Spurs recover with 8-0 run to defeat Hornets, 90-79

Pau Gasol had 28 points in this road victory.

Pau Gasol was the constant in this game, scoring a team-high 28 points with 7 rebounds on 70% shooting. Charlotte was outplaying the Spurs in the second quarter, taking an eight-point lead into halftime courtesy of a monster dunk by Dwight Howard over undersized Mario Hezonja. D12 finished with a Hornets-high 15 points and 7 rebounds.

In a relatively low scoring contest, it didn't take much to outlast the Hornets and recuperate from an early beating. Mario Hezonja got his revenge with 19 points on 5-8 shots from deep, quelling any hometwon momentum by Charlotte. Bryn Forbes helped out with a pair of threes also, whereas Patty Mills went 2-10 and 0-8 from 3PT territory.

Every other player had a quiet night: Kyle O'Quinn got some burn in this game, with 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Iman Shumpert chipped in 9 points. Kawhi Leonard had a modest showing with just 7 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Rudy Gay went just 2-7.

For Charlotte, Kidd-Gilchrist had 13 points with 6 rebounds; Kemba Walker was just 6-16 for 13 points. Nicolas Batum had a quiet 12 points on 5/14 shooting. The Hornets boasted a big run in the second quarter, 15-7, but the Spurs fought back and stopped the buzzing. San Antonio won the 3rd quarter, 27-15 after losing the second 21-27. The Spurs tough defense stopped Charlotte's chances, missing layups when it mattered most.