SAN ANTONIO – Manu Ginobili scored 22 points and the San Antonio Spurs became the NBA's first 40-game winner, beating the Houston Rockets 108-95 on Saturday night.
Richard Jefferson added 18 points to help the Spurs win their 18th in a row at home. But it was San Antonio's last game at the AT&T Center for three weeks with the Spurs embarking on their annual Rodeo Road Trip starting Tuesday.
The NBA-best Spurs (40-7) will play nine straight on the road heading into the All-Star game, in which Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will direct the West squad.
Luis Scola led the Rockets with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Houston has lost four of six.
Tim Duncan, in jeopardy of missing the All-Star game for the first time in his career, had 12 points and seven rebounds as every Spurs starter was in double figures. Fans didn't vote in Duncan as an All-Star starter for the first time in 11 seasons, and he must wait this week to see whether coaches vote him in as a reserve.
DeJuan Blair had 14 points and 12 rebounds, his eighth double-double this season. Tony Parker added 17 points and George Hill had 14.
Kyle Lowry had 15 points for the Rockets, who faded late a night after nearly rallying from a 25-point deficit in a loss at Dallas. Houston's road trip won't get any easier: the Rockets head to Los Angeles on Tuesday to play the Lakers, then finish another back-to-back Wednesday at Utah.
Kevin Martin and Chuck Hayes added 10 apiece for Houston.
Houston trailed just 76-71 after the third quarter before being buried by a barrage of 3s. The Spurs went 5-for-8 behind the 3-point line the fourth, including Ginobili sinking two with a close hand in his face both times.
Hill's 3-pointer with 7:32 left capped a 7-0 Spurs run and stretched the lead to double-digits for good.
Three months into the season, the Spurs are already just 10 wins shy of matching their 50-win total from a season ago. The arrival of the rodeo in San Antonio kicks the Spurs out of the AT&T Center for three weeks each season, though Popovich has traditionally relished the trip as a chance to iron out the kinks.
But sitting atop the NBA, the Spurs don't have many obvious faults.
The road trip won't be as grueling a gauntlet as year past, either. Only three of the nine games (Portland, the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago) are against teams with winning records before the Spurs return home Feb. 23 against Oklahoma City.
NOTES: The Spurs recalled rookie swingman James Anderson before the game. The Spurs' first-round pick hasn't played since a stress fracture emerged in his right foot six games into the season. ... Spurs F Matt Bonner missed his seventh straight game with a sore right knee. ... San Antonio's home winning streak is the longest since the Spurs won 20 in a row in 1989-90.
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