Hill, Duncan carry Spurs to 115-113 win over Kings

By Russ Edmondson
Posted Thursday February 4, 2010 2:22AM

SACRAMENTO, Calif (NBA.com exclusive) -- San Antonio didn't need point guard Tony Parker on Wednesday night at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

George Hill, a second-year point guard, scored a team-high 23 points as the Spurs topped the struggling Kings 115-113.

"George Hill is probably the most improved player in the whole league," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "It's everything [that has improved]. Jump shot, confidence, knowledge of the pick and roll, 3-point shot, awareness of what's going on on the court. He's a hell of a player."

Parker, averaging 16.9 points and 5.8 assists, missed his third consecutive game with a sprained left ankle. He has missed seven games in total this season.

"My role is to come in and be aggressive offensively and play great defense," said Hill, whose 23 points tied his career high.

Hill also added nine assists, four rebounds and two steals in nearly 42 minutes.

"Defensively [Hill]is very solid, most of the time guarding the best opponent," San Antonio's Manu Ginobili said. "He's developed a great mid-range shot, very reliable on the corner three and attacking the rim because of his length and athleticism. He's been huge for us. Today he was just magnificent. He played all over the court very well and made big free throws down the stretch. He's a big contributor."

Hill has played in every game for the Spurs this year, averaging 10.7 points and 2.4 assists. He has started 12 games this season.

This was the first game of the Spurs' annual "Rodeo Trip". This is the eighth consecutive season of this extended road trip during the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

The Spurs have gone 40-16 over the last seven years during this trip and Tim Duncan called this particular "Rodeo Trip" the most important yet for his team.

San Antonio entered the game 27-19, the worst winning percentage it has ever had at the start of this trip. The Spurs will play seven more road games before playing at home again on Feb. 24.

San Antonio had also lost six-of-nine games prior to Wednesday night's victory over the Kings.

"How poorly we've played so far," said Duncan about why this trip is so important this year. "So up and down -- we've lost games at home and on the road to teams that we should not have lost to . . . we needed to start this trip on an up note."

Duncan finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds in 29 minutes. Ginobili (20 points) and rookie DeJuan Blair (20 points) joined Hill and Duncan in scoring at least 20 points for San Antonio.

Blair, 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds, scored 12 of his points in the second quarter. He also had six rebounds in the game.

"I have taught [Blair] nothing," Popovich said. "I just leave him alone -- you don't screw up a good thing."

Blair was averaging 7.2 points and 6.6 rebounds a game coming into the contest.

Sacramento rookie sensation Tyreke Evans finished with 32 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals in the loss. He made 11-of-18 shots from the floor in almost 39 minutes.

Evans scored 18 points in the fourth quarter and had 15 points in the last 5:52 of the game. Evans banked in a 3-pointer at the final buzzer. The Kings were never closer than two points in the fourth quarter.

"He's an unbelievable player and as this team [grows] around him, he's going to get a lot of national attention because he's the kind of player that can make the team legitimate," said Sacramento coach Paul Westphal about Evans.

Sacramento's Spencer Hawes finished with 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks in 31 minutes.

He impressed his coach as well.

"It's a tall order to battle Tim Duncan -- I don't care if you call him a power forward, he's probably the best center in the league," Westphal said. "Duncan got the best of him because Duncan is Duncan, but I thought Spencer played an excellent game. He's (consistently) taking steps in the right direction."

Kings' guard Kevin Martin (6-of-17 shooting) finished with 15 points but he didn't score in the final quarter.

Kings' second-year big man Jason Thompson wasn't with the team as he is attending a funeral on the East Coast. Thompson, averaging 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds, started the first 47 games of the season. He was the only King to appear in every game. Thompson will also miss Friday's game when the Kings host the Phoenix Suns.

San Antonio's Parker is expected to play Thursday at Portland.

The Spurs (28-19) have now beat Sacramento eight times in a row. The Kings (16-32) have lost four games in a row.

• Spurs: Hairston, Parker
• Kings: Garcia, Thomas, Thompson

• Spurs: --
• Kings: Nocioni

• Lead Changes: 15
• Times Tied: 15

• Arena: ARCO Arena, Sacramento, CA
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #54 Derrick Collins, #77 Kane Fitzgerald
• Attendance: 12934
• Duration: 2:21