Spurs net road win in Detroit for nine wins in a row

The San Antonio Spurs showed why they are one of the best teams in the league on Tuesday night (Wednesday in Australia), beating the Detroit Pistons, 109-99 behind Tony Parker’s 31 points and a great bench support.

The French point guard easily had his best scoring game of the season making 13-of-19 shots and added 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Off the bench, veterans Manu Ginobili and Boris Diaw added 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Parker’s 31 points was his highest since scoring 25 points in game against the Denver Nuggets in mid-December. For the season, the veteran PG is just averaging 12.5 points per game with the Spurs’ offensive workload going to new guys Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge.

Leonard struggled from the field for just 7 points but Aldridge also had an efficient night going 10-of-19 from the field for 22 points and added 13 rebounds for a double-double. Tim Duncan also had a great all-around game with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocked shots.

Detroit led by a single point, 25-24 after the opening quarter but the Spurs outscored them a combined 57-41 in the second and third quarters as San Antonio opened the game to a blowout.

The Spurs’ defence held the Pistons to a 38-of-91 field goal shooting as a team, or at 41.8 percent and 6-of-23 from the three-point line (26.1 percent). Andre Drummond had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led his team in scoring with 25 points including 4-of-6 from behind the arc.

The Pistons had a three-game winning streak snapped and will try to bounce back Thursday when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies.

Meanwhile, the Spurs are one of the hottest teams in the league with their ninth straight win and will have a marquee match-up with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in their next game.