Ginobili’s 30 points lead Spurs to a win

SAN ANTONIO -- Manu Ginobili may not have made the All-Star roster this year, but his coach sure thinks he’s playing like one.

Ginobili scored 30 points and had a career-high 12 assists Saturday against the New Orleans Hornets to help the Spurs withstand a late run for a 98-89 victory and their fifth straight win.

The loss by New Orleans dropped the Hornets out of the Western Conference lead, which now is held by the Lakers and Phoenix with 38-17 records.

“Obviously, Manu has been on fire here for quite a while playing All-Star basketball,” Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said.

Including Saturday’s outburst, Ginobili has averaged 34.4 points in his last five games.

Tim Duncan had 25 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio, which is tied with the Hornets atop the Southwest Division with a 37-17 record.

Chris Paul had 27 points and David West 16 for the Hornets, who have lost two in a row.

“We knew this was going to be a tough stretch out of the All-Star break, but I liked the energy we came out with against Dallas,” West said. “Then we weren’t able to do that tonight. We couldn’t do that last night.”

The last time the teams met late last month, the Hornets pinned a 102-78 loss on the Spurs.