Ginobili scores 24 points in a row

Manu Ginobili scored a season-high 40 points, including 24 straight for San Antonio in the first half, and Tim Duncan had 30 to help the Spurs beat the Atlanta Hawks, 103-96, on Wednesday night.

The Spurs, who are eight games behind Dallas in the Southwest Division, have won four straight after losing four of five.

Entering the game late in the first quarter, Ginobili missed two of his first four shots before making six straight from the field and all seven free throws. The Spurs led, 39-23, at the end of his flurry, and Ginobili scored 27 points on nine-for-13 shooting in the first half.

“I’ve had some good stretches in my career,” Ginobili said. “Today was kind of impressive. In those three or four minutes, or however many they were, maybe, yeah, it was some of the best.”

Joe Johnson scored 30 points for the Hawks, who have lost two in a row.

Ginobili never scored more than 29 points last season before finishing with 32 in a victory over Sacramento in the first round of the playoffs.

In the last nine games as San Antonio’s sixth man, Ginobili averaged 17.4 points in 25 minutes to become the NBA’s second-most productive reserve. Only Chicago’s Ben Gordon, with 22.5 points in 31.1 minutes, had a better average.

“He was pretty special tonight,” Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s just a heck of a hard cover for any defense because he does everything a little bit different than most players. I don’t even know what he’s going to do half of the time.”