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Spurs use late surge to down Bobcats

Mar 1, 2014 - 5:49 AM San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Tim Duncan scored 17 points with 16 rebounds, guiding the San Antonio Spurs to a 92-82 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday.

Manu Ginobili scored 15 points, while Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills each scored 14 in San Antonio's seventh straight win over Charlotte. Kawhi Leonard netted 12 points in the victory.

San Antonio has won five of its last six and owns a 17-2 record all-time against Charlotte. With the win, the Spurs clinched their 17th consecutive winning season.

"It's a 48-minute game," said Duncan. "Luckily we got it to turn and we got some shots to go down. That's what it's all about. We stuck with it."

Al Jefferson finished with 20 points and seven rebounds for Charlotte, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Gary Neal deposited 15 points in his first game action for the Bobcats and Gerald Henderson added 12 points.

Josh McRoberts recorded a game-high 10 assists in defeat.

"We made too many mistakes," said Jefferson. "We were getting back and made them go against a set defense. We kind of got away from that and one thing about San Antonio, we have to go play for 48 minutes."

With the game tied 80-80 and just under three minutes remaining in the contest, Duncan knocked down a jumper to give the Spurs a lead they would never relinquish. Belinelli followed with a 3-pointer and Ginobili then converted a three-point play to give the Spurs an eight-point lead with 48.5 seconds left.

Jefferson, Henderson and Cody Zeller each scored four points during an 17-6 run to end the first quarter that helped the Bobcats to a 25-14 lead.

Anthony Tolliver converted three free throws to extend the Bobcats lead to a game-high 14. Belinelli, Mills, and Leonard all connected from deep in the next couple of minutes to trim the deficit to 39-31 just past the midway point of the second.

San Antonio scored the final seven points of the frame to make it a 45-41 deficit at the break.

Danny Green and Ginobili bookended a 10-2 spurt with a pair of 3s early in the third to give the Spurs their first lead of the game, 51-49.

Another Ginobili triple handed the Spurs their largest lead of the quarter, 64-57, but Zeller followed a pair of free throws from Walker to end the frame and Charlotte trailed 66-65 heading in to the fourth.

Game Notes

San Antonio shot 34-for-73 and held Charlotte to 33-of-90 from the field ... Duncan passed Hakeem Olajuwon for 12th on the all-time rebounds list ... The Spurs had a 44-41 edge on the glass ... Green scored 10 points in the win ... Charlotte was 3-for-17 from beyond the arc ... The 14 points in the first quarter were the lowest scored San Antonio in a first quarter this season.