TORONTO - Tim Duncan showed that he's regained his health following a
season
of battling a foot injury.
He scored 26 points and Tony Parker added 19 to lead the San Antonio Spurs
to a 103-94 victory over the Raptors on Sunday.
Hobbled last season by plantar fasciitis, Duncan averaged a career-low
18.6
points and 11.1 rebounds.
He came into training camp proclaiming himself "100 percent" fine. Duncan
used his quickness and spin move against Toronto, something that wasn't
always there last season.
"It's gone. Luckily enough it's gone," Duncan said. "I don't wish that on
anybody. That's a tough thing to go through. It was a constant pain last
year that never really went away throughout the year."
The Spurs are happy to have the old Duncan back.
"It's great to see Timmy moving with that kind of quickness again and
knowing that the bank shot isn't far behind," Brent Barry said. "When Tim
is
playing at that high level we force teams to do so many different things.
It
allows us to open up the outside of our game."
Barry made five 3-pointers and finished with 16 points for the Spurs, who
shot 50 percent in bouncing back from a loss to Cleveland in their home
opener on Friday.
Chris Bosh had 19 points and 17 rebounds for the Raptors, who dropped to
1-2
on the season.
Bosh missed half the preseason with plantar fasciitis.
Duncan asked him about it and Bosh told him he's doing better.
"I'm alive," Bosh said.
San Antonio went on a decisive 8-0 run after Bosh's layup cut the lead to
five with 3:11 remaining in the game.
Duncan made two free throws, Parker sank a long jumper and Manu Ginobili
added two layups to give the Spurs a 101-88 lead with 1:13 left.
Duncan missed 10 of his 19 free throws in Friday's loss, but went 6-for-7
against Toronto, including the two that started the late run.
"Free throws for a lot of years have been our Achilles' heel. It's good to
have Timmy, who hasn't shot them well, to step up and make two when it was
im****tant," San Antonio coach Greg Popovich said.
Duncan had 16 points in the second half and Parker had 12, including 10 in
the fourth quarter.
"That's the most active I've seen Tim," Toronto's Morris Peterson said.
"Once he gets position on the low post you don't have to look at the
basket,
the ball goes in. He plays angles well. That's why they call him the 'The
Big Fundamental.'"
Bush, who looked up to Duncan growing up, finished 8-for-18 from the
field.
The All-Star forwards guarded each other.
Toronto's Andrea Bargnani - the No. 1 pick in the draft - played 12
productive minutes, scoring eight points against San Antonio's reserves.
NOTES:@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Spurs played the first of back-to-back games after flying from
San Antonio on Saturday. The Spurs play in New York on Monday night. ...
Bosh had a career high 22 rebounds March, 25, 2005, at Philadelphia. ...
The
Raptors started last season 0-9. ... Longtime Raptor fan Samuel L. Jackson
sat courtside. ... San Antonio's Matt Bonner received a huge ovation when
he
entered the game. The fan favorite was traded to the Spurs as part of the
Rasho Nesterovic deal.
--
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