SAN ANTONIO -- Having no answer for Kevin Love for three-and-a-half quarters, the San Antonio Spurs made Minnesota solve their Big 3.
Roger Clemens Blue Jays Jersey . The Timberwolves failed. Tony Parker had 29 points to offset Loves season-high 42 points and San Antonio rallied for a 117-110 victory over Minnesota on Friday night. Manu Ginobili had 20 points and nine assists, fueling a 37-21 fourth quarter that helped the Spurs avoid their second home loss this season. Tim Duncan added 12 points and 14 rebounds. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have won three NBA titles together and are the active leaders for wins as a trio. That experience paid off against the Timberwolves, who have not made the playoffs since 2005. "Its got to show up somewhere," Duncan said of the trios experience. "If you want to call it that, it is what it is. We know whats going on out there, especially when it gets down to crunch time and things really count. Weve made plays long enough that we know where each other is going to be." Ginobili and Parker combined to score San Antonios final points in a 26-12 closing run, and teamed with Duncan to dish out all but one of the teams final five assists and seven of its last 11 rebounds. "We know what theyre capable of and when you get them into a two- or three-minute game, theyre incredible," Love said. "Theyve played together for a very long time, but they just made plays and we missed shots that we usually make." Kawhi Leonard had 19 points and Boris Diaw and Marco Belinelli had 12 points apiece for San Antonio. Nikola Pekovic had 18 points, Ricky Rubio added 15 points and Kevin Martin had 14 for Minnesota, which had won two straight. Ginobili scored 16 points in the final quarter, helping San Antonio overcome a lethargic start. His reverse layup with 2 minutes remaining extended San Antonios lead to 111-108. "Manu is playing great," Parker said. "Hes got his legs. He looks like hes fresh and hes making his shots. In the fourth quarter, he was very aggressive. That was big for us." Parker was just as big, making his only 3-point attempt of the quarter while scoring 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting. "Thats why he is one of the best in the league, and thats why he almost won (the NBA title) by himself last year with the Spurs," Rubio said. "Right now, hes one of the top two or top three point guards in the league." San Antonio needed the trios contributions to offset Love. He was 8 for 9 on 3-pointers and had 14 rebounds. He had 26 points after halftime, nearly besting his previous season-high of 34 in the second half alone. "He shot the ball incredibly," Duncan said. "He made some tough ones and just kept on going. Boris did a great job in the last six minutes of really getting onto him and making him do something else. It changed the game a little bit for us." Loves final points came on a pair of free throw with 6 minutes remaining and his last basket was on a dunk 41 seconds earlier. Leonard scored nine straight points midway through the third quarter, keeping San Antonio in the game while Minnesota got hot behind the 3-point line. The Timberwolves were 6 for 12 on 3s in the third, making three consecutive attempts to take a 79-75 lead with 4 minutes left. Love had the opening and closing 3s in the run, finishing with 19 points in the third quarter. He was 5 for 6 on 3s in the period, and 7 for 9 overall as Diaw, Jeff Ayres and all the help defence the Spurs provided failed to slow him. "He is a great player," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "When you can play inside and outside the way he does, he is a tough cover. I think we could have done a better job. I thought we made some really fundamental errors in guarding him, but, be that as it may, he is a monster." NOTES: Spurs centres Tiago Splitter (tightness left calf) and Aron Baynes (calf strain) both sat out. ... Minnesota F Chase Budinger (knee surgery) missed the game, as did C Ronny Turiaf (fractured right elbow). ... Entering Fridays game, San Antonio leads the league in assists, averaging 25.0 per game. ... Entering Fridays game, a quarter of Corey Brewers 114 baskets for Minnesota this season had come on dunks. He is shooting 45 per cent from the field.
Roberto Alomar Blue Jays Jersey . Felix Pie had an RBI double earlier in the inning, as Baltimore rallied for three runs to overcome a 3-2 deficit. J.J. Hardy had two hits and Matt Wieters chipped in with an RBI double for the Orioles, who pushed their winning streak to three games.
Drew Hutchison Blue Jays Jersey . Both of Padakins goals came in the second period while Zane Jones added a single in the first period for Calgary (13-6-4). Hitmen goaltender Chris Driedger finished with 30 saves for the shutout.MILWAUKEE -- When it comes to the "Biogenesis Bunch," theres Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, and then everybody else. Fourteen players were suspended last summer by Major League Baseball as part of the Biogenesis drug scandal, ranging from All-Stars to also-rans. As a new season starts up, time to check on how theyre doing. Rodriguez is out for the year. So the A-Rod media circus will have to wait until 2015, assuming he returns. That leaves Braun as the next most notable name on the list. He said hes sorry for getting into the mess and eager to compile the kind of stats that made him the 2011 NL MVP. "I embrace the challenge that lies ahead," the Milwaukee slugger said upon reporting to spring training. "I know it wont be easy, but I intend to do everything in my power to continue to be the best person and player I can be." After apologizing several times in the off-season, Braun returned to a corner locker customary for a top player. He has the strong support of manager Ron Roenicke. Braun got off to a good start at the plate. He went into this week hitting .440 with two homers and five RBIs in 25 spring at-bats. Even had a homer in his first spring at-bat. "Not surprising. Hes one of those guys, just a special athlete," Roenicke said after the Feb. 27 shot. With Braun back to bolster a lineup that had Carlos Gomez, Jean Segura and Jonathan Lucroy emerge last season, the Brewers hope to contend again in the NL Central. St. Louis is the reigning division champ, and a 50-game suspension for shortstop Jhonny Peralta didnt prevent the team from signing him to a four-year, $53 million deal in the off-season. The discipline stemmed from an investigation into Biogenesis of America, a Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing substances. A couple big leaguers were miffed. "It pays to cheat... Thanks, owners, for encouraging PED use," Arizona pitcher Brad Ziegler tweeted after the deal was announced in November. Not a badd start in Cardinal red: Peralta was hitting over .
Roger Clemens Authentic Jersey. .300 with three homers this spring as of the beginning of the week. "I know a lot of fans, they are going to talk," Peralta said when he reported to camp last month. "They are going to say a lot of things. Its baseball. You need to forget about it and try to play baseball." Nelson Cruzs potent bat was enticing enough for the Orioles to bring the outfielder in as a free agent after his suspension while with Texas last year. Cruz is destined for the middle of Baltimores lineup after hitting 26 homers last year. In San Diego, shortstop Everth Cabrera has said his apologies to teammates. He was leading the National League with 37 stolen bases when his suspension started last August. "He knew that he let his teammates down," Padres manager Bud Black said. "I cant speak for everybody, but from what Ive heard from some players, that was enough." Back at short and hitting .264 this spring with three steals as of Tuesday, Cabrera is set lead off again for Black. Reliever Antonio Bastardo (Phillies) and backup catcher Francisco Cervelli (Yankees) are also back with their former teams, each signing one-year deals in the off-season. Seattles Jesus Montero isnt as lucky. Once a top catching prospect, he was moved to first, then demoted to minor league camp. He hit .310 but had reported to spring training overweight. Among less notable players, outfield prospect Cesar Puello had also been optioned to minor league camp by the Mets and ex-Met Jordany Valdespin had signed a minor league deal in December with the Marlins. At last check, lefty reliever Jordan Norberto had signed a minor league deal with the Rays. Once-promising outfield prospect Fernando Martinez, who was traded from Houston to the Yankees last year, and relievers Fautino De Los Santos and Sergio Escalona are still waiting. They apparently wont have a chance to immediately prove themselves, unlike Braun.
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