Parker, Finley spark Spurs past Rockets

SAN ANTONIO, Texas: Michael Finley and Tony Parker each scored 22 points and the reigning National Basketball Association champion San Antonio Spurs beat Houston 109-88 here Sunday for a seventh win in a row.

Finley made 9-of-13 shots for the game and scored 18 points in the first half as the Spurs grabbed a 66-48 halftime lead and coasted from there.

"It wasn't easy," Finley said. "I just had good looks at the basket and I made the most out of those opportunities."

Finley, who had been slumping, is hitting nearly 70 percent from the field, shooting 31-of-45, in his past four games.

"I stay confident, continue to work hard," Finley said. "I was going through a little bit. I lost confidence. Now I'm coming back. At this time of year you have to step your game up. I took it upon myself to step up my game."

The Spurs improved to 51-23 and moved half a game ahead of New Orleans in quest of the top record in the Western Conference and a home-court edge throughout the West playoffs.

"It was a solid game, a solid win," Parker said. "But we have to stay focused because we have a lot of games coming up."

The Rockets, who leaped from 10th to first in the West with the NBA's second-longest win streak earlier this month, have fallen to a share of fifth by going 3-4 since, level with Phoenix on 49-24.

Luis Scola scored 24 points to lead the Rockets, while the Spurs kept Tracy McGrady to 5-of-22 shooting and fellow Houston backcourt starter Rafer Alston to 4-of-16 from the field. Each guard scored only 13 points.

Bruce Bowen shut down McGrady most of the game, the playmaking guard feeling the absence of Chinese star center Yao Ming with a foot injury that has ended his NBA season.

"Without Yao, the onus falls on Tracy," Bowen said. "He's going to create a lot of attention that causes us to prepare for him the way we did today."

In Oakland, California, Monta Ellis scored 30 points and Kelenna Azubuike hit two clutch shots down the stretch to beat the Dallas Mavericks 114-104 and help the Golden State Warriors create a three-way tie for seventh place in the ultracompetitive Western Conference.

With nine games remaining, Dallas, Golden State and Denver are all even at 45-28. If the season ended today, the Warriors would be on the outside looking in at the playoffs because they have lost two of three to both the Nuggets and Mavericks. But if Golden State manages to beat Denver and Dallas in their final meetings, the Mavericks would be the odd team out in a three-way tie.

Josh Howard scored 36 to lead Dallas in his third straight 30-point game since Nowitzki went down with the injury.

In Boston, Kevin Garnett scored twice before Miami made a basket, and the Boston Celtics held the Heat to an NBA-record low 17 field goals, coasting to an 88-62 victory Sunday.

The matchup of the NBA's best team and its worst was even more lopsided than anticipated. Boston was up 27-4 after 10 minutes and Celtics coach Doc Rivers started subbing for his starters just 7:10 into the game. Boston's reserves finished the first quarter, handled most of the second and all of the fourth as no starter played more than 25 minutes.

Leon Powe had 17 points and 13 rebounds for Boston, and Garnett finished with 12 points, five assists and eight rebounds in 21 minutes.

In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored six of his 26 points in overtime, and the Los Angeles Lakers downed the Washington Wizards to snap a two-game losing skid 126-120.

Sasha Vujacic scored 20 points, Luke Walton added 19, Vladimir Radmanovic 18 and Lamar Odom had 10 points and 13 rebounds as the Lakers notched their 50th victory for the 29th time in franchise history.

AFP/Agencies

(China Daily 04/01/2008 page24)