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Kings-Spurs: 56k | 300k  |
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Parker scored 19 points in the first quarter as the Spurs jumped out to a 35-24 lead. They had 60-47 halftime advantage despite little contribution from Duncan, who played just eight minutes due to foul trouble.
"We seem to be a better team with me on the bench," said Duncan, the league's reigning MVP. "Tony Parker picked up the slack for me not being out there on the court. Maybe I've become expendable."
"We need Tim and his physical presence on the inside, but it's good to know we have people who call fill his void," Parker said. "I'm just glad I could help contribute to our team winning."
Parker made a career-high 11 shots on 18 attempts, including 3-of-6 3 pointers, and was 7-of-8 from the line.
"I've been a little more aggressive over the last two months, just doing what (coach Gregg Popovich) wants of me," Parker said. "Every win is good, but a win against Sacramento really means a lot."
"He was the key," Sacramento forward Chris Webber said of Parker. "His penetration broke us down on defense. He was just too quick. I have to give Tony Parker credit for the win tonight."
Duncan bounced back over the final 24 minutes, collecting 14 points and 11 rebounds as he helped San Antonio stifle a Sacramento rally.
The Spurs led by as many as 17 points in the second half and had an 86-73 cushion with after Duncan buried a jumper with 9:43 remaining.
The Kings pulled within 91-82 with 5:16 left, but Duncan responded with a jumper and grabbed a defensive rebound before making 1-of-2 free throws with 3:47 to go.
Stephen Jackson followed with a steal and took it to the other end for a dunk that gave San Antonio a 98-94 advantage.
Parker sank a 3-pointer with 67 seconds left for a 103-91 edge, but Sacramento's Peja Stojakovic scored five consecutive points.
The Spurs made 5-of-6 free throws in the final 38 seconds to hold off the Kings, who got layups from Bobby Jackson and Jimmy Jackson in the last 16 seconds.
"We tried to make runs but we just couldn't sustain anything," Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said. "We gave up too much penetration, especially to Parker. We just didn't do enough."
"It was a great win for us to beat an established team like Sacramento," Duncan said. "Overall, we had a really good game. I think being in foul trouble helped open things up and everyone did a great job making plays down the stretch."
Stephen Jackson finished with 14 points and tied a career high with five steals as San Antonio collected a season-high 16 steals.
Webber had 36 points and nine rebounds on his 30th birthday and Stojakovic scored 20 points for the Kings, who have lost five of their last eight road games.
Bobby Jackson added 19 points off the bench for Sacramento, which lost three of four meetings with San Antonio this season.
Duncan picked up two fouls in the opening 5:07 and was benched with 6:10 left in the first quarter. But it hardly mattered as Parker made 6-of-7 shots, including 2-of-3 3-pointers, in the first 12 minutes.
"I hit my first two shots and at that points I knew I was going to have a big night," Parker said.
The Spurs made 13-of-20 shots in the period and matched their highest-scoring quarter of the season.
"They came out and had an early lead, but we were fighting uphill all game," Webber said. "We have to give them credit. I hope we meet again in the playoffs."
San Antonio had its largest lead at 54-37 on a layup by Jackson with 3:31 left in the first half. It matched that advantage after a pair of free throws by Bruce Bowen less than three minutes into the third quarter.