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BOSTON, USA – LaMarcus Aldridge tallied 24 points and Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili posted their record 541st win as a threesome as the San Antonio Spurs stopped the Boston Celtics 95-87 on Sunday.
The Spurs star trio had a quiet night on the scoresheet but that didn’t take anything away from the milestone NBA win which fittingly came against the Celtics.
“They’re 3 wonderful players,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “They just care about winning games.”
The Spurs held off the Boston Celtics to give the players the most victories by a threesome in NBA history, breaking their tie with Boston’s Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.
Free-agent signee forward Aldridge delivered 3 straight baskets that helped nullify a late Boston comeback. He also had 14 rebounds and 5 assists as San Antonio improved to 2-1 on the season.
Center Duncan scored 7 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out 5 assists while guards Ginobili and Parker scored 13 and 6 points, respectively. Ginobili came off the bench to add 8 assists.
The win was San Antonio’s 8th straight over the Celtics, who refused to give up after trailing by as many as 15. Boston reduced the deficit to just 4 on 3 occasions late but could get no closer.
“I don’t think we were great tonight,” said Popovich. “They did a good job defensively, and we didn’t react real well I don’t think.”
Forward Kawhi Leonard, who scored a career-high 32 points in a season-opening loss at Oklahoma City, drained a key three-pointer from the left corner and, after guard Marcus Smart answered with a three pointer for the Celtics, scored again. Parker then converted on a fast break to make it 90-83 with two minutes remaining.
Leonard iced the game with two free throws with 28 seconds left and finished with 19 points and 5 rebounds.
In Miami, Hassan Whiteside scored 25 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 109-89 come-from-behind victory over the Houston Rockets.
Guard Dwyane Wade finished with 20 points for the Heat, who trailed by as many as 21 early in the third period and erased a 19-point halftime deficit, outscoring the Rockets 31-12 in the third quarter.
Elsewhere, forward Kevin Durant scored 25 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder moved to 3-0 with a 117-93 victory over the Denver Nuggets at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. – Rappler.com
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