CLEVELAND (AP) -- San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was so unhappy
with his team's lackluster performance in Tuesday night's loss at
Memphis, his postgame press conference lasted a mere 38 seconds.
After the Spurs became the first NBA team
to reach 50 wins with a 109-99 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on
Wednesday night, Popovich was in a much better frame of mind.
"I think in general the whole group
played to win the game as opposed to last night where they played just
expecting something to happen without a focus," he said.
The victory gave the Spurs (50-11) their
12th consecutive 50-win season. It also equaled their victory total
from last season.
George Hill tied a season high with 22
points to lead the Spurs, who bounced back from a 109-93 defeat against
the Grizzlies and were playing their second game since point guard Tony
Parker went out with a calf injury.
"I just wanted to come out tonight and
not really focus on anything, and just play basketball," Hill said. "I
felt like I let my team and my fans down (in Memphis)."
Parker is out for two to four weeks and Hill will see the majority of minutes at point guard.
"As long as TP is out, that is what he is
going to have to do," said forward Tim Duncan, who had 16 points. "He
will have to accept that role and give us some fire from that
position."
San Antonio had four other players in
double figures. DeJuan Blair had 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Spurs
also got 14 points from Gary Neal and 13 each from All-Star Manu
Ginobili and Matt Bonner.
Rookie forward Samardo Samuels, making
his first NBA start, had a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds for
Cleveland, which was playing without forward Antawn Jamison and guards
Baron Davis and Daniel Gibson.
"Our guys fought and played hard, but
that team is just way too good," Cleveland coach Byron Scott said.
"They do not make a lot of mistakes. That's why they've won
championships."
Even Cleveland's newest players can't
escape the injury bug. Forward Luke Harangody, acquired from Boston
before the trade deadline, scored two points in his debut, but didn't
play in the second half because of a right hip pointer. He's listed as
day-to-day.
When informed of Harangody's injury, Scott admitted he couldn't help but laugh.
"You've got to be kidding me," he said.
Davis, acquired Feb. 24 from the Los
Angeles Clippers, didn't play because Scott wants him to get at least
one more practice with the team. Gibson was a late scratch because he
aggravated a quadriceps injury. Jamison, Cleveland's leading scorer,
likely will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on a
broken little finger on his left hand.
San Antonio started slowly in the
matchup of the league's best and worst teams, but took control midway
through the second quarter. The Cavaliers (11-49) built an eight-point
lead, but San Antonio closed the first half with a 25-16 surge to lead
57-52 at halftime.
The Spurs increased the lead to 77-61
with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter, and their largest advantage
was 25 early in the fourth. Cleveland cut the final margin to 10 with
reserves from both teams on the floor.
The Cavaliers had five players in double
figures. Alonzo Gee scored 18 points, and Ramon Sessions added 14. J.J.
Hickson scored 12 points and Christian Eyenga had 11.
NOTES: Neal was the only Spurs player to finish in double figures Tuesday with
14 points. ... San Antonio committed 22 turnovers against Memphis, one
short of a season high. The Spurs had 15 turnovers Wednesday. ... Davis
is expected to play Friday against New York or Sunday against New
Orleans. ... Samuels started in place of Jamison. ... C Semih Erden,
also acquired from Boston before the trade deadline, was inactive
because of a shoulder injury.
