12-30-2019, 12:58 AM
CHICAGO -- It didnt take long for the San Antonio Spurs to show the Chicago Bulls why theyre leading the NBA. Air Max 97 Outlet . Manu Ginobili scored 22 points and Tony Parker had 20 points and nine assists, and the Spurs beat the Bulls 104-96 Tuesday night for their seventh straight win and 10th in their last 11. San Antonio jumped out to a big advantage early, taking a 38-14 lead after one quarter and going up 61-33 into halftime. That helped them improve to 24-6 on the road, the NBAs best mark away from home. Kawhi Leonard added 16 and nine rebounds for the Spurs (47-16), who maintained their hold on the NBAs best record. With the win they stayed a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City and Indiana, who both won. "Wonderful game, we were very sharp," Ginobili said. "We made a lot of shots in the beginning, which gave us a lead that ... its easier to play like that." Parker had 18 at halftime and went 8 for 15 from the field for a team that made 51 per cent overall against one of the NBAs best defensive clubs. Ginobili was 9 of 11. Also the leagues top 3-point shooting team at 39.2 per cent, San Antonio made 12 of 21 from behind the arc, including four from Ginobili. That and the big first half added up to another win for the Spurs, who are 14-3 since a 96-86 loss to Chicago on Jan. 29 and can improve on that Wednesday at home against Portland. The Spurs roster is finally healthy, something coach Gregg Popovich noted. "We seem like were playing pretty consistently now," Popovich said. "I dont think were going to win every game down the stretch." The Bulls, meanwhile, were coming off a dramatic 95-88 win Sunday over the Heat but couldnt build off that victory, falling to 1-2 on a season-high six-game homestand that also has games with the Rockets, Kings and Thunder. Coach Tom Thibodeau blamed himself for the slow start. "I told them, thats completely on me. My job is to have them ready. We had no edge to us," Thibodeau said. "Thats a championship-calibre team thats playing on all cylinders and theyre going after it, so if you dont match that intensity to start, you are going to get in a big hole. "So I didnt prepare them the way they needed to be prepared for that, so thats on me." D.J. Augustin led the Bulls with 24 points and Jimmy Butler had 23. Joakim Noah, whose name has started to be mentioned in MVP discussions, had 13 and eight rebounds. That all was a far cry from Sunday, when the Bulls held Miami to 40.5 per cent shooting and overcame a 42.2 per cent shooting game of their own. That didnt happen Tuesday for the Bulls, who were 43 per cent from the field. "Its on us," Butler said. "Were the ones out there playing, so we have to bring it each and every night. Thibs can only do so much. You learn from it." The Bulls saw early how costly a slow start can be, only pulling to within eight late in the fourth quarter. Ginobilis reverse layup with a second left in the period gave San Antonio a 38-14 lead after the first. The Spurs ended the half leading by 28 and hitting 61 per cent from the field, looking like a team peaking. Ginobili, however, hopes they arent doing that too early. "Its not the right time yet. Still 20 games to go," Ginobili said. NOTES: Spurs guard and former Bull Marco Belinelli scored 10 points and got a warm reception when he checked in for the first time with 10.1 seconds left in the first quarter. ... Spurs coach Gregg Popovich noted Belinellis contributions and jokingly said hes "a great source for Italian restaurants around the league." ... Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is not surprised fatigue hasnt hit his team yet, despite its lack of depth. "Whatever it is that youre facing, youve got to be ready to accept that challenge and be ready to play," he said. ... Because of the injuries the Spurs have suffered this season, Popovich was asked if this season has been his best coaching job. "Havent they all been brilliant?" he said. "I got no clue. My 2-22 season in Pomona was my best." ... Popovich said Noahs personality is "the opposite" of Duncan in terms of showing emotion, but praised the Bulls centres emotional fire. Air Max 97 Plus Light Orewood Brown .In a statement released Friday, the Catalan club said the Brazil stars recovery would be monitored to determine when he can begin training again. Air Max 97 Plum Chalk . Curtis Davies and Robert Koren secured the victory with goals inside 35 minutes of the fifth-round replay against the second-tier side. http://www.airmax97outlet.it/scontate-ai...ra-17.html . Murakami gracefully executed a double triple toe jump and a triple flip jump that put her at the top of a tightly contested race with 64.73 points, just ahead of Li Zijun of China on 62.NASHVILLE -- The St. Louis Blues just continue to roll -- especially against the Nashville Predators. Patrik Berglund scored twice to lead the Blues to a 4-1 victory over the Predators on Saturday night. Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen had the other goals for the Blues, who have won seven of their last eight. The game also marked the fifth and final game of the season series between the Central Division rivals, with the Blues winning all five matchups. "Nashville is hard to play against because you might beat them, but you are never going to outwork them," St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. "You have to have your mind right to play against Nashville. You are going to have to finish on your chances." Ryan Miller made 30 saves to improve to 6-0-1 since the Blues acquired him in a trade with Buffalo on Feb. 28. Two of those victories came against the Predators. St. Louis is 19-0-2 against the Central this season. Eric Nystrom scored for Nashville, which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end. The Predators have lost their last five home games, all in regulation. Berglund scored the games first goal at 11:32 of the opening period. Nashville failed to clear the puck from inside its blue line, and Berglund grabbed it and skated to the top of the left faceoff circle, where he beat Pekka Rinne with a wrist shot. "I cant fault him on any of those goals," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "We left him out to dry a couple of times." Rinne started for the second game in as many nights, his first back-to-back set since returning to Nashvilles lineup after missing 51 games with an infection in his right hip. "It wasnnt good enough," Rinne said. Air Max 97 Gialle. . "They scored four goals, which is a lot. I didnt play well." Berglund struck again at 2:02 of the second. He carried the puck into Nashvilles zone on the right side and pulled up at the right faceoff dot, where he beat Rinne between the pads with a wrist shot. It was Berglunds third two-goal game of the season. "I think Ive kind of been playing the same way," Berglund said. "Ive been shooting the puck and now it is finding its way in. Obviously, its nice." Tarasenko made it 3-0 at 7:21 of the second when he collected a rebound off of the end boards and beat Rinne to the far post to record his 21st goal of the season. He has points in five consecutive games. Nystrom scored Nashvilles lone goal at 16:50 of the third after he collected the puck following a goalmouth scramble. The goal was Nystroms 13th of the season. Steen scored his 30th at 8:05 of the third on a one-timer from the top of the right circle off of a pass from Jaden Schwartz. It is the first 30-goal campaign of Steens career. Steen and his father Thomas are just the third father-son combination to each score 30 goals in an NHL season. Thomas scored 30 in 1984-85 with the Winnipeg Jets. "That will be nice to chat about after the season is over, and especially when the career is over, but right now, its another goal," Steen said. NOTES: Nashville LW Viktor Stalberg played in his 300th career regular season game. ... This is the first time the Blues have swept the season series with Nashville. ... Tarasenko had five points in five games played against the Predators this season. . The Blues have 99 points in 67 games played. ' ' '