Mahinmi makes most of chance as Spurs rip Nets

By Tim Price, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday January 10, 2010 10:54PM

SAN ANTONIO (NBA.com exclusive) -- Perhaps there was no bigger giveaway on who the Spurs were playing Sunday when almost eight minutes into the game -- well before garbage time -- Ian Mahinmi checked into the lineup against the Nets.

All apologies to Mahinmi, but ...

Who?

Mahinmi, actually, is a first-round draft choice taken by San Antonio with the 28th overall pick in 2005 before David Lee and Monta Ellis. He had played all of six NBA games and 22 minutes in the four seasons since the Spurs drafted him, but he turned out to be rather useful in the Spurs' 97-85 victory over the Nets at AT&T Center.

Mahinmi served to give Tim Duncan six minutes of rest in the first half. Whether it was the rest -- or the Nets -- Duncan grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds to go along with 14 points. Duncan played 27 minutes and went to the bench for good when replaced, again, by Mahinmi with 2:47 left in the third quarter.

"Ian was smiling from the moment he walked into the locker room and saw his jersey hanging up in his locker room," said Spurs reserve guard George Hill. "You could tell he's been wanting to play for the longest. That's what the Spurs have been looking for from Ian."

New Jersey (3-34) has lost five straight overall. The Nets' seventh straight loss on the road has dropped them to 1-19 in that category.

The Spurs (22-13) will have the researchers digging deep with this quirk in the schedule, wondering if there's ever been a time in league history when there's been a bigger spread in winning percentage between consecutive opponents this deep into the season. The Nets' (.081 winning percentage) served as the warmup act for the Spurs' Tuesday night match with the Lakers (a league-best .784 percentage).

Seemingly always beset by ankle injuries -- countryman Tony Parker remembered Mahinmi got hurt on the French national team's first game in the most recent European championships -- Mahinmi doubled his career high in minutes (20).

And if it wasn't for Manu Ginobili (21 points), Mahinmi would have had the game high for the Spurs (22-13). Mahinmi was 6-for-6 for 15 points and nine rebounds, both career highs.

"This year he has stayed healthy but hasn't gotten an opportunity yet," Parker said. "He stayed ready and (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) gave him his chance and he was great tonight."

Name the reason -- there are plenty -- for the Nets' decline. In this game Duncan threw the spot on rebounding. Only two teams in the NBA are worse in that category, and San Antonio had a 56-43 advantage on the boards Sunday.

It also allowed the Spurs to overcome an off-shooting night. Checking in at 36 for 79 from the floor (46 percent), it's only the third time in the past 11 games that San Antonio has shot worse than 50 percent. Throw out Parker's 3-for-12 effort and the Spurs still would have finished at 49 percent.

"We didn't play as good defensively as we have been playing," Nets coach Kiki Vandeweghe said. "They got some offensive rebounds, and that's when the game broke open a little bit."

Duncan had 13 rebounds -- five off them on offense -- already by halftime. Even though San Antonio only led by two at half, Duncan's work set the example for the rest of the team.

"Tim comes to play every night," Popovich said. "There are no players or teams that he takes in a light manner. He's serious about everything."

And when the Nets led 52-49 just more than a minute into the second half on Keyon Dooling's 3-pointer (Dooling started at point guard while Devin Harris rested the tendonitis in his right wrist), Duncan answered with his familiar bank shot that sent the Spurs on a 22-6 run over the next eight minutes. It made for a 71-58 lead.

Game over, and Mahinmi was back in a minute later.

"(Duncan) is definitely one of the best to play," said Brook Lopez, who often had the assignment on Duncan. "There are so many different things he can do."

The win allowed the Spurs to match the league's longest active win streak against one team. They matched their own standard -- San Antonio has 14 consecutive wins over the Los Angeles Clippers.

• Nets: Harris, Najera, Williams
• Spurs: Bonner, Finley, Hairston

• Nets: Vandeweghe
• Spurs: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
• Officials: #47 Bennie Adams, #48 Scott Foster, #63 Derek Richardson
• Attendance: 18047
• Duration: 2:8