Duncan ends scoring slump as Spurs knock off the Bulls
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Tim Duncan rebounded from his recent slump and the San Antonio Spurs tied their best 10-game start to a season with a 103-94 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday in Texas.
The 12-time All-Star Duncan recorded 16 points and 18 rebounds after posting three straight single-digit games in both categories, as the Spurs reached 9-1 for the first time since 1981.
Tony Parker had 21 points for the Spurs even though his wife, actress Eva Longoria who stars in the TV series "Desperate Housewives," filed for divorce earlier in the day, which created a media storm for the point guard.
"I'm having great support from my teammates and my coaches," Parker said. "I'll focus 100 percent on the Spurs and try to win basketball games."
San Antonio trailed by 15 in the first half but dominated the third quarter where they outscored the Bulls 37-12 to seize control.
Derrick Rose scored a game-high 33 points and clawed Chicago (6-4) to within five points with 57 seconds remaining but the Spurs clinched the contest with free throws.
"(Rose) is a great player. He's a handful," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "I think our overall team play in the second half got it done for us. I guess we were decent at (keeping Rose from involving his teammates)."
Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers said Greg Oden, 22, requires microfracture surgery on his left knee and has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Oden, the number one overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, missed his entire rookie season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee.
In other games on Wednesday, it was: Hornets 99, Mavericks 97; Lakers 103, Pistons 90; Celtics 114, Wizards 83; Jazz 98, Nets 88; Heat 123, Suns 96; Thunder 116, Rockets 99; Knicks 113, Kings 106; Raptors 94, 76ers 86; and Timberwolves 113, Clippers 111.
In New Orleans, David West stole the ball from Dirk Nowitzki with 2 seconds left to preserve a 99-97 win for the Hornets.
Dallas, trailing 98-97, was trying to set up for a potential game-winning shot when West - who finished with 17 points - stole the ball and made one of two free throws for the final margin.
Bryant scores 33
Chris Paul had 20 points and 11 assists as New Orleans avenged its first loss of the season on Monday in Dallas. Nowitzki had 29 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks.
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Kobe Bryant scored 33 points without playing in the fourth quarter as Los Angeles downed Detroit.
Bryant scored 24 in the first half, helping the Lakers open a 14-point halftime lead. Pau Gasol added 25 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles.
In Boston, the home team was able to rest its starters in the fourth quarter of a dominant win over Washington.
Paul Pierce scored 23 points and Rajon Rondo had 12 points and 13 assists for the Celtics, who were ahead 89-69 at the end of three quarters and went ahead by as many as 37 in the fourth.
In Miami, Chris Bosh scored a season-high 35 points before sitting out the fourth quarter as Miami ran away from Phoenix.
LeBron James had 20 points for Miami, which used two big runs - a 24-9 spurt to end the first half, followed by an 18-3 flurry that closed the third quarter - to snap the Suns' three-game winning streak. James also had nine assists and eight boards.
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