• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Parker's season high leads Spurs over Bulls

Mar 8, 2015 - 9:43 PM San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Tony Parker scored a season-high 32 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs in a 116-105 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.

Kawhi Leonard posted 20 points with eight rebounds and Manu Ginobili chipped in with 16 points for the Spurs, who have won five straight.

Pau Gasol totaled 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Aaron Brooks netted 22 and Joakim Noah nearly recorded an atypical double-double with 11 rebounds and nine assists in the loss.

"We shot the ball much better today ... We turned the ball over (22) times against a very good team like they are, I don't think there is a way you can win it," Gasol said.

The Bulls shot at a better percentage and outrebounded San Antonio in the first quarter, but they still trailed 25-19 after 12 minutes of play.

Marco Belinelli capped a 12-4 run to open the second quarter with a 3-pointer that stretched the Spurs' lead to 37-23. San Antonio led by as many as 19 in the opening half following a pair of free throws from Parker and it took a 57-39 lead into the break.

Chicago cut its halftime deficit to 12 thanks to an 8-2 burst in the opening minutes of the third. Parker scored 15 straight points for the Spurs at one point in the quarter to keep the hosts comfortably in front. Nazr Mohammed's layup late cut the Bulls' margin to 87-77 entering the fourth.

"He's been in that mode for the last two or three games and feeling pretty confident of his health," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Parker.

San Antonio scored the first six points of the fourth, but the Bulls countered with eight straight as Kirk Hinrich's 3-pointer trimmed the deficit to 93-85 with over seven minutes left. Patty Mills followed with a 3-pointer, then Parker highlighted his day with an assist on Belinelli's trey before canning a shot from deep to extend the lead to 102-85.

Game Notes

Tim Duncan scored three points and missed all eight of his shots from the floor ... The Spurs had a season-high 35 fastbreak points, while Chicago managed just nine ... San Antonio scored 32 points on 22 Bulls turnovers ... Mills had 15 points off the bench ... Nikola Mirotic tallied 19 points, shooting 9-of-9 from the free throw line.