SAN ANTONIO—Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said his team’s goal the remainder of the season is simple – just win.Tony Parker playing well makes that a lot easier.Parker had a season-high 32 points and just one turnover in leading San Antonio Spurs to their fifth straight victory, 116-105 over the Bulls on Sunday.
”Tony is playing at a high level again, that makes a big difference for them,” Pau Gasol said. ”It’s tough to beat them that way.”
Parker is returning to his All-Star form after being hindered much of the season by a strained hamstring that forced him to miss 13 games. He is again driving hard to the lane for his usual array of spins, layups, floaters and quick passes to teammates for corner 3-pointers.Parker, averaging 25 points in his past three games, shot 13 for 19 and had two assists in 30 minutes.Tim Duncan failed to make a basket for the first time in his career, going 0 for 8 while finishing with just three points. But his struggles were lessened by balanced scoring fueled by a strong defensive effort.Kawhi Leonard added 20 points, Patty Mills had 15 and Manu Ginobili 14 for the Spurs.The Bulls had 22 turnovers, which resulted in 32 points for San Antonio. The Spurs had 15 steals, including three each by Leonard and Ginobili.
”They are very active with their hands and they got a lot of steals,” Joakim Noah said. ”They got them into the open floor and we had no answer for that.”
Parker stole a soft pass from Nazr Mohammed to E’Twaun Moore near midcourt and sprinted down court for an uncontested layup.Leonard later raced down court for a one-handed dunk on Moore and Noah after stripping Mike Dunleavy as he drove the lane for a 91-77 lead with 11 minutes remaining .Pau Gasol had 23 points and Aaron Brooks added 22 to lead the Bulls.Kirk Hinrich’s 3-pointer pulled the Bulls to 93-85, but the Spurs then made three straight 3-pointers midway through the final quarter to pull away.Already without All-Star point guard Derrick Rose, the Bulls were missing Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson.
”I was worried if we were going to have the ability to score enough and I think we can score enough,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. ”The big thing is taking care of the ball and making sure we get back defensively.”
Gasol, who leads the NBA in double-doubles, recorded his 42nd early in the second half Sunday. … Nikola Mirotic was averaging 22 points in his previous four games and had 19 on 5-for-10 shooting against the Spurs. … Butler (left elbow sprain) and Gibson (left ankle) both sat out.
NOTES—Duncan failed to score a basket for the first time in 1,310 career games. Popovich was jokingly asked if he would talk to Duncan so it didn’t happen again…..”I don’t talk to Timmy too much anymore,” Popovich said. ”So, if you want to tell him, go ahead. Say, `What the hell was that all about? What are you doing?”’…..The Bulls are in the midst of playing four games in five nights. They lost to Indiana on Friday to split a back-to-back against the Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder and will host Memphis on Monday night….Injuries to Rose, Butler and Gibson makes the schedule even tougher…..”It gives you a good measure of what you’re going to need to do,” Thibodeau said. ”You take something from every one of these games. This is the group we have and we have to figure out how to win with this group. I think we can.”…..The Bulls are home to Memphis on Monday.