Tony Parker wins 2012 Skills Competition

San Antonio point guard Tony Parker then won the Skills Competition. Parker was the only one of six participants to break 30 seconds in the first round (29.2) and this time of 32.8 in the final run on the obstacle course was better than Boston's Rajon Rondo (34.6) and New Jersey's Deron Williams (41.4).

The speedy Parker put together an impressive display on the skills obstacle course, which involves participants moving through a dribbling circuit, successfully throwing chest passes through a hanging tire and driving for a layup.

Williams, the 2008 winner, holds the record for the skills' course at 25 seconds, but had trouble completing a pass in the final round on Saturday.

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Spurs' Duncan sprains ankle in win over Warriors

SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Manu Ginobili scored 28 points and the San Antonio Spurs got a scare when Tim Duncan sprained his left ankle in a 111-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Duncan would be out "a while" but didn't have a timetable.

The injury looked potentially serious as Duncan lay on his side, clutching his foot with both hands, for more than a minute. The 34-year-old All-Star steadied himself with the help of trainers while limping off the court.

Ekpe Udoh led Golden State with 15 points. It was Udoh's foot that Duncan appeared to be trying to avoid while landing awkwardly after hitting a short jumper in the first quarter.

Tony Parker added 17 points and 15 assists.

Until now, Duncan has avoided the aches and injuries that have hampered him in recent years. He's been so surprisingly durable that he's only missed one game. That was Saturday against Charlotte — when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn't want to risk Duncan injuring himself on the second night of a back-to-back.

Popovich's biggest fear happened two nights later instead.

The Warriors made a run at the Spurs run with Duncan out. Golden State trailed 64-58 in the third after a burst that left Popovich furious. His frustration cost him a technical foul, barking at official Leroy Richardson over a perceived foul on Richard Jefferson that wasn't called.

But the Spurs — and Popovich — quickly settled down.

San Antonio ended the quarter on a 20-9 run to blow the game back open. Rookie Tiago Splitter, the 7-footer who got his first NBA start in place of Duncan on Saturday, filled in again for his idol and finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Steve Novak scored 13 points and Jefferson had 12 for the Spurs.

Acie Law and Dorrell Wright scored 14 apiece as the Warriors dropped their fifth straight. Golden State played a night after getting pummeled at Dallas by 28 points, and have one stop left in Houston on Wednesday before returning home Friday to host Toronto.

The loss assured Golden State a 14th straight season without a win in San Antonio. Put another way, the Warriors have never won in San Antonio since Duncan was drafted in 1997.

But Golden State has given the Spurs two Duncan scares this season.

In January, Duncan fell to the floor and cringed for about a minute during a 113-102 win at Golden State. He was diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee and returned to the game.

That wasn't the case this time. He limped off the court with the help of trainers and did not return.

The AT&T Center fell quiet when Duncan crashed to the court and reached for his foot. Parker was one of the first players over to check on him; Parker then turned and winced at Popovich, who was standing in front of the Spurs bench with his hands in his pockets and watching his two-time MVP writhe on the ground.

Before Saturday, Duncan had been the only Spurs player to start the team's first 68 games. Even though his role has greatly diminished and his averages are at career lows, Duncan remains a big reason why the Spurs (57-13) are on pace to surpass their franchise record of 63 wins set in 2005-06.

Notes: Parker tied a season high in assists. ... Spurs F DeJuan Blair didn't play after spraining his left wrist in Saturday's win over the Bobcats. Blair is expected to return Wednesday.

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Bosh, Wade push Heat past Spurs

(AP)  MIAMI – Chris Bosh scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade scored 29 as the Miami Heat avenged their worst loss of the season by rolling past the NBA-leading Spurs 110-80 on Monday.

LeBron James finished with 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Heat, who have won three straight and moved within two games of Eastern Conference front-runners Boston and Chicago. Miami lost 125-95 in San Antonio on March 4, the midpoint of a five-game slide that now seems all but forgotten after wins over the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies and now the Spurs.

Tony Parker scored 18 points and Tim Duncan added 14 for the Spurs, who had won 15 of their last 18 against Miami.  

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Winless Rockets lose Brooks, fall to Spurs in OT

SAN ANTONIO (AP)–  Tony Parker had 21 points and 14 assists, including seven points in overtime, and the San Antonio Spurs kept the Houston Rockets winless with a 124-121 victory Saturday night. The Spurs are off to their first 4-1 start since the 2007-08 season.
The only NBA team without a victory this season, the Rockets (0-5) are off to their worst start since 1999. They might have more troubles ahead, too, after point guard Aaron Brooks was carried off the court at halftime with an injured left ankle.
Brooks came down on Manu Ginobili's foot after heaving an errant halfcourt shot at the buzzer. He did not return to the game, and results of X-rays taken in the locker room weren't immediately available.
Ginobili scored 28 points, and the Spurs withstood three 3-point tries by the Rockets in the frantic final 14.3 seconds of overtime. Richard Jefferson added 22 points and was 4 of 5 from behind the 3-point line.
Kevin Martin led the Rockets with 24 points. Luis Scola had 20, and shot the last of a trio of missed 3-pointers that
 Houston was able to attempt while the scrambling Spurs couldn't corral a rebound.
Tim Duncan shook off a miserable first half and finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
With the Rockets already saving Yao Ming for Sunday's game against Minnesota, the injury to Brooks left them without two starters for the second half. It almost didn't matter.
The Rockets had two chances to put the Spurs away in the final 16.8 seconds of regulation, but Courtney Lee missed two free throws that would've pushed the lead to four and rookie Ishmael Smith missed a potential game-winning runner with 2.8 seconds left.
Shane Battier added 14 points for the Rockets.
Before arriving in San Antonio, the winless Rockets could take some comfort in losing to four teams that were a combined 18-3 entering Saturday, including unbeaten New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Silver linings in this loss might be tough to find. Brooks had 18 points before writhing on the court while his teammates trotted to the locker room without the club's third-leading scorer.
Towering over Brooks on the court in a blazer was Yao, who didn't play on the first night of back-to-back games. Faced with choosing between Yao defending San Antonio's pick-and-roll or Minnesota's Darko Milicic, Rockets coach Rick Adelman preserved Yao for the Timberwolves.
"I don't know if it's right or not," Adelman said.
The Rockets are putting strict limits on Yao's minutes to try and keep the injury-plagued star healthy for a full season. The 7-foot-6 center is averaging 12.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

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