Celtics handle Spurs, withstand run late: 87-113.

Kyrie Irving had a great game, hearing "M-V-P!" chants.

After a contentious first quarter, the Celtics took their first substantial run in the second, dominating the quarter 18-34 after trailing by 5 after one. The Spurs were lost in the shuffle of momentum.

San Antonio would eventually fight back in the 4th quarter, trimming an off-and-on 20 point deficit down to just 9 points after a rally, but Boston would pull away on an 8-0 run to win big at home, snapping the streak.

Shots just didn't fall for the Spurs, who got demolished on the glass as a result, losing big 30-55 in rebounds, shooting a putrid 35% to speak volumes of Boston's also formidable defensive stranglehold. The Spurs also shot 20% from 3PT territory, compared to 44% by the Celtics. Frustration set in, and the Spurs committed too many fouls. Boston didn't quite make them pay, missing 10 shots from the charity stripe, but the constant stop in action seized any potential runs early. The Celtics also won the 3rd quarter, 17-29 as the Spurs nearly trailed by 30 at one point.

It was a notable burst of life by San Antonio to kickstart the final period, just after Kyrie Irving (25 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 50% shooting) received "M-V-P!" chants from the Boston crowd. The Spurs were able to win the first quarter due to Rudy Gay's quick spark, who would go on to have a solid game with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals on 57% shooting. Kawhi Leonard had 18 points in the loss, struggling inside uncharacteristically. Gordon Hayward had just 13 points, hounded by Leonard on the other end of the court, shooting 3-11, but the former Jazz star had 8 rebounds and 9 assists to make up for it.

Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown had 20 points and Al Horford nearly had a double-double, blocking Pau Gasol at the rim to quell the rally by San Antonio. The Spaniard had an awful game, sporting 3-11 on the field like Hayward. Marcus Morris had a strong showing with 19 points and 14 boards for the C's. The bench did not help the Spurs in this contest, either.  Lamb, Shumpert and Hezonja all struggled. Patty Mills was also a non-factor with just 6 points, being chased all night long by Brown.

In the loss, Bismack Biyombo was a force early and a big part of the late push, finishing with 5 blocks to go with 6 points, 2 steals and 7 rebounds. Prospect got activated for this game, but shot just 1-7 from long range. Tony Parker's struggles continued, given 12 minutes of action but going 0-8 from the floor. In retrospect, Gasol probably played too many minutes as his inferior defense to Biyombo gave the Celtics a chance to break down the Spurs. But these two teams will meet again, a new rivalry.

Tony Parker struggling, yet striving to still be effective.

In five games so far, Tony Parker has only scored 9 points.

Despite the Spurs 6-0 win streak to begin the season, Tony Parker--the former star of the Spurs, head of the old guard--went scoreless in the season opener versus Minnesota in 13 minutes. He played just 6 minutes against the Bulls, scoring 3 points, didn't play the Raptors, went scoreless again in Miami, shot 2-10 in Orlando for only 4 points and went 1-8 in Indiana.

No drastic measures need to be taken, and the Spurs organization is arguably the most patient one in the league, but Parker knows he can contribute more, even as he enters his 19th season in the NBA--all with San Antonio.

"I'd probably take any third-string point guard over me right now," Parker subjected himself to criticism, admitting that his poor play has not been motivating. Once a quick, wily guard Tony has definitely declined--but he'll have to do just a little bit more, even if inconsistently--to help the Spurs this year. Backup prospect Dejounte Murray has not wowed the Spurs just yet on a reliable basis, and even Patty Mills hasn't gotten off to the best start.

Early season rust only accounts for so much.

"He'll find his way," Coach Popovich spoke of Parker. "He's almost as old as me, you know! Cut Tony some slack. He's a champion, a leader, one of our best players ever. He's got my support."

Spurs overcome 20pt deficit to win by 14 on the road, 97-83.

The Spurs came into Indiana with a 5-0 win streak to begin the season, and things look grim early on. They found themselves in an eight-point hole after just the first quarter, and watched it cave to twenty before ebbing away to make it only 16 at halftime.

There was a chance the Spurs would make the 3rd QTR comeback they've been known for during their championship dynasty, but time would tell and it didn't look good. They were just 2-15 from long range after one half, with no one player able to catch a rhythm early. The ball movement was mostly there, but the shots just weren't falling. The defense needed improvement, also, as Indiana made 3PTers in transition. Victor Oladipo and Darren Collison were also going hard to the basket, making the Spurs foul Oladipo during some splendid reverse layups.

Then it happened, in a very-Spurs way, with a 10-0 run that brought them to 46-53, forcing the Pacers into a "badly needed timeout" as Mike Breen described from the sidelines. Meanwhile, Patty Mills was catching fire. He would finish with 19 points, matching that of Kawhi Leonard (who also had 2 steals). Rudy Gay was solid all game for the Spurs, finishing with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals, playing sharp down low, using his speed advantage and veteran experience. For Indiana, their shooting dwindled with Bojan Bogdanovic going 1-8 from 3PT.

That's not to say the Pacers gave up without a fight, as the game stayed close, except for another pair of crippling runs by San Antonio to end the contest. Before that point, Cory Joseph had 18 points, just behind 20 points from Collison (and 6 assists). Oladipo cooled off for just 10 points on 38% shooting. Prospect Myles Turner had 11 rebounds, but only 6 points, contending with Bismack Biyombo's 8 rebounds and tremendous 5 blocks, including one that knocked Bogdanovic to the floor in a heap at the rim. Pau Gasol had 11 points with 7 rebounds, including a nice 3PTer in transition that gave the Spurs a small lead to begin one of their huge breakouts. San Antonio amped-up their defense, for sure, causing 14 turnovers by Indiana.

Jeremy Lamb was the early defiant spark, finishing with 13 points off some terrific slams and a nice 3PTer late in the 4th quarter that all but sealed the come-from-behind, resilient victory. Iman Shumpert also had 2 steals. The Pacers tried to rally, but their shooting just wasn't there any longer as Leonard hit a dagger 3PTer in the final minute.

Spurs cruise past Raptors, 85-109.

Pau Gasol had 12 points with 5 rebounds in this easy, team-strong effort by the Spurs at home. The Raptors committed 16 turnovers, giving themselves no chance at making a comeback. Both its stars DeMarr DeRozan and Kyle Lowry had miserable outings here, combining for just 22 points, including five cough-ups by Lowry. Big man Serge Ibaka also lost the ball 5 times, with San Antonio leading 31-17 after one.

It didn't help that San Antonio shot 48% from 3PT territory in this game, especially Patty Mills who made five long-shots to go with 9 assists for 15 points. Kawhi Leonard had 18 points on 75% shooting with 2 steals. Kyle O'Quinn had a promising night in 13 points, 2 steals and 1 block. Jeremy Lamb had 12 points on 5/6 shooting, Rudy Gay had 11 points and Mario Hezonja had 7 points, as did Dejounte Murray.

In the loss, the Raptors were led by Jonas Valanciunas's 16 points & 10 rebounds. Close behind was Norman Powell's 15 points and CJ Miles for 11 points.

Spurs control Magic, win 96-84 after late run.

Kawhi Leonard was huge in the Spurs-dominant 1st quarter.

The Spurs shot out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, winning the period 31-18 on the road, going on to win easily despite a late rally by the home team. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 21 points and 7 rebounds, snatching 6 steals as well.

Patty Mills contributed 16 points, making four shots from deep. Rudy Gay had a nice 15 points with 7 rebounds. New Spur, Kyle O'Quinn, had 9 points with 3 blocks. Iman Shumpert had 2 steals to go with 8 points and Bismack Biyombo had 8 points with 1 block.

In the losing effort, DJ Augustin had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Nikola Vucevic had a quiet night with 14 points and 10 rebounds; Evan Fournier had 12 points. Former Spur, Jonothon Simmons had 10 points. New breakout star Aaron Gordon had just 8 points and 9 rebounds, but had some hammer dunks that at least made things fun for the crowd.