Spurs crush Cavaliers

Spurs crush Cavaliers

Published Nov. 23, 2013 9:44 p.m. ET

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Every offensive set and defensive plan seemed to work flawlessly Saturday night for the San Antonio Spurs against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

San Antonio had a season-high 16 3-pointers, never trailing in rolling past Cleveland 126-96 for its 10th straight victory.

The only time the game didn't go fluidly for the Spurs was when Matt Bonner attempted to hand the ball to Tony Parker after ripping a rebound away from San Antonio's point guard during the second quarter.

Parker put his hands up and shook his head, playfully making Bonner bring the ball upcourt. Bonner took full advantage, calling an isolation play for himself before Parker reclaimed his job at midcourt.

"(Bonner) likes to mess with me once in a while," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, smiling. "Matty will never get a call for (an isolation or) anything ever while I'm here."

San Antonio didn't need to try anything new, anyway, not since everything its usual repertoire went so well.

"Good, old-fashioned behind kicking," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "We got our behinds kicked. We didn't do anything well. The only positive I think that we got out of it is that we got to see how to play the game of basketball the right way."

Danny Green had 17 points, Patty Mills had 15 points and Parker added 12 points. Tiago Splitter and Marco Belinelli each had 10 points for San Antonio (12-1), which matched the best start in franchise history while handing Cleveland (4-10) its worst loss this season.

Andrew Bynum had 16 points, Kyrie Irving added 15 points, Matthew Dellavedova had 14 points and Dion Waiters 11 for Cleveland (4-10). Anthony Bennett, the top overall draft pick, had a season-high nine points.

All of San Antonio's 13 players scored at least six points, giving its starters a needed rest after playing Friday night in Memphis.

The Spurs were 16 for 24 on 3s while remaining undefeated at home.

"We did a great job moving the ball," Bonner said. "We shot the 3 great tonight. We don't really play any individual basketball. We don't care who scores; no one's trying to get their stats. It's about getting the best shot we can."

After Cleveland shot 22 percent from the field in the second quarter, San Antonio began to empty its bench midway through the third.

Following Tyler Zeller's layup with 5:48 left in the second quarter, the Cavaliers did not score again until Bynum's layup with 37.4 seconds remaining. They finished with 11 points in the quarter.

"(Cleveland) is not as bad as it seemed tonight and we're not as good as it seemed," Popovich said. "We just had one of those nights in the positive direction and they had one in the other. They're a young team and we got them on a bad night."

San Antonio took a 35-point lead during Cleveland's offensive drought. Parker had four points and an assist during the run, with his two free throws putting the Spurs up 63-28 with 53.3 seconds left.

Parker finished with seven assists in 15 minutes, but nearly lost one of them to Bonner when the two got entangled going for a rebound.

"We both kind of had the ball," Bonner said. "It's rare when I actually get a rebound. I called an iso (isolation) for me. I would have dribbled through everybody and dunked it. But unfortunately, Tony came back and got the ball."

San Antonio still managed to score a season-high 65 points in the first half, surpassing its previous high of 57 against Philadelphia with 2:22 remaining in the second quarter.

The Spurs were 5 for 8 on 3-pointers in the first quarter, with Green and Bonner hitting consecutive 3s to give San Antonio its first double-digit lead at 27-17 with 2 minutes left.

Cleveland was never able to recover from the early run, losing its third straight.

"Just the way we came out, including myself, just the energy, or lack of," Irving said.

"Also, they're a great team. They're coming off I don't know how many wins in a row. Coming into their house, playing against a good San Antonio team, you got to bring it for the full 48 (minutes). Starting off the game, they got into a good comfortable rhythm and we just couldn't stop them."

The Spurs targeted Bynum defensively early, but with Splitter and not the more prolific Tim Duncan. Splitter hit consecutive baskets against the Cavaliers' big man, including faking left and right before tossing in a hook shot.

NOTES: San Antonio matched the 12-1 start of the 2010-2011 season. ... San Antonio F Tim Duncan played in his 1,400th career game, including the playoffs. ... Spurs F Boris Diaw was a late scratch, sitting out with a bruised right rib he suffered against Memphis on Friday night. ... Cavaliers G Jarrett Jack left with an injured neck with 2 minutes left in the third quarter after driving the top of his head into Cory Joseph's hip while trying to create space. ... Parker shared a long hug and cheerful conversation with Brown, a former Spurs assistant who was with the team during the 2003 NBA championship. ... Cavaliers G C.J. Miles (right calf strain) missed his second straight game after playing in the team's first dozen, including three starts.

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