The San Antonio Spurs are whole for the first time in months

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linhe
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The San Antonio Spurs are whole for the first time in months

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SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs are whole for the first time in months and they performed in the same efficient style that helped them battle through the rash of injuries. Reggie White Eagles Jersey . Tony Parker had 22 points and seven assists in his return from a six-game absence, leading San Antonios balanced attack in a 112-106 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night. Parker played with his usual relentlessness, finishing 10 for 15 from the field on a series of breakneck drives. He also had just one turnover in 32 minutes, and the Spurs had six players score in double figures. "I thought Parker looked great again coming off a nice little 10-day break they can afford to give him," Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "And he just comes in and looks great." Despite a series of injuries, San Antonio (43-16) remains 1 1/2 games behind Oklahoma City (45-15) for the top seed in the Western Conference. Tim Duncan scored 17 points, Kawhi Leonard added 16 and Boris Diaw had 13 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio. Manu Ginobili had 15 points and seven assists as the Spurs extended their winning streak to three games. Nowitzki scored 22 points, Vince Carter added 21 and Monta Ellis had 17 for the Mavericks, who have lost eight straight to the Spurs. Parker looked refreshed after not playing since Feb. 10 for what San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich officially listed as "rest," but unofficially was due to a series of lower body maladies. "I think it was a little bit of (a physical and mental rest)," Parker said. "Pop, I trust his judgment. I didnt want to admit it to myself. But maybe I was tired mentally. Its a lot of basketball the last three years with no break; the (French) national team and NBA. It definitely helped, I felt fresh." The French point guard made his first shot, and on the ensuing possession, drove into the heart of the paint to draw the defence and fired a pass to Leonard for an open 3-pointer that gave San Antonio a 5-2 lead. "I just try to penetrate and make stuff happen," Parker said. "Obviously, I want to score; but I want to do both. I want to create shots for my teammates. Myself and Manu (Ginobili), we can create a lot of offence, we have great shooters all around us. I cant remember the last time we had everybody." Parker punctuated his return with a left-handed layup from the right side of the rim to avoid Dalemberts reach with 45 seconds remaining. "Hes been an MVP candidate, really each of the last three, four, five years," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Look, hes that good and he was obviously fresh tonight. He hit shots that were the shots that were there. Youve got to give him credit for that and we needed to be a little bit better on our coverages." The Spurs visibly frustrated Nowitzki, who continually yelled at officials. Popovich alternated Splitter, Diaw and Leonard defensively on Nowitzki, who shot 9 of 17. "It was just to give him a different look," Popovich said of the rotations. "Hes such a great player. Nobody stops him. At least giving him a different look makes me feel better like Im trying, like Im doing something." Nowitzki also committed two early fouls. "The first one was stupid," he said. "I saw the ball, kind of reach for it. By the time I reached for it, the ball was gone and I hit his arm. I missed my first two shots. I think I was a little anxious; I really wanted to play well. By the time I settled in in the second quarter, I was little too hyped up." Carter kept the Mavericks in the game almost single-handedly in the first half, as Dallas trailed just 48-47. Ginobili scored eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, as the Spurs opened a 78-67 lead with a minute remaining. Ginobili, who was 2 for 5 on 3s, was energized by the teams return to health. "For Tim and Tony, its been a while, more than a month, probably without all three playing," Ginobili said. "It feels good. As I said the last two games, its very important for us to be healthy, to start feeling confident, to start playing with each other again over the last stretch of the season." NOTES: The Spurs have had 24 different lineups this season. ... San Antonio has won 12 of 14 regular-season games against Dallas. The Mavericks have not beaten the Spurs since a 106-99 victory on March 17, 2012, in Dallas. ... Popovich and Nowitzki engaged in somewhat contentious banter during the game. When Nowitzki was whistled for fouling Parker on a drive, he yelled at official Derek Richardson as he left for a substitution, "Just because (Popovichs) yelling doesnt mean theres a foul." Ron Jaworski Jersey . The 114th-ranked Lorenzi broke Monacos serve to go up 4-3 in the decisive set and held on to close the match in 2 hours, 34 minutes at the Ibirapuera Arena. The 32-year-old Italian squandered a match point before losing the second set, but was in control in the third to pick up the win in the ATP 250 tournament in South Americas biggest city. Earl Wolff White Jersey . Left guard Clint Boling tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a 17-10 victory in San Diego on Sunday. The Bengals put him on injured reserve Tuesday.BARCELONA, Spain -- Lionel Messi set another scoring record by netting a hat trick to pace Barcelonas 7-0 rout of Osasuna in the Spanish league on Sunday, ensuring the defending champions stayed in striking distance of leader Real Madrid before their critical "clasico" match next week. The three goals bring Messis career tally for Barcelona to 371 in all games -- including friendlies -- breaking the club record of 369 held by Paulino Alcantara since 1927. The 26-year-old Messi was already the clubs all-time leading scorer in official games. Messi assured Barcelonas fans they will enjoy his goals for years to come, saying "as long as people want me, I will stay here. My intention is to retire wearing the Barcelona shirt." The Argentina forward netted from close range to open the scoring at Camp Nou in the 18th minute. Alexis Sanchez made it 2-0 four minutes later before Andres Iniesta scored just his second goal of the season in the 34th. Messi struck twice more in the second half, either side of Cristian Tellos goal, to give him a team-leading 18 league goals this campaign, before he set up Pedro Rodriguez. It was Messis 20th career hat trick for Barcelona, to go with four four-goal games and one five-goal outing. Barcelona remained in third place, four points behind Madrid, ahead of their meeting in the Spanish capital next Sunday. Barcelonas big win, which matched its scoreline over Levante to start the season, came one week after it slumped to a 1-0 loss at Valladolid, which cast doubts on the teams ability to stay in the race for the league title with Madrid and second-place Atletico Madrid. But its victory midweek over Manchester City in the Champions League and this dominant performance appear to have restored its credit as a contender before Gerard Martinos team faces Madrid in a game that may go a long way to deciding the title. "We hope we can play a great game," Messi said about the upcoming clash at the Santiago Bernabeu. "We know it will be difficult, but we will do all we can to fight for the league title until the very end. Jerome Brown Eagles Jersey. We received a lot of criticism after the Valladolid match. We knew we didnt play well and this (win) boosts our confidence." Also, striker Imanol Agirretxes second-half header gave Real Sociedad a 1-0 win at home over Valencia, provisionally lifting the Basque side into fifth place. Villarreal can move back ahead of Sociedad on Monday when it hosts fourth-place Athletic Bilbao. Kevin Gameiro scored a double as Sevilla eased to a 4-1 win over Valladolid at home. Ivan Rakitic and Diogo Rosario also scored for Sevilla before Javi Guerra got Valladolids consolation goal. Real Betis drew 0-0 at Elche as it remained stuck at the bottom of the standings and winless in all 14 away games this season. Osasunas away woes continued as it again proved to be far from the side that has taken points from Barcelona, Madrid and Atletico this season in Pamplona. The visitors started as the more aggressive side, but Messi quickly ended thoughts of an upset when he glanced in Alexis low cross from a tight angle. Messis goal ignited Barcelonas attack, which put on an overwhelming passing display to secure the three points before halftime. Left back Jordi Alba worked a one-two combination with Iniesta before picking Alexis out arriving to the penalty spot where the Chile forward netted his 17th league goal of the season. It was then Iniestas turn to take a rare goal with a stinging left-footed strike from outside the area that flew past goalkeeper Andres Fernandez before landing in the far corner of the net. Barcelona kept pouring it on. Dani Alves, Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta all drew saves from Fernandez on both sides of halftime, while Pedro went close twice. Messi hit again in the 63rd after he and Iniesta broke down Osasunas left flank with a series of exchanges before firing home. Tello went on in the 76th and two minutes later he lashed in a long-range shot for Barcelonas fifth to completely demoralize Osasuna before Messi scored from a pass by Dani Alves in the 88th and laid off for Pedro to round out the demolition in injury time. cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
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