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Game Rewind: Pacers 100, Spurs 106

Game Recap

The shorthanded Pacers were minutes away from sweeping a two-game road trip in Texas, leading by five points in San Antonio on Wednesday night with under seven minutes to play. But the Spurs (10-4) rallied to push past Indiana (6-9), 106-100.

The Blue-and-Gold led 91-86 after Rodney Stuckey's jumper with 7:16 to play before the defending NBA champions responded. San Antonio scored on its next five possessions, hitting three 3-pointers in a 13-0 run. The Spurs kept the Pacers at bay the rest of the way to seal the victory.

"Probably," Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said postgame when asked if the Spurs' late run was the deciding factor. "They separated the game and got up eight or nine points with a few minutes to go, so yes."

After a breakout offensive performance in Monday's 111-100 win at Dallas, the Pacers had another solid night scoring the basketball. Indiana shot 46 percent from the field and made 10-of-21 shots from 3-point range (48 percent) on Wednesday.

But the Spurs were even better, shooting 55 percent on the night. San Antonio's "Big 4" all had strong nights, led by Manu Ginobili, who scored a game-high 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Kawhi Leonard added 21 points and 13 rebounds, Tony Parker had 21 points and six assists, and Tim Duncan chipped in 17 points and six boards.

Stuckey led five Pacers in double figures with 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting. Luis Scola added 13 points and six rebounds in the loss.

"I thought we battled, and I’m proud of the effort," Vogel said. "I thought we made big shots again, executed offensively again, and limited our turnovers again. I’m proud of our performance, but it wasn’t enough against the champs."

Pacers All-Star center Roy Hibbert did not dress for the second straight game due to a sprained ankle.

The Spurs were also without a key member of their organization, as head coach Gregg Popovich missed Wednesday's game after a "minor medical procedure." Assistant Ettore Messina served as acting head coach in Popovich's stead.

The Pacers return to the floor on Friday night, when they host the Orlando Magic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse at 8:00 p.m.

Inside the Numbers

In addition to Stuckey and Scola, three other Pacers players reached double figures. Chris Copeland had 12 points, hitting 2-of-4 attempts from 3-point range. A.J. Price added 11 points and five assists, the fourth time he's scored in double figures in 10 games with Indiana. Solomon Hill added 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

Two days after scoring 29 points against the Mavericks, starting point guard Donald Sloan was held to just three points on 1-of-6 shooting. Sloan did manage six assists in just under 27 minutes.

Indiana had just three turnovers in the first half, but coughed the ball up 10 times in the final two quarters.

Despite Ginobili's 28 points, the Pacers' bench outscored San Antonio's reserves, 44-43.

Both teams struggled from the free throw line, but the Spurs got to the stripe more often. San Antonio went 19-for-29 from the line (66 percent), while Indiana was 10-for-19 (56 percent).

You Can Quote Me on That

"They just had too many free throws and went to the line too much. That’s something you’re going to have to overcome to win on the road. You just have to give them credit, their big four in particular." -Vogel

"We just got stagnant in the third quarter. We stopped moving the ball and they played tough defense. They made some tough shots and started making threes, and that was the game." -Stuckey

"It seemed they scored on the last six or seven possessions in a row. The guys were battling and (the Spurs) were making tough shots. Manu (Ginobili) saves that one from out-of-bounds to the rim. Kawhi (Leonard) looks Solomon (Hill) in the eye and pulls a three on him and drills it. That’s why they’re the champs." -Vogel

"We have been playing well the last couple of games. We did enough to win the game tonight, but they hit jumpers in the third and fourth quarters and they got away with the win. It is hard to beat this team, especially on their home court." -Scola

"There is a reason they have won five championships. Ginobili is Ginobili. (Tony) Parker does what he does. Tim Duncan does what he does. That is their trio right there and they do it well." -Stuckey

"I have a lot of respect for those guys (Pacers) coming out here. They have had a lot of success out on the road thus far and we knew that. They played another great game tonight, and luckily we got to a point that we could make a couple stops and get some shots. It was a really tough game tonight, and I have a lot of respect for those guys." -Duncan

Stat of the Game

Duncan, Ginobili, Leonard, and Parker combined to score 87 points on 33-of-56 shooting (59 percent).

Up Next

The Pacers host the Orlando Magic on Black Friday. Tip off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Game Preview »