By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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The Result
A second-half Charlotte rally came up just short as the Hornets were unable to extend their season-high, five-game winning streak, falling to the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, 98-93, on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 28 points for his sixth-consecutive game scoring over 25 points. Manu Ginobili was red-hot off the bench for San Antonio, tallying 27 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals for the visiting Spurs.
Turning Points
San Antonio connected on 13-of-22 field goal attempts (59.1%) to explode for 35 points in the second quarter to take a 12-point lead into halftime over the hometown Hornets. Charlotte rallied in the second half to cut the lead to 86-85 with 4:33 to go in the fourth quarter but could not overtake the Spurs in the final minutes as Cory Joseph sunk a clinching pair of free throws with 2.3 seconds left to send San Antonio to its eighth-consecutive win over Charlotte.
Inside the Box Score
Kemba Walker’s streak of scoring 25-or-more points in six-consecutive games is the longest of his career… Cody Zeller finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists which is his first double-digit rebounding performance since Nov. 28 against Golden State… Lance Stephenson returned from a 14-game absence and finished with eights points and two assists in 18 minutes off the bench… P.J. Hairston scored 11 points off the bench to finish in double figures for the second straight game… Tim Duncan notched 14 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double double just one night after passing Karl Malone for 5th on the NBA’s all-time list… Matt Bonner finished with eight points, eight rebounds and a season-high four blocks… Danny Green (18) and Tony Parker (10) also finished in double figures for the Spurs…. Parker and Cory Joseph both tallied five assists to lead San Antonio… Charlotte scored 17 points on the fast break while San Antonio notched only four points… The Hornets pulled down 15 offensive rebounds compared to six from San Antonio… The Spurs connected on 16-of-20 free throw attempts (80%) while Charlotte was successful on 23-of-35 (65.7%) shots from the line.
Hornets Player of the Game
Bismack Biyombo had another strong outing for the Hornets, finishing with 12 points, a season-high 15 rebounds and five blocks. Biyombo collected more offensive rebounds (seven) than the entire Spurs team (six) and recorded his second-consecutive double-double and third overall on the season.
Spurs Player of the Game
Manu Ginobili had a big night off the Spurs bench, finishing just short of his season-high with 27 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals for San Antonio. Ginobili connected on 10-of-14 field goal attempts and has scored in double figures in 15 of his last 19 games.
Game Notes
Gary Neal (hamstring), Al Jefferson (groin) and Jannero Pargo (back) were all out for the Hornets… Charlotte has not beaten San Antonio at home since Jan. 15, 2010 and has dropped 18 of their last 20 meetings with the Spurs… Gerald Henderson received a technical foul in the second quarter for arguing calls.
Next Up
The Hornets will take on the Indiana Pacers at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 in Charlotte. The game can be seen on FOX SportsSouth or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.