Spurs improve to 10-0 on the road, beat Wizards
San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) holds the ball against Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, in Washington. AP
WASHINGTON — The San Antonio Spurs have been so good on the road, it’s almost a disappointment they have to return home.
The way they’re playing right now though, it probably doesn’t matter where the game is.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points, Tony Parker added 20 and the Spurs beat the Washington Wizards 112-100 on Saturday night for their ninth straight victory.
The Spurs (14-3) swept a three-game road swing and are 10-0 away from home.
“I do want to go home. I don’t want to play at home,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich joked after the game. “You’ve got no choice, no choice.”
Kawhi Leonard scored 19 for San Antonio, which shot 53.3 percent (40 of 75) from the field. The Spurs led by 10 at halftime and as many as 19 in the second half.
San Antonio’s bench outscored Washington’s reserves 35-18.
“Last game was rough. Starters didn’t have a great start,” Aldridge said of Friday’s win in Boston, when the reserves supplied 56 points. “Today we focused on trying to come out and have both units be solid and be locked in.”
Bradley Beal led Washington (5-10) with 25 points and John Wall scored 21. Marcin Gortat had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Wizards got within 69-62 on a three-point play by Wall late in the third quarter, but the Spurs soon pushed the lead to 12 on Aldridge’s 3-pointer and it was 90-76 after three quarters.
San Antonio was 23 of 29 from the free throw line while the Wizards were 10 of 14.
“They’re so disciplined and (have) so much experience, and a lot of guys can make shots,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “But we put them on the free throw line 29 times and we couldn’t get there. That’s definitely a big part of their win.”
Parker scored 11 points in the second quarter as the Spurs opened a double-digit lead.
“At the end of the day, it’s about defense and we didn’t play it at the end of the day,” Beal said.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Improved to 6-0 vs. Eastern Conference teams. … G Manu Ginobili was rested as the Spurs played the second of back-to-back games and C Dewayne Dedmon (sprained left knee) missed his sixth straight. … Have won 19 of their last 21 games against the Wizards. … Are 7-0 with the starting five of Leonard, Aldridge, Pau Gasol, Danny Green and Parker. … Gasol had eight points and 10 rebounds after being held scoreless Friday.
Wizards: F Markieff Morris received a double technical and was ejected for arguing after picking up two quick fouls in the third quarter. … It was the first of four straight games against Western Conference teams for Washington. … The starters shot just one free throw in the first half. … Wizards fell to 5-6 with Wall and Beal in the lineup.
PLEASANT SURPRISE
For a team with a lot of new faces, the Spurs haven’t missed a beat.
“The fact that a lot of the new guys have caught on so quickly,” Popovich said when asked what surprised him about his team’s start.
“Kyle Anderson and John Simmons haven’t played much before and David Lee and Davis Bertans and Dwayne Dedmon and Pau just all got here, so they’ve blended in very well pretty quickly. That’s what’s most surprising about it.”
MAHINMI MAKES HIS DEBUT
Washington’s bench got a boost with the Wizards debut of center Ian Mahinmi. Signed as a free agent in July, Mahinmi, 30, missed the first 14 games while recovering from left knee surgery. He played 15 minutes, scored one point and grabbed a rebound.
“I knew going into the game that he was going to be rusty, and he was, but he gave us good effort,” Brooks said.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Host Orlando on Tuesday.
Wizards: Host Sacramento on Monday.
