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Spurs-Pacers Preview

Mar 7, 2016 - 12:35 AM With a spectacular return, Manu Ginobili played a major role in keeping short-handed San Antonio perfect at home. He'll next try to help the Spurs extend their longest road win streak in two seasons.

San Antonio seeks a seventh consecutive victory away from home and ninth in row overall Monday night against the Indiana Pacers.

Ginobili scored a season-high 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting in 15-plus minutes Saturday in a 104-94 victory against Sacramento after missing 12 games following testicular surgery.

"I felt great," he said. "(The performance) was very unexpected. Of course, I'm happy. Besides the stat sheet, I felt explosive. I wasn't sore. I was free. I played in a good mood. That was the main thing."

Kawhi Leonard had team highs of 25 points and 13 rebounds for San Antonio (53-9), which improved to 30-0 at home and extended its franchise-record start through 62 games despite resting starters Tim Duncan and Danny Green. LaMarcus Aldridge also sat out because of migraine headaches.

The Spurs still kept up their recent second-half defensive intensity. They've allowed an average of 36.7 points after halftime in three games this month and gave up 13 points in the third quarter to Sacramento.

"The last three games our second halves have been really good defensively," coach Gregg Popovich said.

The Spurs will next try to win seven straight on the road for the first time since March 4-31, 2014. They've won their last seven games in Indiana and 15 of 16 overall meetings.

A 106-92 victory in San Antonio on Dec. 21 was their fourth in a row in the series. Leonard, who is averaging 27.3 points in his last four games, led the way with 24 points in the last matchup and helped keep Pacers leading scorer Paul George to a season-low seven on 1-of-14 shooting - the worst performance of his career when attempting at least 10 shots.

A night after scoring 35 in Charlotte, George had 38 in a 100-99 victory against Washington on Saturday, including the go-ahead free throws with three seconds left. Indiana finished 2-2 on its trip to maintain its slim hold on one of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spots.

"It's just to build off of this, watch tape, see what we can do better with, and there is a lot of stuff we could improve on," George said. "We didn't play well at all. It's just great that we got the win."

Indiana has lost three of four at home and will seek to avoid a season-high third consecutive defeat on its own floor. The Pacers, 18-11 at home, haven't defeated the Spurs in Indianapolis since a 100-99 victory April 1, 2007.

Indiana is hoping to get a little more help with C.J. Miles trying to work his way back from a strained left calf. Miles, averaging 12.0 points, has missed the past eight contests but was a game-time decision before Saturday's win.

San Antonio forward David West will make his return to Indiana, where he played from 2011-15. West, averaging 6.9 points, had 12 - two shy of matching his season high - in the win over Sacramento.