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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Less than four minutes into the game, Tim
Duncan had made each of the four jump shots he tried.
|  | | P.J. Brown couldn't slow down Tim Duncan, who had 34 points and 19 rebounds. |
Duncan quickly set the tone for San Antonio's 93-79 rout of the
Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night as the Spurs became the first
team in the NBA to reach 50 wins this season.
With a 34-point, 19-rebound performance, Duncan, San Antonio's
leading scorer and rebounder, showed why the Spurs continue to
dominate.
"He reminds me of Kareem, a guy with all the moves," said
Jamal Mashburn, who led the Hornets with 22 points. "And tonight
he was hitting his free throws."
Duncan, who had been shooting 58 percent from the foul line this
season, went 12-for-12, foiling efforts to stop him. He went
11-of-19 from the field.
"It's hard to contain him 1-on-1, and when you double-team him,
it takes away from your defensive principles a little bit,"
Mashburn said.
Duncan put it simply.
"I just feel good," said Duncan, who started the season not
quite healed from knee surgery last May. "My body feels good right
now. I just feel like every shot I shoot is going in."
The All-Star 7-foot forward said he finally found his stroke
from the free throw line.
"It's been a long year for me from the line," Duncan said. "I
hope this isn't a one-game thing."
"They had no answer for him," said the Spurs' other twin
tower, 7-1 David Robinson. "Jump shots, hook shots – he was
fantastic."
Duncan scored 24 of his points in the first half as the Spurs
(50-21) reached the 50-win mark for the 11th time since they joined
the NBA in 1976.
The Hornets (40-31), vying for a playoff spot in the tight
Eastern Conference, had won 15 of their last 18 before weekend
losses at Chicago and Dallas. Their current three-game losing
streak is their longest since early February.
"It's all a mental approach for what we have to do right now,"
Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. "When we were on our roll, I
thought we were doing that very well. But we kind of relaxed a
little bit and we're not good enough to not respect our
opponents."
Mashburn had seven rebounds and six assists for the Hornets and
Baron Davis had 13 points.
Derek Anderson scored 16 for the Spurs.
San Antonio was 31-for-35 from the foul line. The Hornets were
15-for-19 from the line.
The Spurs, who are 27-6 over the past two months, took the lead
in the first minute and never trailed.
San Antonio went ahead 16-7 after Duncan hit four quick jump
shots and Anderson drove for two layups and a dunk in the first
4:41. The Spurs extended the margin to 26-15 when Anderson made two
free throws and then quickly grabbed Eddie Robinson's pass for
another jumper by Duncan.
The closest the Hornets came was 44-37 with 3:18 left in the
half when Elden Campbell followed P.J. Brown's dunk with two good
free throws.
San Antonio went on a 12-2 run with Danny Ferry's 3-pointer and
five free throws by Robinson to go up 64-43 with 6:13 left in the
third.
Campbell fouled out in the final minute of the game.
Game notes
It was the Spurs' seventh straight home win. ... The
Hornets lost their fourth straight road game. ... Duncan had 11
rebounds in the first half. ... San Antonio outrebounded the
Hornets 45-35.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Charlotte Clubhouse
San Antonio Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 110
Washington 102
Boston 115
Atlanta 112
Toronto 101
Miami 92
Houston 109
Utah 86
San Antonio 93
Charlotte 79
LA Clippers 101
Detroit 94
Sacramento 124
New York 117
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