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Duncan, Spurs spoil big night for James

Oct 17, 2008 - 2:02 AM By Jeff Brewer PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- On a night when LeBron James was honored, the Cleveland Cavaliers remained winless in the exhibition season.

Tim Duncan collected 16 points and 13 rebounds in 26 minutes as the San Antonio Spurs handed the Cavaliers their fourth straight preseason loss with a 91-70 victory Thursday night.

At halftime, Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson presented James with "The Key to the City" in recognition of his gold-medal performance this summer at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

James played 17 dazzling minutes, collecting six points, including a thunderous dunk, and five assists. One of those assists was a pretty touch pass to set up rookie J.J. Hickson's slam that gave Cleveland a 31-27 lead midway through the second quarter.

But the Cavaliers were cold from the floor for most of the night. The starting backcourt of Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson combined to hit 5-of-24 from the field, and the bench didn't fare much better. Back-up point guard Delonte West, who missed the team's first three preseason games for personal reasons, looked rusty in his debut, going 2-of-12 for seven points.

The Spurs capitalized on the Cavs' offensive struggles. Duncan, seeing his most extensive playing time of the preseason, was 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line as he led five players in double-figures for San Antonio. Tony Parker added 14 points and six assists.

Matt Bonner chipped in with 15 points off the bench, hitting all three of his 3-pointers and snagging seven boards for the Spurs.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored eight of his 10 points in the first half for the Cavaliers, who shot a lackluster 34 percent (27-of-80) from the floor.

In addition to Manu Ginobili - who will miss several weeks of the regular season with an ankle injury - the Spurs also were without Bruce Bowen and Fabricio Oberto, who were given the night off.