Spurs stop rot with win over Wizards
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NBA champions San Antonio, still depleted by injury but hoping to put a disappointing December behind them, defeated Washington 101-92 on Saturday in their first game of 2015.
Brazil`s Tiago Splitter added 16 points and Aussie Patty Mills chipped in 15 for the Spurs, whose 8-10 record in December marked the club`s first losing month since February 1999.
San Antonio got January off to a better start despite still missing small forward Kawhi Leonard with a hand injury and French point guard Tony Parker with a sore hamstring.
John Wall and Bradley Beal led six Wizards players in double figures with 15 points each.
But Washington fell to 1-3 on their five-game Western Conference road trip which concludes at New Orleans on Monday.
Washington built their first-half lead to 51-41 after French center Kevin Seraphin`s three-point play with 6:50 left in the second quarter.
But a 6-0 scoring run helped San Antonio make it 58-58 at halftime, with Joseph beating the buzzer to end the half with a turn-around jump shot.
The third quarter followed a similar pattern to the second, with the Wizards building a lead and the Spurs fighting back.
The Wizards had taken a 73-66 lead when Diaw caught fire, making three straight baskets and assisting on a shot by Marco Belinelli that put the Spurs ahead.
Diaw stayed strong in the fourth, when his six points included a running reverse layup that put the Spurs up 98-88 with 2:33 remaining, a lead they wouldn`t relinquish.