Parker solid in return as Spurs win

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SAN ANTONIO (AP)—Tony Parker had 15 points and seven assists in his first game in three weeks, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 109-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

Manu Ginobili scored 14 points and Tim Duncan added 11. Ginobili was in his third game back for the Spurs, who have won four straight and have their three All-Stars healthy for the first time this season.

In his first game since spraining his ankle Nov. 7, Parker fearlessly charged toward the basket and faked out defenders the way he previously did before missing the past nine games.

O.J. Mayo scored 32 points for Memphis, which lost for the second time this week to resurgent San Antonio. Since starting the season 1-4, the Spurs have won eight of 10.

Already one of the NBA’s hottest teams with Parker out, the gang in San Antonio is back together at last.

Parker made his return in the second quarter and didn’t exactly ease himself into the game. He was called for an offensive foul on his first drive to the basket, then made a pair of dazzling assists.

The second was a no-look pass to Fabricio Oberto, who finished the highlight-reel play with an easy layup that seemed to remind a raucous crowd what it took for granted when Parker was healthy.
San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, of Argentina reaches, for a loose ball against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Nov. 28, 2008, in San Antonio. The Spurs won 109-98.

Memphis hung close into the fourth quarter, but the young Grizzlies were ultimately outmatched by the Spurs for the second time in three games. The Spurs beat the Grizzlies 94-81 on the road Monday, in what was Ginobili’s first game back from offseason ankle surgery.

Rudy Gay scored 26 points for Memphis, which is heading in the opposite direction of surging San Antonio. The Grizzlies have lost five straight and nine of their last 10 games.

Roger Mason, who started at point guard for the Spurs, scored 20 points and was 4-of-6 from behind the 3-point arc.

Now 9-6, the Spurs are in far better shape than most figured after Parker went down against the Heat.

San Antonio stumbled out to a horrid start, losing four of its first five games. The Spurs struggled to find any offensive punch beyond Duncan and Parker, and their once-reliable defense had crumbled into one of the league’s worst.

After Parker rolled his ankle, the future looked only more bleak.

But San Antonio instead got back to its defensive emphasis—the Spurs entered Friday ranked fourth in points allowed—and George Hill emerged as one of the NBA’s most surprising rookies.

Hill scored 12 points against Memphis and was the first off the bench at point guard for San Antonio.