought overall we played great defense, even if the offense was not getting it in the hole, at least we made stops."

The Southwest Division-leading Spurs will also host Golden State on their quick residency and are 13-0 at home versus the East as opposed to an 18-3 ledger against the West.

Charlotte sits 1 1/2 games behind Indiana for the eighth and final playoff slot in the Eastern Conference and will wrap up a four-game trip Saturday.

The Bobcats fell to 1-2 on the trek with Friday's 99-82 setback in Oklahoma City, as Stephen Jackson finished with 18 points and Boris Diaw added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.

"They just wanted this game more, especially in the fourth quarter," Jackson told NBA.com. "They made plays and we turned the ball over and didn't make shots. They just kept playing harder and harder and they just wanted to win more than we did."

Dante Cunningham was the only other Bobcat in double figures with 10 points in a reserve role. Charlotte had 15 turnovers for 23 Thunder points and lost for the eighth time in 10 contests.

Charlotte is 11-24 as the visitor this season.

The Spurs edged the Bobcats, 95-91, on Nov. 8 this season at Time Warner Cable Arena, as Ginobili finished with a game-high 26 points in that one. San Antonio has won seven of eight and 11 of the 13 matchups with the Bobcats, who have lost three in a row and five of six contests at the Spurs.