SAN ANTONIO, Texas: Defending champion San Antonio clawed their way back into their series with New Orleans after a 110-99 win while the Boston Celtics opened up a 2-0 lead in their playoff against Cleveland on Thursday.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili scored 31 points apiece to help the Spurs rebound from two defeats in New Orleans to narrow the gap in their best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final series to 2-1.

"Today for us it was a game seven," Ginobili said. "We knew that if we didn't win today it was almost over. We played with more passion, more edge. That was the difference today."

Tim Duncan recorded 16 points and 13 rebounds and Bruce Bowen chipped in 12 for the defending champions, who can knot the series at 2-2 with a win at home in game four on Sunday.

"We knew coming in here these two games were going to be tough. They are the champions," New Orleans coach Byron Scott said. "They aren't just going to lay down."

The Spurs, who had been outscored 65-35 over the previous two third quarters combined, held a 29-22 edge in this one as they built an 83-78 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

"We let it slip away in the third quarter," Scott said. "We had a golden opportunity to get to the free throw line and be more aggressive and we settled for the jump shots whereas they were really, really getting it to the basket.

"Between Ginobili and Parker, their 62 points, they might have had 40 in the paint by themselves. They were just kind of breaking us down."

"I thought our play overall was more aggressive, more physical than it was the first two games," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I thought they really won that contest, that physicality part that's always there in the playoffs. I thought they took it to us in the first two games in that regard."

Ginobili, given the starting nod in a shakeup by Popovich, took over in the fourth.

The reigning Sixth Man of the Year scored nine points, including a four-point play, in the first five minutes of the fourth, and Bowen's three-pointer from the corner gave the Spurs a 101-88 edge with 5:55 left.

"We kind of needed to make some big shots," Ginobili said. "First two games, every time we got close we missed a couple of big shots and they made them.

"Today was our turn. We made a couple of big threes. Bruce hit a couple in the corner at a key moment, and that kept us going.

"It's very important for your head."

In Boston, Paul Pierce scored 19 points and Boston's defense was again dominant as the Celtics beat the Cavaliers 89-73.

The victory gave the Celtics a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series.

"It was a total team effort," Pierce said. "We kept the turnovers down, we rebounded the ball, we made the extra pass and then we got the job done defensively. That's true Celtic basketball right there."

Ray Allen broke out of his slump with 16 points and Kevin Garnett chipped in 13 points and 12 rebounds as the Celtics took a commanding lead before the series shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday.

AFP

(China Daily 05/10/2008 page12)