Spurs point guard Tony Parker allayed concerns about his health Wednesday night in Game 2 of San Antonio's first round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers in a 102-91 victory that landed the Lakers in a deep hole.
Without injured superstar Kobe Bryant, the Lakers are leaning on center Dwight Howard to shoulder the scoring load and carry the team. The Spurs large frontcourt is making that very difficult for Howard, however, and he was held to just 16 points last night on 7-of-12 shooting. Howard did not reach double figures in rebounding either, notching nine for the night, and only shot four free throws.
"It is frustrating," Howard said of the defensive pressure. "I just have to trust my teammates to make shots. On whatever they do defensively, I have to be aware of my arms and try not to get tangled up."
Pau Gasol struggled as well, scoring just 13 points on a 5-of-14 performance from the field. "I didn't get into a good rhythm out there," Gasol said. "This first half was better, but in the second half, I struggled with my shot. I can't be short on my shots; fatigue kicked in a little bit and I'm fighting through some stuff myself physically. But at this point, we're in fight mode; we'll fight through whatever is on the table. Try to stay alive in this series and fight for our lives."
Parker keyed the Spurs, scoring 28 points, handing out seven assists, and getting to the line for 10 free throw attempts, nine of which became points. Tim Duncan, who scored 16 points in the win, said Parker was back to his All-Star form, which makes everything easier for the Spurs.
"You see Tony tonight, and that's probably the best part of the whole game," Duncan said. "He's getting his rhythm back. He felt good tonight. He shot the ball well tonight. He looked like Tony of midseason tonight, and that's great for us."
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