Spurs & Blazers still TOP 2 in the West; Pacers still #1 in the East despite lost

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Hey guys,

Tim Duncan helps the San Antonio Spurs overcome the Atlanta Hawks while the Portland Trailblazers hands the Indiana Pacers only their 2nd lost on the road, but despite all that, the Spurs and Blazers are still on top the Western Conference and are both tied for 1st place and the Pacers still hold on to that #1 spot in the Eastern Conference

Here are the stories:

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametra...0131202_ATL@SA

Duncan saves Spurs with 20-20 effort, last-second jumper
Dec. 2, 2013

SAN ANTONIO -- Here comes Tim Duncan once again. It turns out San Antonio's steady star needed a couple weeks to find his rejuvenated form from a year ago.

Duncan made a jumper with 0.4 seconds left to lift the Spurs to a 102-100 victory against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.

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"[Duncan] did a great job," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We were having a tough night in a lot of ways and he was superb."

Duncan finished with 23 points and 21 rebounds, becoming the oldest player in NBA history with 20 points and 20 rebounds in one game.

"We know the type of player he is," Atlanta center Al Horford said. "He's just a winner; he finds ways every time."

Boris Diaw had 16 points and Tiago Splitter finished with 11 as San Antonio outscored the younger and more athletic Atlanta front court 50-40.

The Hawks had all five starters score in double figures. Jeff Teague had 19 points, Horford added 18 and DeMarre Carroll finished with 17.

After struggling in the first month of the season, including a career-low two points on Nov. 13 against Washington, the 37-year-old Duncan is starting to pick up his play. He is averaging 16.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in his past five games.

"I feel a lot healthier now," he said. "For a while there, I was dealing with some stuff, but now my body is feeling good and I'm starting to get my legs underneath me."

The Hawks trailed 98-94 when Paul Millsap made a 3-pointer over Diaw with 17.5 seconds remaining. Manu Ginobili then made a pair of free throws for the Spurs, but Teague drained a 3 over Kawhi Leonard to tie it at 100 with 4.7 seconds left.

Curling off a pick by Marco Belinelli, Duncan drained a jumper over the 6-foot-8 Carroll near the free-throw line to put San Antonio ahead to stay.

"Tonight was good for [Duncan]," Ginobili said, "but we never lost trust in him. We would be crazy if we did. It does feel good to see him coming back, especially over the past few games."

Millsap's desperation jumper hit the side of the backboard.

"They did a good job running that play," Horford said. "They had guys flying all over the place. Belinelli came into the paint, I called the switch. If I could have gone back, I probably would have tried to chase Duncan off of there, but Belinelli got me pretty good, I've got to give him credit. That's how he was able to get free and get that shot up."

The Hawks knew the play was coming since they are coached by longtime Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer.

There were 20 lead changes and 17 ties in a game with almost identical schemes.

"It was a heck of an NBA basketball game," Budenholzer said. "I'm proud of our guys. It was a very good effort. If we play that long and that hard in games, we're going to be OK. San Antonio tests you in a lot of different ways. They test you on both ends of the court. It's good for our guys to compete the way they competed."

Tony Parker added 15 points for the Spurs. Belinelli had 13 and Ginobili finished with 10.

The Spurs returned to their ball-sharing ways after they struggled on offense in a loss to Houston.

Nine of the 10 Spurs who played in the first half scored. Danny Green didn't score until there was 2:54 remaining in the game, but it proved to be a critical basket. He drained a jumper just before the shot clock expired to give San Antonio a 94-87 lead.

"It's a very, very [tough loss]," Millsap said. "The effort was there, the effort was definitely there. Guys were out there in sync. So to get out there and lay it all out there and not come out with the victory is kind of tough."

Notes: Budenholzer received a loud ovation from the crowd during pregame introductions. He spent 19 seasons with San Antonio, including the previous 17 years as an assistant. ... Diaw played with his two fingers heavily taped after dislocating his left middle finger during San Antonio's loss to Houston on Saturday.. Spurs G Cory Joseph and P Aron Baynes were recalled Monday from the NBA Developmental League team in Austin.

Meanwhile....

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametra...131202_IND@POR

Blazers hang on, end Pacers' winning streak at seven
Dec. 3, 2013

PORTLAND, Ore. -- After Portland had withstood a late barrage from the Indiana Pacers and Paul George, the Trail Blazers gathered at midcourt and raised their hands together.

It might be early in the season, but this was a statement victory for the Blazers.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 28 points and 10 rebounds and Portland downed Indiana 106-102 on Monday night, snapping the Pacers' seven-game winning streak. Damian Lillard added 26.

"It was a tough one, and we knew it was going to be a tough one going in," Lillard said. "They're a good team, they only had one loss. But we're a good team too, and we wanted to prove that."

Paul George had a career-high 43 points for Pacers (16-2), who own the NBA's best record.

The Blazers pulled in front early in the fourth quarter, but the Pacers kept it close and George hit consecutive 3-pointers that narrowed it to 98-96 with 1:37 left. Lillard answered with a 3-pointer and Nicolas Batum made a pair of free throws for the Blazers before George hit another 3-pointer that got Indiana within 103-99 with 21 seconds to go.

Lillard hit free throws and George made yet another 3 with 10 seconds left to make it 105-102, but the Pacers couldn't get closer. Portland (15-3) is off to its best start since the 1998-99 season.

"I really wanted to get this win," said George, one of only four Indiana players to score 43 or more points in a game since 2000. "I was trying to will us into the game."

Both teams were playing the second of a back-to-back. The Blazers beat the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers 114-108, snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Lakers at the Staples Center.

The Pacers (16-2) were coming off a 105-100 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday to open a five-game road trip.

"They're a great offensive team and they made big shots all game long," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said of Portland. "Hopefully that's what it's going to take to beat this team -- making impossible shot after impossible shot."

Earlier Monday, the NBA named Vogel the Eastern Conference coach of the month for November. Portland's Terry Stotts was named coach of the month for the Western Conference.

The Pacers went 15-1 in November and opened the season with a nine-game winning streak for the best start in franchise history. The Blazers went 13-3 under Stotts to start the season, including an 11-game winning streak.

While Stotts acknowledged it was a big win, he stopped short of the whole "statement" thing.

"We played the most complete game from beginning to end: Execution, effort, mental focus. All of those things," he said. "But I don't believe you play statement games in December.

George had a 14-foot jumper that gave the Pacers an early 20-11 lead, but the Blazers hung close through the first half. Mo Williams, who helped Portland keep up with seven points, had three fouls and was sent to the bench.

The Blazers finished out the first half with a 9-3 run to get within 46-45 at the break.

Aldridge's dunk pulled Portland within 59-54 midway through the third quarter, but George answered with an 18-foot jumper on the other end for Indiana. Orlando Johnson's 3-pointer extended the lead to 64-56 and it looked as if the Pacers were pulling away.

But Aldridge hit a flat 20-foot jumper and made a free throw and Joel Freeland dunked to even it at 70. Lillard hit a 3-pointer and the Blazers took a 75-72 lead, their first of the game. Portland went up 86-78 on Wesley Matthews' 3-pointer to make it 86-78.

Matthews was asked afterward what the win meant: "That we're a pretty damn good team," he replied.

It was Aldridge's 14th game this season with 20 or more points. The two-time All-Star has eight double-doubles this season.

"They're good," Aldridge said. "I just had one of those nights."

Notes: It was Portland guard Lillard's 100th career game. He is third NBA player ever to start his first 100 games. ... Among those at the game was Portland native Galen Rupp, who won the silver in the 10,000 meters at the London Olympics. ... Former Blazers coach Nate McMillan is an assistant to Vogel in Indiana. ... It was just the second time Indiana had given up 100 points this season. ... The Blazers are 8-0 this season against Eastern Conference teams. ... Indiana's David West reached his 11,000th career point in the second quarter. West, a 10-year veteran, finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists. ... George Hill matched his career high with 11 assists. ... Pacers starter Lance Stephenson fouled out with just under 5 minutes left.

credit: cbssports.com