Spurs-Clippers: San Antonio Keeps Clips Winless at AT&T Center

The Los Angeles Clippers entered Thursday’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs without a win in San Antonio since the AT&T Center was opened back in 2002. Nothing changed tonight as the Clippers are now 0-12 vs. the Spurs in San Antonio over the past seven seasons with a 106-84 Spurs victory. 

The Spurs, with the victory, have won 15 of their last 18 games. Yes, that’s 15-3 since Dec. 4. 

The Spurs met the Clippers tonight at a time in their season where they are injury-riddled and had lost their last eight games. Yes, that’s right; the Clippers haven’t won a game since Dec. 17. 

The Spurs began the first quarter with very poor shooting, only 26 percent from the field. A very energized Tony Parker led the Spurs out of the gates with a quick nine points. The Spurs although, were outscored 22-16 by the end of the first quarter. 

Roger Mason Jr. shot 3 three-pointers to begin the second quarter. Mason is shooting better from three-point land than a lot of NBA players are from inside the arc. 

Down by as many as nine points in the second quarter, the Spurs recovered, with a surge prior to halftime to bring the Spurs to within one. The Clippers had the edge 44-43 at that point. 

The Spurs opened the third quarter strong. They went on a 10-0 run to start the quarter, led by Michael Finley’s quick 3 three-pointers. The Clips forgot to guard Finley, as he scored 11 points in the quarter.

The Spurs opened up a 12-point lead in the third quarter, and led 75-69. The biggest problem the Spurs had on the night began to become apparent at this point in the game. They weren’t playing any transition defense, and the Clippers got some quick scores. 

The Spurs began the fourth quarter like the third, by going on a 9-0 run to give the Spurs an 84-69 edge at that point. The Spurs must have gotten an earful from Coach Gregg Popovich between quarters, because they began to play on both ends of the court. 

The Spurs managed to go up by 24 points with 4:00 left in the fourth, when Jacque Vaughn dished the basketball to George Hill, who made a Jordanesque reverse layup. 

In the victory, the Spurs were led by Tony Parker who had 19 points and four assists on the night. Mason added 18 points, and Matt Bonner scored 11 points and had five rebounds.

Tim Duncan played the game very quietly, only scoring eight points, but dishing out nine big assists. 

The Spurs had five players in double-figures on the night, which has become a formula for success on the season. 

The Spurs await the arrival of Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic who come into San Antonio for their next game on Sunday night.