San Antonio, TX – Tony Parker returned from a two-game absence and totaled game highs of 22 points and 10 assists to lead the San Antonio Spurs over the Sacramento Kings, 108-98, at AT&T Center.
Tim Duncan chipped in 18 points, Kawhi Leonard netted 15 and Tiago Splitter filled the stat sheet with 12 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three blocks for the Southwest Division champs.
"(Parker) started passing the ball early and got everyone involved, which is why he's an NBA All-Star," Leonard said.
The Spurs are still a half-game behind Oklahoma City for the top seed in the Western Conference after Thunder defeated Portland Friday night.
DeMarcus Cousins had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds while Jason Thompson scored 18 points for the Kings, who never led and have lost five of their last six.
Sacramento, which came in averaging an NBA-best 107.8 points per game since the All-Star break, shot a woeful 5-of-24 from the field in the first quarter en route to falling behind by a 23-13 margin.
Both teams scored 37 points in a fast-paced second stanza to keep it a 10- point game, 60-50, at the break.
"We got aggressive (in the second quarter), but we should have played that way from the start," Cousins said.
Sacramento was actually as close as 66-65 midway through the third with the ball, but Cousins turned it over and San Antonio scored the next nine points to regain control.
The Spurs took an 84-74 advantage into the fourth, and the margin did not dip below 10 until the final minute.
Game Notes
San Antonio is two wins away from reaching the 60-win plateau for the fifth time in franchise history ... The Spurs swept the season series for the fourth time in the last five seasons ... Parker had been sidelined with shin and neck issues ... Sacramento has defeated the Spurs twice in the last 25 meetings.
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