Spurs pull off gritty win, defeat Hornets 90-114.

Bryn Forbes lit up the Hornets, scoring 32 points on six 3PTers.

Fresh off a strong showing against the Warriors, the Spurs were initially surprised by the young Hornets coming to town. Dwight Howard showed he can still be a force down low and Kemba Walker made some stunning layups, drawing fouls. Frank Kaminsky also hit some 3PTers, showing off his range.

The Spurs were in a dogfight once they gathered their composure, with Kawhi Leonard battling hard toward the rim but struggling to shoot well, so it took a powerful 18-2 run in the second half to finally burst past Charlotte. A big part of this run was sharpshooter prospect Bryn Forbes, who made 6 three-pointers and got going early via layups in transition. He finished with 32 points on a fabulous 71% shooting, and was on fire at one point in the 4th quarter, a huge spark to the usual Lamb/Shumpert combo (both weake shooters than Forbes) and pulling off two steals to boot.

Patty Mills also made some long-shots on the fast break, as the Spurs stellar passing paid off. Pau Gasol battled with Howard down low, notching a solid double-double of 14 points with 12 rebounds. It was the defensive duo of Biyombo & O'Quinn that made Charlotte's attempt to stay in the game folly: Biyombo had 10 rebounds and 4 blocks, whereas O'Quinn had 5 boards with 3 steals and 1 block. Rudy Gay didn't shoot his best, but finished with 13 points and 2 steals. Kawhi Leonard had 18 points (6-15 FG%), 0-4 3PA) with 4 steals. Tony Parker did not have as strong of a game as the Warriors showdown, but he did make some nice passes for 3 assists and 2 steals. Mario Hezonja had 7 points, Lamb managed 8 points and Patty Mills went 3/3 from deep.

"Bryn is a terrific shooter when he gets going. We were happy to have him back with us for this season. The dog in him likes to fight, and that's what we like here," Popovich spoke highly of Forbes after the game. "He really opened up the floor for us once he made his first few shots from 3PT range," Leonard spoke. "My outside shot wasn't there, and Charlotte was taking it to us because of our poor shooting. He made a big difference for us tonight, no doubt."

In the loss, Nicolas Batum had 27 points and 5 steals (50% shooting, 42% from 3PT); Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 16 points. Kemba Walker cooled significantly, going 4-15 (26%). Dwight Howard had 10 points with 12 rebounds and 2 blocks. The Spurs erupted in the 4th quarter, winning 38-23. San Antonio shot 42% from 3PT territory, and 50% overall. Charlotte also missed 7 free throws, whereas the Spurs had 24 assists to Charlotte's 24 turnovers.