Duncan, Spurs Cut Above Timberwolves

Tim Duncan and the No. 1-seeded San Antonio Spurs wouldn’t let the Minnesota Timberwolves hang around for a full 48 minutes.

Duncan dominated once again, scoring 26 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and leading the Spurs to a 99-86 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of their playoff series Sunday at San Antonio.

The Timberwolves kept the game close until the fourth quarter, when San Antonio opened a comfortable double-digit lead with the Alamodome crowd shouting “M-V-P, M-V-P” for Duncan.

“Anything to get the crowd into it,” Duncan said, recalling one of his second-half dunks. “Things just started rolling for me.”

David Robinson had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Spurs. Sean Elliott scored 14 points, and Avery Johnson had 21 points and 10 assists. Reserve Jaren Jackson scored 10 points.

“I’m really pleased with our defensive effort in the second half. It changed the basketball game,” Spur Coach Gregg Popovich said. “We were more aggressive, more physical.”

Game 2 in the best-of-five series is Tuesday night.

Minnesota Coach Flip Saunders said Duncan--who made nine of 16 shots and scored 10 points in the third quarter--came through big once the Spurs managed to get the ball to him.

“Our game plan was to keep the ball out of David [Robinson’s] and Tim’s hands,” Saunders said. “In the second half, they changed their game plan and got the ball into the big guys’ hands.”

It also didn’t help that Minnesota had 19 turnovers, compared to 11 for San Antonio.

“We lost composure,” Saunders said. “You have to play flawless basketball if you are going to win a game like this on the road.”

After trailing at halftime, 50-49, the Timberwolves took the lead three times in the first three minutes of the third quarter, twice on shots by Kevin Garnett and once on a shot by Sam Mitchell.

But San Antonio moved back in front each time.

A shot by Johnson sparked a 9-2 rally that gave San Antonio a 10-point advantage with just under four minutes left in the quarter. Still, Minnesota edged back in and trailed only 73-66 entering the fourth.

Jackson’s layup, followed by a Duncan dunk, moved San Antonio ahead, 85-70, with 8:39 to play. Six unanswered points by Minnesota made the score 85-76 with 7:03 remaining. Then Robinson’s two free throws and another basket by Duncan put the Spurs ahead, 89-78, with 5:56 remaining.

“In the second half we got out of sync,” Garnett said. “We lost focus, made mistakes and they took advantage of it. I was a little more passive in the second half.”

Garnett led Minnesota with 21 points and eight rebounds, scoring 15 points in the first half. Mitchell added 19 points and Terrell Brandon had 16 points and 11 assists.

Indiana 110, Milwaukee 88--The Pacers’ mastery of the Bucks continued as reserve Jalen Rose scored a playoff career-high 24 points, including 17 in the second quarter, in Game 1 of the first-round Eastern Conference series at Indianapolis.

The Pacers held off a third quarter surge by the Bucks, who reduced a 14-point halftime deficit to six late in the quarter. The Pacers responded by taking a 20-point lead several times in the fourth quarter.

Indiana did most of the damage in the fourth quarter with its reserves on the court. Indiana’s reserves outscored Milwaukee’s bench, 55-19.

Reggie Miller, who saw limited action in the second half, had 16 points. Dale Davis had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Chris Mullin scored 15 as Indiana defeated the Bucks for the eighth consecutive time.

The Pacers took the lead for good with a 12-2 run that began with Milwaukee ahead, 22-19, and 3:24 left in the first quarter.

Ray Allen led the Bucks with 22 points.

NBA Notes

Dikembe Mutombo of the Atlanta Hawks was named the winner of the NBA’s IBM award, a computer-generated measure of a player’s statistical contributions to his team. Mutombo, with averages of 10.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.94 blocked shots, finished with a 115.67 computer rating. The Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal was second with a rating of 102.86, and the Miami Heat’s Alonzo Mourning was third (100.63). Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz, fifth with a rating of 98.27, won the award last season, and David Robinson has won it five times. Michael Jordan won it twice.