 and they’re trying to take away shooters. If they went under, I shot a 3. If they went over, I attacked the basket.”The strategy helped the Nets build a 14-point lead in the first half.The Spurs closed the third quarter on a 12-0 run and notched their first lead at 83-81 on Mills’ layup with 3.8 seconds left. San Antonio was 4 for 9 on 3-pointers in the third, including Derrick White’s 3 to tie it at 81.Mills finished 7 for 10 on 3-pointers.“He’s everything,” Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray said. “I’ve never seen him with an attitude in the four years I’ve been here. Not an attitude, no head down. He’s a real pro.”The Nets never trailed in the first half while the Spurs plodded along. San Antonio committed nine turnovers and shot 40% from the field in the first half.Brooklyn opened the game on a 12-2 run, including two emphatic dunks by Allen. The second slam came off an uncontested drive that prompted a timeout by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich 3 minutes into the game.Allen finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds.Aldridge added 20 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio.TIP-INSNets: Irving did not travel with the team on its two-game road trip as he battles a right shoulder impingement. Atkinson said there is no update on Irving’s injury status. Brooklyn is 11-6 in Irving’s absence.Spurs: Former Nets F DeMarre Carroll did not play for the 16th time due to a coach’s decision. Carroll is averaging 2.5 points and 10.9 minutes in 11 games since signing with San Antonio as a free agent.FUTURE HALL OF FAMERSSan Antonio assistants Tim Duncan and Becky Hammon were both nominated for enshrinement into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.Popovich said he expects both to enter the Hall, but Duncan’s admission comes with a caveat.Popovich joked that his vote would depend on if the Spurs can turn things around with Duncan as an assistant.UP NEXTNets: Host Atlanta on Saturday night.Spurs: Host Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Dec 18, 2019If you're a fan of watching teams blow leads, San Antonio is providing your kind of entertainment through its first 26 contests.Nothing has been easy for the Spurs this season, and it looks like things certainly won't be easy when they head back to the Alamo City to battle the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday in the first of a two-game homestand.San Antonio has tossed away leads in games in several unusual and out-of-character ways this season, but losing 109-107 at Houston on Monday after it was up by 25 points in the second quarter might be a new low point for the enigmatic Spurs, who fell to 10-16 on the season.The win marked Houston's largest come-from-behind victory in franchise history."In some ways it's like your worst nightmare to go up 20 quickly because you know the thing is going to turn to some degree," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich told reporters. "The way it was an even game down the stretch is pretty much what you'd expect most of the time." LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 19 points and 12 rebounds at Houston. Bryn Forbes scored 18 points, all in first half on six 3-pointers, while Dejounte Murray and Derrick White scored 16 points each, and Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan hit for 12 apiece. Gay also had 12 rebounds in the loss."It's always hard playing with a lead," DeRozan said. "Every single quarter, you have to play even harder, because nobody wants to get embarrassed." San Antonio had won three out of four games, all in overtime.The Nets fly to South Texas after a 108-101 overtime win in New Orleans on Tuesday.Spencer Dinwiddie had a game-high 31 points and seven assists, scoring the first four points of overtime that to give the Nets (15-12) the lead that they would not relinquish. Dinwiddie scored at least 20 points for the fifth straight game.It was Brooklyn's defense that handed the Pelicans a club-record 13th straight loss."It was an ugly game but at the end of the day we did what we needed to do to get the W," Jarrett Allen told the New York Post. "That just shows we're out there playing hard, how much our defense has improved, how much we're locking up on defense." Joe Harris added 24 points and Allen had 12 points, 14 rebounds and a career-high-tying six blocks in the win. David Nwaba added 12 points for the Nets."Both teams were throwing rocks out there," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. "It wasn't exactly great flow to the game, but our defense saved us. We really had to work for this one." The Nets have been playing without Kyrie Irving (shoulder), although they are 11-5 without him.The Spurs are 71-22 all-time against Brooklyn and have won 42 of the 46 games, and 16 in a row, played against the Nets in the Alamo City. Brooklyn's most recent win in San Antonio was on Jan. 22, 2002. San Antonio has a .913 winning percentage at home against the Nets, its highest home winning percentage against any team.--Field Level Media
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