San Antonio, TX (Best E Casino) - Manu Ginobili scored 22 of his game-high 30 points in the first half and Tim Duncan dominated inside, as the
San Antonio Spurs used the advantage of their home court to beat the
Los Angeles Lakers, 103-84, in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.
Duncan had 22 points and 21 rebounds for San Antonio, which is 7-0 at home in the postseason.
Ginobili struggled with a total of 17 points on 5-of-21 shooting over the first two games of the series, thanks in part to a jammed left ankle. However, he came out on fire by making five three-pointers in the first half alone in Game 3.
"We saw a turnaround coming," Duncan said of Ginobili. "We knew he was going to be aggressive. We knew he was going to try to turn this series around for himself."
The Spurs were 11-of-43 from beyond the arc coming into Sunday night's game, but went 10-of-18 from three-point range to get back in the series. That included a 5-of-7 performance from Ginobili.
"I was too stagnant the first two games," Ginobili said. "I wasn't being me so that's why I really wanted to attack the rim, or play more aggressively, especially the first minutes I was there."
Tony Parker scored 20 for the Spurs, who have won 21 of their last 23 games as the host. Dating to last season, they have won 13 consecutive playoff games at home, the longest active streak in the NBA.
Kobe Bryant scored 30 points on 13-of-23 shooting for the Lakers, who have had a hard time winning at San Antonio. Pau Gasol added 15 points and Jordan Farmar 10 for Los Angeles, which dropped both of its games at the AT&T Center during the season.
Lamar Odom contributed seven points, 11 rebounds and six assists, but shot just 2-of-11 in the loss, two nights after a 20-point, 12-rebound performance in a 101-71 blowout.
"They played solid defense, but we missed a lot of easy ones, a lot of shots we normally make inside the paint," Bryant said. "It comes with the territory."
The last time the Spurs faced a 2-0 deficit in the playoffs was nearly three weeks ago against New Orleans and they responded with a pair of routs at the AT&T Center, eventually winning that second-round series on the road in Game 7.
Game 4 is Tuesday, again in San Antonio.
Bryant's jam extended the Lakers to a 15-8 lead, but Ginobili came back with consecutive three-pointers. However, LA still led 24-21 going into the second.
Ginobili scored 14 points during the pivotal second quarter, a period in which the Spurs outscored the Lakers 28-15.
"It's all the Argentina flags that were out there," Bryant said. "It felt like home. He hit a lot of big shots."
Ginobili had nine consecutive San Antonio points at one juncture, pushing the home team ahead 36-32. He banged in a pair of three-balls during the spurt.
Parker's jumper then capped eight consecutive Spurs points for a 46-36 lead and the 10-point margin remained at the half.
The Lakers didn't get closer than eight in the third and trailed 69-57 going into the fourth. Farmar's three-pointer to start the last quarter had LA within 69-60, but the Spurs ran off the next 10 to essentially put away the Lakers. Fabricio Oberto scored five during the flurry, which was started by a Brent Barry three-pointer.
Bryant's long-distance three-ball had the Lakers within 88-76 with five minutes left, but San Antonio scored 11 of the next 13.
Game Notes
The Lakers shot 8-of-17 from the foul line and 6-of-17 from three-point range...Parker and Ginobili were 9-of-15 from the field...The Lakers had zero blocked shots and just 13 assists to 14 turnovers.