Winning Is a Little Rough on Spur Coach

Success hasn’t given Bob Hill a swelled head. A sore throat, maybe.

The Spurs celebrated a month without a loss Wednesday night, beating the New York Knicks, 90-84, at San Antonio, but Hill, their coach who has expressed moments of displeasure in each of the 15 consecutive victories, still found something to holler about.

“I called the team some names,” he said. “We had no energy at the start of the third quarter so I called time out and yelled at them a little. They responded.”

David Robinson chief among them. He had made only one of eight shots in a first half in which the Spurs trailed, 42-39. He had 21 points in the second half, and his four free throws in the final 24.1 seconds ensured victory.

Sean Elliott added 18 points and Avery Johnson 17 for San Antonio.

“[Hill] told us it had to come from the heart,” Elliott said. “I thought we became more aggressive moving the ball down the court after that. And then David took over the game.”

The game was the first between the teams since they made a four-player deal Feb. 7. Charles Smith, who was sent from New York to San Antonio, had 14 points and seven rebounds in 37 minutes. J.R. Reid, who was dealt to the Knicks, had five points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.

The Spurs are 20-4 since the trade and the Knicks 10-12.

OTHER GAMES

Jeff Hornacek scored 24 points to lead the Jazz, which beat Milwaukee, 98-82, at Salt Lake City, handing the Bucks their 13th loss in a row. . . . Tony Dumas scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter at Dallas, where the Mavericks snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 117-114 victory over Houston. . . . Reggie Miller scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter to lead Indiana to a 99-93 victory over Washington at Landover, Md. . . . Clarence Weatherspoon scored 15 of his season-high 28 points in the fourth quarter for the 76ers, who beat Toronto, which was playing without injured Damon Stoudamire, 103-94, at Philadelphia to snap an eight-game losing streak. . . . Dee Brown finished the third quarter with three consecutive three-point baskets and David Wesley opened the fourth with two in a row to lead Boston to a 121-116 victory over Minnesota at Minneapolis. . . . Gary Payton had 19 points and 17 assists for the SuperSonics, who beat Charlotte, 132-95, at Seattle.