SAN ANTONIO, Texas, (Reuters) – Tim Duncan rebounded from his recent slump and the San Antonio Spurs tied their best 10-game start to a season with a 103-94 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
The 12-time All-Star Duncan recorded 16 points and 18 rebounds after posting three straight single-digit games in both categories, as the Spurs reached 9-1 for the first time since 1981.
Tony Parker, whose high-profile actress wife Eva Longoria filed for divorce earlier in the day creating a media storm for the point guard from France, had 21 points and Manu Ginobili scored 20.
“I’m having great support from my teammates and my coaches,” Parker told reporters. “I’ll focus 100 percent on the Spurs and try to win basketball games.”
San Antonio trailed by 15 in the first half but dominated the third quarter where they outscored the Bulls 37-12 to seize control.
Derrick Rose scored a game-high 33 points and clawed Chicago (6-4) within five points with 57 seconds remaining but the Spurs clinched the contest with free throws.
“(Rose) is a great player. He’s a handful,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “I think our overall team play in the second half got it done for us. I guess we were decent at (keeping Rose from involving his teammates).”
Chicago had its four-game winning streak snapped despite a strong defensive start that saw them hold San Antonio to 37 first-half points.
But the Spurs came alive in the second half and are tied for the best winning percentage in the NBA.
