SAN ANTONIO _ History is an important subject in a city known as the home of the Alamo. But Nets coach Kenny Atkinson swore before Tuesday night's game at AT&T Center that he only was concerned with the here and now and not the Nets' history of futility on the road against the Spurs. But the truth is the Nets arrived with a 14-game losing streak in San Antonio since an NBA Finals win on the Spurs' home floor on June 6, 2003.
Of course, those numbers reflect the consistent standard of excellence set by a Spurs organization that Nets general manager Sean Marks worked for and has used as his model. But nothing changed as the Nets lost their 15th straight road game against the Spurs, 109-97.
It was competitive until midway through the third period when the Spurs (24-11) got on a 22-6 roll to build a 16-point lead they never lost. Their high lead was 17 points.
The Spurs were led by their veteran core, including Kawhi Leonard (21 points), Pau Gasol (15 points, 12 rebounds, five assists), LaMarcus Aldridge (20 points, nine rebounds) and Tony Parker (14 points). The Spurs shot 51.2 percent from the field, and they got to the line to make 20 of 24 foul shots.
By comparison the Nets (12-21) managed only a 7-of-9 showing at the foul line, which led to a technical on Atkinson for complaining about the imbalance. The Nets got strong efforts off the bench from Caris LeVert (18 points, five assists) and Jarrett Allen (12 points, nine rebounds). Allen Crabbe had 15 points, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 13 points and Spencer Dinwiddie had 12.
Although they lost in overtime Saturday night at Indiana, the Nets were coming off two strong performances, including a home blowout of Washington before the loss to the Pacers. Part of the reason was a renewed emphasis by Atkinson on the importance of driving the ball to the rim and of focusing on team rebounding.
"I think we went back to emphasizing it, just keeping on these guys about driving the ball, because it just opens up so many things," Atkinson said. As for the rebounding component, he added, "We're really going to be tested on this road trip, right? San Antonio, New Orleans, big huge guys. If we don't have five to the boards, it's going to be a long night."
In the first half, the Nets reverted to settling for threes rather than driving, making only one of their first nine shots from beyond the arc and trailing, 32-25, midway through the second quarter when the Spurs had attempted only three 3-pointers and were focused on driving and getting to the foul line. But the Nets flipped the switch and hit four of their next five 3-point attempts, including a four-point play by Crabbe.
They took their first lead since the opening basket at 35-34 and the teams proceeded to trade the lead six times during the second period. But the Spurs responded with a 9-0 run just before halftime and got to the break with a 50-44 lead.
Tyler Zeller triggered an 8-0 surge by the Nets in the third quarter to tie at 51 on a deep 3 by Dinwiddie, and another Crabbe 3-pointer tied it again at 54. That was where the Spurs seemingly decided to put their foot down on the Nets' throats, piecing together a 22-6 run that included five points apiece from aging veterans Parker and Gasol to take a 76-60 lead. It never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.
