Sports and Scores
 
NBA Basketball
Scoreboard|Stats|Standings|Teams|Players|Player News|Injuries|Transactions|Home
(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Mason's 3, Ginobili steal help Spurs beat Celtics

By JIMMY GOLEN,

AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) The San Antonio Spurs rested up before playing the defending champions, and it paid off.

"It's hard for the oldest team in the NBA to feel fresh," coach Gregg Popovich said Sunday after the Spurs scored 11 straight points in the final 45 seconds to turn a one-point deficit into a 105-99 victory over the Boston Celtics.

"It was a beautiful win for us, against the NBA champions and on the road makes it even sweeter."

Roger Mason pulled up and leaned into a 3-pointer with 20.4 seconds left to give San Antonio the lead, then hit a pair of free throws after Manu Ginobili hit four as the Spurs pulled away from the Celtics. Tim Duncan scored 23 points with 13 rebounds and Matt Bonner had 23 points - the second-most in his career - including 3-of-6 from 3-point range.

The Spurs won for the ninth time in 11 games.

Ginobili scored 19 points off the bench, playing more than 31 minutes after sitting out Tuesday's game against Denver with a bruised hip. Duncan, who had not missed a game since 2007, also sat out the Nuggets game, as did Michael Finley and Tony Parker while the Spurs try to pace themselves over an eight-game, three-week road trip.

"If I would have played in Denver, I wouldn't have been this fresh for sure," Ginobili said. "It was very important for us to get rest a couple of days."

Kevin Garnett scored 26 points with 12 rebounds, Paul Pierce had 19 and eight and Rajon Rondo had 16 assists for Boston. It was the second loss in three games for the Celtics, who lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday in an NBA finals rematch to snap a 12-game win streak.

Boston embarks on a six-game road trip, interrupted by the All-Star break, before returning home at the end of the month.

"We've got a tough task in front of us, going on the road for the next couple of weeks, and we've got to make up some ground," Pierce said. "We have our work cut out for us. This is a big road trip for us."

Duncan converted a three-point play to give the Spurs a 90-87 lead before Ray Allen's basket cut it to one point and Garnett hit a pair of jumpers to give Boston a 93-90 lead with 1:36 to play. But Bonner hit a jumper from the foul line and Garnett missed, then Mason hit his 3 to make it 95-93.

The Celtics were inbounding the ball when Ginobili stole the pass and drew a clear-path foul, giving him two shots and the Spurs the ball. San Antonio extended its lead to 101-93 before Eddie House and Garnett hit 3-pointers to help cut the deficit to three points.

The Spurs scored the last five points of the first half to open a 60-52 lead, but the Celtics opened the second with 12 straight points to retake the lead.

Notes: Boston is 24-4 at home, with all four losses coming against the Western Conference. ... The Celtics are in a stretch where they play three of the top four teams in the Western Conference in four games, starting with the conference-leading Lakers on Thursday and, after the Knicks on Friday, No. 2 San Antonio and No. 4 New Orleans on Wednesday. ... Finley had played 284 straight games before sitting out on Tuesday.

Updated February 8, 2009

? © 2010 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

Audio & Video on Demand

  • +Patriots
    -

    Rosevelt Colvin, Former Patriots LB

    Rosevelt, our Indianapolis correspondent, talked about playing with Drew Brees back in their days at Purdue, what he was thinking going into the Super Bowl and what actually surprised him in the game, which player is being singled out as the goat in Indianapolis, where this Colts team ranked with previous seasons, and what's the latest on his many business ventures

    Peter King, SI/NBC Sports

    Peter joined the guys to recap Super Bowl XLIV and discussed Sean Payton's decision to start the second half with an onside kick, the evolution of Payton as a coach over the years, what the loss does for the legacy of Peyton Manning, how Bill Polian was taking the Colts loss, what the win means for the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana, and the results for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

    Adalius Thomas

    Patriots linebacker Adaluis Thomas joins Mustard and Johnson to clarify he's still a Patriot and discusses his relationship with Belichick.

  • +Celtics
    -

    Jackie MacMullan

    Jackie talked about the struggles of the Celtics in the second half of games, that both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett would be better off skipping the All-Star Game, if Ray Allen will be a member of the Celtics at the end of the season, if signing Rasheed Wallace was a mistake, how Rondo has become the most important member of the team in many respects, and dropped a great rap to pay off her Super Bowl bet with Michael

    Eddie House, Celtics Guard

    Eddie talked about if he or Paul Pierce would be participating in the three-point contest at All-Star Weekend this year, why his shot hasn't been the same as last year but he is working on the kinks every day, how the guards need to do a better job of rebounding, the team struggling to finish games strong, the leadership of Rajon Rondo, and told us to look up his impression of Ray Allen on YouTube

    Doc Rivers, Celtics Head Coach

    Doc joins D&C to talk about the C's struggles, Ray Allen on the trade block and the All Star Game

  • +Bruins
    -

    Mike Milbury, NHL TV Analyst

    Mike talked about how the Bruins need some help, that they may have overachieved last year but they are better than how they are playing right now, the trade of Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils and who got the best of the deal, what he would have done different in the past offseason, if he is seeing players tuning out Claude Julien, how the Bruins don't have a dynamic player, and why Milan Lucic looks like a different player this year

    Peter Chiarelli, Bruins GM

    Peter talked about the Bruins coming off a disappointing month of January, his thoughts on the Leafs making two big trades over the weekend, if anyone has approached him in making a move, how he is unwilling to trade their first round pick from Toronto, how the team doesn't seem confident right now, if Thomas is still the number 1 goalie, and that he has looked at trade possibilities over the last month but nothing has made sense yet

    Jeremy Jacobs and Charlie Jacobs, Bruins Owners

    The Jacobs talk to Dale and Kevin Paul Dupont about how significant it is for their team to be a part of the NHL's big day, as well as how important the fans are in making this event special. Jeremy and Charlie also discuss how outdoor games could be expanded in the future and what impact the Olympic Games may have on their franchise.

  • +Red Sox
    -

    12-6 Laser Show with Dustin Pedroia

    Dustin joins Mut and Bradford for his weekly appearance on the Laser Show. Dustin talks to the guys about getting closer to re-joining his teammates at spring training, what he has done to make Marco Scutaro feel comfortable with the Red Sox, and where he would prefer to bat in the lineup.

    1-30 Laser Show With Dustin Pedroia

    Dustin makes his weekly appearance with Mut on the Laser Show. Dustin talks about getting ready to re-join his teammates in Spring Training and continuing his off-season conditioning program. Dustin also talks about returning to his hometown to speak to a group of students, and what his advice is for young ballplayers.

    Mike Timlin, Former Red Sox Pitcher

    Mike joined Michael and Lou to talk about his role as narrator of the new film "Touching the Game: Alaska", all the major league players who played in the Alaska Baseball League, what's new in his life after his playing career, going to a major league game as a fan, and if he has closed the door on any possible return to the game

Weei Writers