MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points and the San Antonio Spurs improved to 13-0 on the road this season with a 105-91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.
Leonard hit 11 of 15 shots after not scoring at all in the first quarter and Patty Mills scored 15 points off the bench for the Spurs (18-4), who played without Tony Parker after he bruised his left knee against Milwaukee on Wednesday night. San Antonio overcame a slow start to shoot 52.7 percent.
The Spurs moved past the 1969-70 New York Knicks to take sole possession of the second-best road start to begin a season in NBA history. The Golden State Warriors started 14-0 last year.
Zach LaVine scored 25 points for the Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns had 11 points and 14 rebounds, but shot just 3 of 16.
With seven new faces on the roster and Tim Duncan no longer there, it's been an adjustment for the Spurs this year. They haven't been their usual precise selves, but here they are with the second-best record in the league, tied in the win column with the Warriors (18-3).
The Timberwolves erased a seven-point deficit with less than a minute to play to beat Charlotte on Saturday night, but Leonard buried a pair of 3-pointers to end the threat Tuesday.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Leonard didn't make his first shot until 90 seconds into the second quarter. He missed just his 14th free throw of the season after coming into the game shooting 91 percent. ... LaMarcus Aldridge had just six points on 3-for-8 shooting and did not score until early in the third quarter. ... San Antonio shot just 29 percent and scored a season-low 19 points in the first quarter.
Timberwolves: Andrew Wiggins was quiet for the Wolves as well. He scored 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting. ... Coach Tom Thibodeau received a technical foul for arguing with officials in the second quarter. ... PG Kris Dunn played well with 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting.
LINE CHANGE
The Spurs starters got off to a terrible start after a narrow victory over the Bucks the previous night, so coach Gregg Popovich pulled all five starters with 7:30 to play in the first quarter and a 12-3 deficit. The bench unit of Mills, Kyle Anderson, Dewayne Dedmon, David Lee and Jonathon Simmons energized the team with a 14-3 run to get them back in the game.
PARKER'S ABSENCE
Parker was injured when he knocked knees with a Bucks defender in the third quarter. The Spurs said he was listed as day to day, but Popovich seemed to indicate he could miss a stretch of time. Rather than the elevate veteran Mills to the starting lineup, Popovich wanted to keep the second unit intact and so he gave Nico Laprovittola, a rookie from Argentina, his third career start. Laprovittola scored 10 points in 22 minutes.
"We knew Tony was going to miss some games," Popovich said of the team's mindset going into the season. "To have another person that has the courage and the experience to play that position is important."
UP NEXT
Spurs: San Antonio heads to Chicago for a game against the Bulls on Thursday in Gasol's first game there since he left for the Spurs in free agency.
Timberwolves: Minnesota faces former coach Dwane Casey and the Raptors in Toronto on Thursday.
