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Marco Belinelli nearly notched a triple double (16 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists) and Tim Duncan scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half to carry the banged-up Spurs to a much-needed victory in their last game before the All Star break.
I'd begun to wonder about Marco's confidence going into the Three Point contest on Saturday. He's been in a prolonged slump but perhaps this performance against the Celtics will light a fire.
The first half of this game featured a Spurs offense running through Boris Diaw. With Timmy still finding his rhythm, BoBo went to work, hitting outside jumpers and awkward hook shots with abandon. He finished the night with 18 points on 8-12 shooting. After two quarters, the Silver and Black were up 48-44.
There were several moments during the third quarter where the Spurs could have blown this game wide open if it weren't for some pretty decent outside shooting from the Celtics. Most notably, Rajon Rondo, who's a career sub-30% three point shooter, inexplicably hit 4-5 from downtown, finishing the game with 16 points. The C's also received impressive outings from Kris Humphries and the bountifully-coiffed rookie Kelly Olynyk, chipping in with 15 points apiece.
Up five heading into the fourth quarter, Timmy went to work down low, finally getting the bounces (and whistles) that had eluded him earlier. His resurgence opened up the perimeter for Marco, Cory Joseph (11 points) and Patty Mills (16) to operate and the Spurs opened up a double-digit advantage that they held safely through the final horn.
Your Spurs move to 38-15 on the Season. Next up are the high-flying Clippers in L.A. on Tuesday.
Word is a certain Argentinian legend may be available after the All Star break. Could this be the game? Let's hope so.
