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Ginobili leads Spurs to easy win over Hornets

Dec 15, 2006 - 5:30 AM NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- Manu Ginobili and the San Antonio Spurs took away the New Orleans Hornets' hopes early.

Ginobili scored 16 of his 24 points in the first half and Tony Parker added 19 and eight assists as the Spurs gained control in the opening minutes en route to a 103-77 victory over the injury-riddled Hornets.

Tim Duncan had 11 points and nine rebounds for San Antonio, which has won six of its last seven road meetings with the Hornets.

Ginobili made two 3-pointers and a layup as the Spurs jumped out to a 13-2 lead in the first three minutes. San Antonio held a 29-22 advantage after the opening quarter and maintained the same pace for a 53-42 halftime cushion.

"That's everything with him (Ginobili)," Duncan said. "He hits a couple of shots early, and that gives him confidence. He's a streaky player, a guy who plays well when he's confident."

The Spurs put the game out of reach with a 32-point third period, building a commanding 85-62 lead on the way to their third straight win and a league-best 10-3 road mark.

"Tonight we brought some maturity and professionalism to play well all 48 minutes and not let them get in the game," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.

"Having that core of guys who have been here awhile is a big part of it (road success and overall success)" Duncan said. "Knowing you can count on them at home, on the road, and that they know how the game is played.

"It's something we've been building over the years. We have a core of guys like Tony, Ginobili and Bruce Bowen who are on the same page. Having them allows us to skip a couple of steps early in the season."

Rasual Butler scored 17 points, Desmond Mason 16 and Chris Paul added 12 assists for the Hornets, who fell to 1-1 on the season at New Orleans Arena. The Hornets were once again without Peja Stojakovic (back), David West (right forearm strain) and Bobby Jackson (ribs). Adding insult to injury, Tyson Chandler could not participate due to the flu.

"In the long run, this is going to help us," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "It will probably toughen us up a little bit more. We're going to take our lumps right now. There is nobody in this league that is going to feel sorry for us. But it's good that this is happening early. Hopefully, we will be healthy by Christmas time going into the New Year and we can get a run going."