Spurs struggle early, rise up over Pelicans to win 97-90.

Sharpshooter Bryn Forbes hit a deep dagger late.

The Pelicans put a whooping on the Spurs early, going up by 8 after one quarter and leading by 11 at halftime. Leave it to the Spurs to recuperate and then retaliate, throwing down blow for blow in a brief brawl before blitzing past the home team in the Big Easy. N'awlins would fight back, including some feisty defense by Rajon Rondo on Patty Mills, but they would fall short to the Spurs, forced to watch Kawhi Leonard (23 points) drain a cold-blooded long 3PTer in isolation that all but sealed the outcome.

Preceding this was a tough matchup problem for the Spurs, pulling Rudy Gay early and swapping in Pau Gasol to better contend size for size against DeMarcus Cousins. Anthony Davis would have 25 points to lead the Pelicans, and Cousins would only have 15 points in the outing despite some strong plays to keep the early lead.

Pau Gasol matched Cousins with 15 points, drawing fouls and also showing off his soft touch from beyond. Rudy Gay also splashed home a 3PTer, as did Patty Mills here and there. Tony Parker even had a decent showing here for San Antonio in a feelgood, resilient road effort culminating in an 11-0 run in the 3rd quarter to set the tone for the final period. The Spurs pulled away with solid defense and playmaking.

The Spurs now move to 15-3, topping the western conference so far.

Spurs fly past Hawks, 105-111.

After a tight first quarter, the Spurs burst out to a sizable lead and the shooting display only improved from there, with Patty Mills and Kawhi Leonard making some nice long shots as well as Mario Hezonja. Iman Shumpert got the team going first, and then it was some fury shown by Jeremy Lamb's athleticism that kept the lead, shooting 53% at halftime as a team. The 42-57 advantage was capped off by Kawhi Leonard's 16 points on 6-7 shooting and a shot from just past the half-court line with .6 left on the clock.

Atlanta would come alive in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 10 points and then getting within six, showing talent from long range due to Ilyasova, but it was a clutch 3PTer combo by Mills and Leonard that sealed the win.

Both teams made 11 shots from deep, but the Spurs defense was the key factor here, as Biyombo swatted the ball this way and elsewhere when Atlanta went for the basket down low. Kawhi sleepwalked to 29 points on 11/15 shooting (73%, and 4/6 from 3PT--66%) with 8 rebounds and 6 steals. Mario Hezonja had the "magic" touch tonight: he had 18 points on 7/9 shooting, making 4 shots from deep also. Patty Mills had 13 points and 9 assists, making a trio of threes.

Bismack Biyombo dominated the paint with 14 rebounds and a refreshing 12 points with 4 blocks. Pau Gasol had a solid 10 points with 8 rebounds. Jeremy Lamb's early burst stopped at 19 points and Rudy Gay had flashes for 9 points. Kyle O'Quinn finished with 6 points and 5 rebounds and a block.

In the loss, Dennis Shroder had 16 points with 7 assists, former Spur Dewayne Dedmon had 11 points with 8 rebounds. Malcolm Delaney had 11 points, and Ersan Ilyasova had 15 points with 7 rebounds. Kent Bazemore hit a pair of nice shots from long range, but had just 8 points on 3/9 shooting overall.

Spurs lose to Timberwolves, but win over Thunder, 104-110.

Leonard's defense was tremendous, with a clutch block on Westbrook

The Spurs had a late lead and let it slip away in the Twin Cities, and kudos to the feisty Timberwolves, and they nearly let the OKC Thunder steal this one late, but it wasn't going to happen. Iman Shumpert had a fabulous game, with 22 points and a huge 3PTer to finish off the game-winning comeback by the Spurs.

San Antonio led by double digits twice, including a 10-2 run in the 3rd quarter, but the Thunder kept fighting back on the back of Paul George. It was PG-13, however, that missed a wide open 3PTer in the corner that would've nearly tied the game after a double-clutch 3PTer splashed by Westbrook over two Spurs defenders.

Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard had a strong block on the OKC superstar to help the rally. Dejounte Murray, Iman Shumpert and Jeremy Lamb frustrated Westbrook all game long, though he finished with a solid line of 26 points and 8 assists. Steven Adams had 16 points and 9 rebounds, showing off a nice hook shot down low. It was Paul George's time to shine, though, with 32 points and 8 rebounds, also 2 steals.

For the Spurs, Leonard had 22 points with a stunning 7 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 blocks. Shumpert nailed four three-pointers in this game, before fouling out late. Pau Gasol had a solid 19 points. Patty Mills didn't start this game, but recovered well with 11 points and 7 assists. Lamb had 9 points; Dejounte had 7 points. Bismack Biyombo withheld the boards from OKC, with 15 rebounds and 5 blocks for good measure, swatting Westbrook and Paul George whenever the ferocious Spurs defense wasn't swarming any OKC Thunder player that drove toward the rim. Westbrook tried a 360 layup and got knocked to the floor for it. Kyle O'Quinn had just 3 points but 4 blocks with 4 rebounds.

Leonard would finish this exciting beat-em-up at the free throw line, going 10-for-10. The Spurs went a fantastic 25-25 from the charity stripe, but it was OKC that missed 10 points there.

Spurs flounder against Suns, cruise past Clippers and outpace Bucks.

Pau Gasol had a strong showing against Milwaukee.

Like last season, the Suns just seemed to frustrate San Antonio and be a problem, giving the Spurs a first loss at home. However, the defending champions recovered strongly against the next visitors, the LA Clippers, finding themselves on the good side of that predicament instead.

The closest meeting came from the Bucks, and the young Milwaukee squad took a see-saw lead early. The Spurs built momentum as Kawhi Leonard and Pau Gasol started heating up, and Patty Mills made some nice passes, despite a shooting slump as of late.

The Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a woeful night, being smothered by Kawhi Leonard, getting past him a few times, but always meeting Gasol shortly thereafter or even worse, Bismack Biyombo. Eric Bledsoe charged in for some athletic dunks to make up for it, but Giannis went just 4-17 (despite having six impressive blocks) and just 13 points.

Eric Bledsoe roared in 15 points and 7 assists; John Henson had 11 points with 12 rebounds. Khris Middleton had 19 points and former ROY Malcolm Brogdon had 23 points. Tony Snell had 12.

Despite a comeback, the Spurs fell short to Phoenix.

For the Spurs, Kawhi Leonard had 26 points with 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Pau Gasol was closed behind with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Patty Mills was cold from long range, but had 18 points and 6 assists. Jeremy Lamb had 11 points and some impressive dunks early. Winning 107-110 after a final run by Milwaukee, the Spurs owed a lot to themselves for nice teamwork, hustle and chemistry. They only missed two free throws, whereas the Bucks went 17-29 (58%). The Bucks shot better overall, and from long range, so it's telling that the Spurs simply outplayed the younger squad.

In the Phoenix debacle, the Spurs shot just 31% from 3PT range and 42% overall, horrible compared to the Suns 62% and 50% from deep. The Spurs would cut it to 2 points in the final minute, but too many mistakes did them in here, despite two more strong outputs by Leonard & Gasol. They combined for 62 points, but Kawhi's shot was off compared to the Spaniard. Patty Mills had 8 assists, but shot just 2-9. Rudy Gay went 3-10. Bismack Biyombo had 12 rebounds and 5 blocks in the loss.

For Phoenix, Josh Jackson had 26 points; TJ Warren had 23 and Devin Booker had a modest 17.

Rudy Gay poured in 30 points in the blowout.

Against Los Angeles, the Spurs crushed the Clippers 17-32 in the first quarter, despite only winning by 10 by the end of it and only shooting 17% from 3PT territory. This was Rudy Gay's moment: he had 30 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 50% overall and from 3PT range. He also had 2 steals. Pau Gasol had 15 points and 6 rebounds; Kawhi with just 14 points but six steals. Biyombo had 12 boards.

In the loss, Danilo Gallinari had 20 points with 8 rebounds. DeAndre Jordan had 16 points with 15 rebounds, a strong double-double. Avery Bradley dunked past Biyombo in the lone highlight play for LA, finishing with 14 points. Patrick Beverley went just 2-11.

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.

Spurs outlast Warriors, win 97-101 at home.

Despite a 20-point hole, the Warriors just wouldn't surrender.

Driving to the rim, Kevin Durant fell on his face after being ruthlessly blocked by Kyle O'Quinn. In the final seconds, after Steph Curry & Klay Thompson brought the Warriors within 2 points, Durant was knocked to the floor after attempting a corner 3PTer, courtesy of Bismack Biyombo.

The Spurs defense and solid offense was enough to fend off the Warriors in this first meeting of the season, despite Golden State erasing a 20-point deficit, once trailing 36-56 on the road.

The first quarter was won by the Spurs 22-27, but they broke off into a twenty-point advantage in the second 16-29, with the Warriors edging back continuously from there including 23-14 in the third. San Antonio's offense would stall, allowing the opposition to sneak within single digits, making for a fierce final quarter. Golden State would outscore the Spurs 36-31, but it wasn't enough.

Kawhi Leonard outplayed Kevin Durant with 28 points, icing the game at the free throw line to give San Antonio a four-point cushion. Previously, Pau Gasol had missed at the rim but gotten his own rebound and made a put-back layup, otherwise Golden State's next shot would've tied the game. Durant and Curry were also fouled throughout the game, with the Spurs using fouls to slow momentum at times. It cost them some bonus free throw attempts, but Golden State didn't make the most out of them, missing nine crucial free throws, compared to just one miss by the Spurs; when you lose by 4 that has to sting a bit.

Both teams were not the best from long range, despite their typically-stellar numbers, with San Antonio shooting 38% to Golden State's 34%.  Both teams were tremendous on defense, combining for 23 blocks and 13 steals. Every statistical category was close, with Golden State slightly winning rebounds and the Spurs winning in assists.

Steph Curry didn't have his best game, chased all game long, but it was a delight to see Tony Parker have his moment, playing well in this game and making shots. Parker finished with just 11 points, but the shots he made were huge, going 4-5 from the floor and making all three of his 3PT attempts. His effort was needed too as Patty Mills was pestered by Klay Thompson's length all night, finishing with 14 points on 6/12 shooting.

Rounding out the production, Rudy Gay had 13 points but shot just 30%, Pau Gasol had 11, Jeremy Lamb scored 10. Kyle O'Quinn got some burn here, scoring 6 points with 4 rebounds and 3 blocks. Bismack Biyombo had a monstrous 8 blocks with 8 rebounds, a total rim protector in his game.

In the narrow defeat, Durant had 22 points (8/18 shooting) with 3 blocks. Curry had 21 on 9/19, making just one long range shot. Draymond Green had a double-double of 10 & 10 with 2 blocks; Zaza Pachulia had 10 points with 12 rebounds. Klay Thompson shot 3-11, not quite right here. Andre Iguodala was 1-8 tonight, as the Warriors benched failed to contribute much to the comeback led by Durant and Curry (whose drives inside sparked it).

All too familiar was this showdown late, promising further rivalry from these two western conference juggernauts.

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.