TD: Spurs Heading in Right Direction (+pics)

**CubanMustGo** · 03-31-2006

http://www.latimes.com/sports/nation...l=la-ap-sports

Duncan: Spurs Heading in Right Direction
By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer
5:00 AM PST, March 31, 2006

LOS ANGELES -- With the playoffs just three weeks away, the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs appear to be heading in the right direction. "We're healthy, we're right where we want to be," Spurs star Tim Duncan said after getting 20 points and 13 rebounds in a 96-85 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

"We're hitting a stride -- I don't know if it's THE stride," Duncan said. "We go through lulls. It's about recovery. It's about making adjustments on the fly."

A perfect example of recovering and making adjustments occurred early in the second half of this game.

Kobe Bryant made a three-point play and Brian Cook added a 3-pointer as the Lakers went on a 9-2 run to open the third period, putting them ahead 49-43.

That's when the Spurs took a timeout, and then took over the game.

First, they scored nine straight points to go ahead for good. After Cook made another 3-pointer to move Los Angeles within one point, the Spurs outscored the Lakers 19-2 to finish the third quarter for a 76-58 lead.

The Lakers weren't closer than nine after that.

"They went up by six, and for us, I thought our focus wasn't very good at that point," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "The ball then moved real well. We didn't force the ball into Tim Duncan. I thought the team out there really moved that ball.

"I thought our defense was pretty good all night long. When we move the ball offensively, we're a much better team."

The win was the eighth in 10 games for the defending NBA champion Spurs (56-16), who lead the Western Conference by two games over the Dallas Mavericks with 10 remaining in the regular season.

And the victory was the second in three nights at Staples Center for the Spurs, who beat the Clippers 98-87 on Tuesday night.

"Winning on the road is really sweet. It's the most fun in the league as far as I'm concerned," Popovich said. "It's always tough and it helps your team come together."

San Antonio's Tony Parker returned after missing his first game of the season because of a bruised right shin, and had 19 points and six assists in 33 minutes. The Spurs had six players score in double figures.

"We've got a good rhythm -- Timmy's playing better and better," Parker said.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said the Lakers were flat -- perhaps because they had three days off between games.

"We're not quite good enough yet to stay with this ballclub and make it a game," he said.

Bryant led the Lakers with 23 points and seven rebounds, but he shot just 9-of-26, scored only seven points after halftime and committed six turnovers. Bryant left for good with 2:57 remaining and the Spurs leading 93-79.

"They busted us open with their penetration," he said. "We had a tough time handling that all night, and we didn't cover the basket very well."

Regarding the third quarter, Bryant said: "We just made bad decisions with the ball and they capitalized on them. They came out and they played harder than we did. They're a team that increases their speed when they need to. And when they play faster, they don't lose any of their execution. We weren't able to keep up."

Bryant had 13 points in the first 13 minutes but only 10 after that as the Lakers (38-35) had their four-game winning streak snapped. They haven't won as many as five in a row since March 2004, when they won 11 straight.