Ginobili Helps Spurs Hold Off Raptors
Posted: 10:27 pm CST February 11, 2008
Toronto, ON -- (Sports Network) - Manu Ginobili scored a game-high 34 points and pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds, as the San Antonio Spurs held off the Toronto Raptors, 93-88, at the Air Canada Centre.Tim Duncan scored 22 points and grabbed 13 boards for his 30th double-double of the season. Michael Finley pitched in with 12 points off the bench, which included a pair of free throws to clinch the game for the Spurs. San Antonio is now 5-3 on its current nine game road trip. Jose Calderon scored a career-high 27 points and dished out six assists in the losing effort. Chris Bosh was held in check with just 11 points and eight rebounds. Toronto is now 3-9 all-time at home versus San Antonio. Additionally, it was announced Monday that Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell is taking a leave of absence so that he can fly home to Atlanta following the death of his father-in-law. Mitchell may rejoin the team for Wednesday's game against New Jersey, but will definitely return after the All-Star break. Assistant coach Mike Evans served as head coach for Monday's game. After Duncan hit a jumper to put San Antonio in front, 91-86, with 1:44 left, Bosh hit a turnaround fadeaway to pull Toronto within three. However, the Raptors would not get any closer, as Bosh missed a jumper with 36 seconds left, and Ginobili grabbed the board. Ginobili also grabbed the rebound of his own missed three with 12 seconds left, and passed the ball to Finley, who was fouled, and made both free throws to clinch the game. San Antonio jumped to a lead right out of the gate, going on a 15-4 run to open the game. Ginobili scored 11 points during the first quarter. The Raptors, on the other hand, missed their first six shots of the game and failed to score until Jamario Moon hit a jumper with 8:33 left to play in the first. "We started pretty bad tonight. We have to play better the whole game, because we can't be trying to come back for the whole game because of the first quarter," Calderon said. The Spurs continued to apply the pressure in the second quarter, as Finley hit an early three and Ginobili stayed hot, scoring 10 points. San Antonio took an 18-point lead when Ginobili made a jumper with 1:29 left, and the Spurs took a 55-40 lead at halftime. Toronto kept with it, and cut the deficit to 68-60 after the third quarter, as Calderon scored the final eight Raptors points of the stanza, and the game was close down the stretch. "They are a young and very dangerous team," Ginobili said. "We were not expecting to have an easy game today. We knew that even though we had the lead at halftime, they were going to make a run sooner or later. We just had to be prepared." Game Notes San Antonio out-rebounded Toronto 46-34...San Antonio shot 48.1 percent from the field, while Toronto shot 44.2 percent...The Spurs are 25-2 when leading at halftime...Toronto is 4-14 when trailing at the half...This is the 41st time San Antonio held an opponent to under 100 points.
Copyright 2008 Courtesy of The Sports Network.











