SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Tim Duncan had 21 points and 10 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs shut down LeBron James over the final three quarters of a 102-76 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
The Spurs outscored the Cavaliers 62-32 in the paint and went 10-for-17 from 3-point range.
Cleveland (1-1) scored only 31 points in the second half on 10-for-43 shooting. James had 10 points in the first quarter, matching his total for the rest of the game.
Tony Parker had 18 points and eight assists for the Spurs (2-0), while Bruce Bowen – who shadowed James on defense – made all three of his 3-pointers and finished with 12 points.
Up five points at halftime, the Spurs broke the game open in the third quarter at both ends of the floor.
Bowen hit two 3-pointers and Duncan added four quick baskets as San Antonio went on an 18-7 run to start the quarter.
At the defensive end, the Spurs limited Cleveland to four baskets in the period while extending their lead to as many as 21 points. After a 3-pointer by Larry Hughes and a jumper by James, the Cavs missed 13 of their next 14 shots, most of them in the paint.
San Antonio shot 13-for-21 in the decisive quarter, including 4-for-6 on 3-pointers.
James scored 20 points for Cleveland on 7-for-16 shooting, while Drew Gooden added 14 and Hughes 11. Donyell Marshall had 10 rebounds.
A 3-pointer by Manu Ginobili with 3:36 remaining in the half gave San Antonio a 42-41 lead, and he followed with a short fadeaway jumper. Parker added two layups and Duncan a tip-in to build the Spurs’ lead to 50-43 in the final minute.
Notes: The Spurs have beaten Cleveland 16 straight times at home. The last time San Antonio lost a regular-season home game to the Cavs was in December 1988. … Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry, assistant GM Lance Blanks and reserve guard Mike Wilks, all with the Spurs last season, received their 2005 championship rings before the tipoff. … Duncan had one block, leaving him seven short of 1,500 for his career. … After scoring 11 key points in the final quarter of San Antonio’s opening-night win, Michael Finley went 1-for-6. … James, who went 6-for-7 on 3-pointers in the opening win over New Orleans, missed all three behind the arc.
AP-ES-11-04-05 2248EST
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