The Boston Celtics burst past San Antonio at the end of the third quarter to post a 107-97 victory Thursday and consign the Spurs to their longest losing streak in 14 years.
With the game tied at 49-49 at halftime, Boston took command with a 14-3 run over the final 5:07 of the third quarter to grab a seven-point lead and send the slumping Spurs to their fifth defeat in a row.
The Spurs' losing streak is their longest since April 1997 when they lost the final six games of the season.
"They're the best team in the league and they can treat you like you're the worst team in the league," said Boston's Kevin Garnett. "It just tells us that when we prepare and put our minds to it as a unit, we're pretty hard to beat."
Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said Thursday's loss was the most painful of the woeful run.
"Today was the worst of the five," he said. "They just beat us fair and square. They beat us in every part of the game. They made every shot. Their defense was better. That's how they got the lead."
Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 22 points and 14 assists, while Paul Pierce scored 21 points and had 11 rebounds. Garnett, who had early foul trouble, added 20 points.
Tony Parker scored 23 points to lead San Antonio (57-18) while Tim Duncan scored 20 points and had 13 rebounds for the Spurs, who despite their recent slump still have the best record in the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers are hot on the heels of the Spurs in the Western Conference, and their 109-82 win over Dallas on Thursday trimmed San Antonio's advantage to 2 games.
With the game tied at 49-49 at halftime, Boston took command with a 14-3 run over the final 5:07 of the third quarter to grab a seven-point lead and send the slumping Spurs to their fifth defeat in a row.
The Spurs' losing streak is their longest since April 1997 when they lost the final six games of the season.
"They're the best team in the league and they can treat you like you're the worst team in the league," said Boston's Kevin Garnett. "It just tells us that when we prepare and put our minds to it as a unit, we're pretty hard to beat."
Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said Thursday's loss was the most painful of the woeful run.
"Today was the worst of the five," he said. "They just beat us fair and square. They beat us in every part of the game. They made every shot. Their defense was better. That's how they got the lead."
Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 22 points and 14 assists, while Paul Pierce scored 21 points and had 11 rebounds. Garnett, who had early foul trouble, added 20 points.
Tony Parker scored 23 points to lead San Antonio (57-18) while Tim Duncan scored 20 points and had 13 rebounds for the Spurs, who despite their recent slump still have the best record in the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers are hot on the heels of the Spurs in the Western Conference, and their 109-82 win over Dallas on Thursday trimmed San Antonio's advantage to 2 games.
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