Leonard Scores 30 Points, Spurs Rebound to Beat Nets 130-101

Bogdanovic led the Nets with 20 points

Kawhi Leonard had 30 points and the San Antonio Spurs rebounded from their first road loss of the season with their most efficient home performance, rolling to a 130-101 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night.

Five other San Antonio players scored in double figures, led by 16 points from Patty Mills.

The Spurs set season highs for points, points in a quarter, points in a half, assists and 3-pointers in winning their 14th straight at home over the Nets. San Antonio also matched its largest margin of victory, set in a season-opening win over Golden State.

The Spurs led by as many as 38 three days after what coach Gregg Popovich deemed another "24-minute" effort in a 95-91 defeat at Chicago.

The Spurs' effort through the opening 36 minutes enabled them to sit Leonard in the final quarter, which was the only time the Nets could slow the sleek 6-foot-7 forward.

Leonard was 10 for 18 from the field, including 4 for 7 on 3s, in scoring 30 points or more for the seventh time this season. He had four 30-point games in his previous 324 career games.

A pair of his 3s came with Bojan Bogdanovic closely contesting the shots, leaving the Nets' 6-8 forward confounded. He wasn't alone, as San Antonio was 14 for 26 on 3-pointers.

After a string of anemic starts at home that had frustrated the Spurs, San Antonio set season highs for points in any quarter and any half with a 41-point effort in the opening period that helped produce a 67-52 lead at halftime.

San Antonio had five assists on its first six baskets, with Tony Parker collecting a pair of assists off bounce passes for mid-range jumpers from LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol. Parker finished with a season-high seven assists, and the Spurs had 38 in all.

Bogdanovic led the Nets with 20 points.

TIP-INS

Nets: Brooklyn has not won consecutive games all season. Nets F Trevor Booker, who has a team-high nine double-doubles, finished with nine points and four rebounds. The Nets have not won in San Antonio since Jan. 22, 2002, losing 14 straight on the road against the Spurs. The Nets are 1-9 on the road this season. Brooklyn PG Jeremy Lin missed the game due to a strained left hamstring. The Nets have 50 games missed due to injuries this season.

Spurs: San Antonio is 40-4 against the Nets at home, the best home record by a team against an opponent in NBA history. San Antonio is 13-0 when scoring 100 points or more. Gasol had three assists, allowing him to surpass former Lakers big man Vlade Divac for third all-time among those 7-feet or taller. Gasol has 3,543 career assists, placing him behind Kareem Abdul Jabbar (5,660) and Wilt Chamberlain (4,643). The Spurs' previous high for any quarter was 39 points in the third against the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 18. Their previous high for the opening period was 31 in their season-opening win against Golden State.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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