Spurs’ Ginobili Ends the Bulls’ Comeback

Manu Ginobili had one of those runs you can’t explain -- or stop.

Ginobili made three straight three-point baskets and scored 14 of his 26 points in the final five minutes Monday night, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 96-82 victory over the Bulls at Chicago.

“What can I say about it?” Ginobili said. “I took the first one and I felt good, and then Tony [Parker] called a couple of plays for me, and I just felt really confident. I was going to take those shots because I was feeling really good.”

The rest of the Spurs were in a pretty good groove in the second half too. After shooting only 35% in the first half, San Antonio made 24 of 37 shots in the second to finish at 51%.

“The first half was awful,” Ginobili said. “We looked like we didn’t want to be there, so after halftime, we came out with a little more aggressiveness and toughness, and everything went better.”

Eddy Curry scored all 16 of his points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Spurs from sweeping Chicago for a third straight season.

“I was the last person who was contributing, so I felt a personal responsibility to try and give more in the fourth quarter,” Curry said. “And for some reason, the momentum changed.”

But only briefly as Ginobili took over, making his first three-pointer from 23 feet, his second off his back foot and his third from 25 feet.

“He’s a character,” Spur Coach Gregg Popovich said. “He has unbelievable confidence and he has no fear.”

Chicago Coach Scott Skiles had no such words for his team.

“Our third-quarter effort really hurt us. It was very poor, to say the least,” Skiles said. “There’s no excuse for coming out of the locker room soft like that and letting them thump us.”

Boston 102, Utah 80 -- Mike James had 18 points and nine assists and the Celtics won in Salt Lake City for the first time since Feb. 15, 2000. Matt Harpring had 17 points for Utah, which lost for only the second time at home this season.

New Orleans 91, Milwaukee 85 -- Jamaal Magloire had 20 points and 11 rebounds, including three late baskets, to help the Hornets hold off the Bucks at New Orleans.

Desmond Mason had 17 points for Milwaukee, which stayed close by grabbing 20 offensive rebounds en route to a 59-47 edge in that category.