LOS ANGELES, 27 March 2004 — Though there were no style points awarded for this ugly battle between the league’s two top defensive teams, the San Antonio Spurs managed to score more points than the Detroit Pistons.
Argentine ace Manu Ginobili came off the bench to score 14 of his 17 points in the second half, helping the Spurs achieve an 84-75 victory over the visiting Pistons on Thursday night.
“After half-time I felt that I needed to step up and produce more,” Ginobili said. “We have 10 more games and we want to win the division and be in the best position. Our goal is to win the championship.”
Tony Parker had 16 points, while Tim Duncan added 12 points along with 13 rebounds as defending league champions San Antonio (47-25) clinched a playoff spot, and pulled within two games of idle Minnesota atop the Midwest Division.
Rasheed Wallace collected 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Richard Hamilton scored 14 points for Detroit (46-27), which dropped its second in a row following an eight-game winning streak.
San Antonio carried a 62-60 edge into the fourth quarter and opened with a 9-2 run. Ginobili had five points, pushing the lead to 71-62 with 8:02 to go.
After trading baskets, frustrations boiled over, however. Pistons’ defensive leader Ben Wallace was ejected after drawing two technical fouls for vehemently protesting a loose ball foul with 6:08 left to play.
San Antonio took control from there. Malik Rose hit the technical free throw and Hedo Turkoglu followed with a 3-pointer. Parker hit a pair of layups around a 3-pointer by Ginobili to complete the game-breaking 20-6 run, which widened the gap to 82-66 with 3:54 remaining.
Hawks 84 Hornets 76: Bob Sura scored 23 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds, and the hosts Hawks capitalized on the absence of injured All-Star guard Baron Davis to stop a three-game slide.
Davis and his team-leading 23-point scoring average missed the game with a sprained left ankle suffered on Tuesday against Detroit. Chris Crawford and Jason Collier scored 16 points apiece for Atlanta David Wesley had 16 points for New Orleans, which managed just 30 second-half points.
Wizards 103 L.A. Clippers 94: Larry Hughes scored 30 points and matched a career-high with 12 rebounds, helping the Wizards snap a five-game road-losing slide, in a match-up between two non-contending playoff teams.
Jerry Stackhouse had 20 points and Steve Blake hit all six field goal attempts to finish with 16 as Washington swept the two-game season series. Corey Maggette scored 25 points and Elton Brand had 18 for the Clippers, who have dropped 14 of their last 16 games, including a season-high six in a row.
