Eight Spurs scored in double figures and a ninth was one point away as San Antonio cruised to a 123-97 victory over the overmatched Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Kawhi Leonard's 15 points led the balanced scoring attack, and Tony Parker added 11 points with eight assists and no turnovers for the Spurs, who bounced back from Thursday's overtime loss to Cleveland.
There was some bad news in the rout, as Manu Ginobili (right ankle sprain) and Aron Baynes (rib contusion) both exited early. Ginobili scored 11 points.
The Timberwolves, who have dropped four in a row and eight of their last nine, were without Nikola Pekovic, Ricky Rubio, Gary Neal and Kevin Garnett. Kevin Martin and Zach LaVine paced the squad with 19 and 18 points, respectively.
The Spurs won every quarter, as they took a 29-23 lead into the second frame and went into the break holding a healthy 60-50 cushion. They shot 55.8 percent from the field, 6-of-10 from 3-point range and scored 15 points off turnovers in the half.
They were somehow better in the third quarter, hitting 63.6 percent (14- of-22) of their shots and went ahead by as many as 33.
Game Notes
The Spurs swept the four-game season series and are 20-1 in the last 21 meetings as the host in this series ... San Antonio shot 58.3 percent overall ... Tim Duncan totaled 10 points, six rebounds, six assists and three blocks in the win.
[SportsNetwork.com]
