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The Pistons got off to a solid start in San Antonio, but Andre Drummond picked up two fouls in the first three-and-a-half minutes and was forced to sit early, allowing ex-Spur Aron Baynes to check in sooner than usual. Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker carried the scoring load for most of the first quarter, but SA was a tad sloppy with four turnovers in the first six minutes.
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The Spurs weren't able to pull ahead much once Drummond sat, but Kawhi was able to give SA a two point lead at the end of the first with 11 in the quarter.
Marcus Morris got in an offensive groove to begin the second quarter and the Pistons took a four point lead. Without Duncan and LaMarcus Aldridge in the Spurs lacked some interior defense and Detroit took advantage. The Pistons went on an 12-0 run about midway through the second, and fell into a six point deficit. The Spurs missed seven shots in a row during this run.
The good guys closed out the half on a run of their own, lead by Kawhi, and ended up taking a 52-51 lead at the break. Leonard had 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, leading all scorers. No other Spur was in double digits, but Duncan and Aldridge had eight a piece.
The Spurs came out hot to start the third and quickly built up a double digit lead. Aldridge really got himself going offensively while the Pistons struggled to get a bucket to fall. LaMarcus had 13 points in the quarter which gave him 21 total on 8-of-13 shooting through three. When LMA and Kawhi are playing as well as they were, the Spurs are nearly impossible to stop. SA outscored the Pistons 27-14 in the third and had a 79-65 lead.
The Pistons cut it to nine a couple of minutes into the final quarter and Pop quickly called a time-out, which seemed to solve the problem. They immediately increased the lead back to double digits and coasted to victory for the majority of the fourth. Kawhi finished with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists. LaMarcus had 23 and 10. The Spurs win 97-81 and improve to 51-9.