SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Christian Wood had 27 points and 13 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks overcame a series of blunders at the end regulation to beat the San Antonio Spurs 137-128 in overtime Wednesday night without injured All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Dallas&rsquo; Maxi Kleber threw an inbounds pass out of bounds on a full-length heave with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation. Keldon Johnson, who missed a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds, tied it 121 on an alley-oop dunk off an inbounds pass from Malaki Branham.
Wood had five points in overtime as Dallas fights to remain in the top 10 in the Western Conference. The Mavericks entered the game in ninth place with the same record as the 10th-place Los Angeles Lakers and a game ahead of the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans.
Dwight Powell and Jaden Hardy had 22 points each and Josh Green added 21 points for Dallas, which snapped a three-game skid.
&nbsp;

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Christian Wood had 27 points and 13 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks overcame a series of blunders at the end regulation to beat the San Antonio Spurs 137-128 in overtime Wednesday night without injured All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Dallas&rsquo; Maxi Kleber threw an inbounds pass out of bounds on a full-length heave with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation. Keldon Johnson, who missed a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds, tied it 121 on an alley-oop dunk off an inbounds pass from Malaki Branham.
Wood had five points in overtime as Dallas fights to remain in the top 10 in the Western Conference. The Mavericks entered the game in ninth place with the same record as the 10th-place Los Angeles Lakers and a game ahead of the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans.
Dwight Powell and Jaden Hardy had 22 points each and Josh Green added 21 points for Dallas, which snapped a three-game skid.
Johnson had 27 points to lead the short-handed Spurs.
Playing the second game of a back-to-back, the Spurs were without starters Devin Vassell Jeremy Sochan and Zach Collins along with Keita Bates-Diop and Charles Bassey. But as they did in setting a franchise record with 22 3-pointers in a rousing victory over Orlando on Tuesday night, San Antonio responded with a balanced scoring effort.
&nbsp;

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Christian Wood had 27 points and 13 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks overcame a series of blunders at the end regulation to beat the San Antonio Spurs 137-128 in overtime Wednesday night without injured All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Dallas&rsquo; Maxi Kleber threw an inbounds pass out of bounds on a full-length heave with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation. Keldon Johnson, who missed a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds, tied it 121 on an alley-oop dunk off an inbounds pass from Malaki Branham.
Wood had five points in overtime as Dallas fights to remain in the top 10 in the Western Conference. The Mavericks entered the game in ninth place with the same record as the 10th-place Los Angeles Lakers and a game ahead of the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans.
Dwight Powell and Jaden Hardy had 22 points each and Josh Green added 21 points for Dallas, which snapped a three-game skid.
Johnson had 27 points to lead the short-handed Spurs.
Playing the second game of a back-to-back, the Spurs were without starters Devin Vassell Jeremy Sochan and Zach Collins along with Keita Bates-Diop and Charles Bassey. But as they did in setting a franchise record with 22 3-pointers in a rousing victory over Orlando on Tuesday night, San Antonio responded with a balanced scoring effort.
Branham had 20 points, Romeo Langford had 17 points and four others scored in double figures.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Dallas has won six straight against San Antonio. The Mavericks&rsquo; previous loss to the Spurs was April 11, 2021, in San Antonio. &hellip; Doncic and Irving were both in attendance, sitting at the end of the Mavericks bench. &hellip; Jaden Hardy has scored 20 points in all three of his career starts for the Mavericks. In a back-to-back set against Memphis, Hardy had 22 points on March 11 and 28 points on March 13.
Spurs: San Antonio confirmed that C Charles Bassey suffered a non-displace fracture in his left patella. The injury occurred at the close of the first quarter of Tuesday&rsquo;s victory over Orlando. Bassey will miss the remainder of the season. &hellip;. San Antonio is 2-1 during its six-game homestand. &hellip; Of the 13 games the Spurs have remaining, 10 are against a team in the playoffs or play-in tournament if the season ended today. &hellip; Johnson made his 200th career start in 219 career games with the Spurs. Only Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Tony Parker, Willie Anderson and Sean Elliott have 200 starts in fewer games for the Spurs.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: At Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
&nbsp;

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Christian Wood had 27 points and 13 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks overcame a series of blunders at the end regulation to beat the San Antonio Spurs 137-128 in overtime Wednesday night without injured All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Dallas&rsquo; Maxi Kleber threw an inbounds pass out of bounds on a full-length heave with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation. Keldon Johnson, who missed a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds, tied it 121 on an alley-oop dunk off an inbounds pass from Malaki Branham.
Wood had five points in overtime as Dallas fights to remain in the top 10 in the Western Conference. The Mavericks entered the game in ninth place with the same record as the 10th-place Los Angeles Lakers and a game ahead of the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans.
Dwight Powell and Jaden Hardy had 22 points each and Josh Green added 21 points for Dallas, which snapped a three-game skid.
Johnson had 27 points to lead the short-handed Spurs.
Playing the second game of a back-to-back, the Spurs were without starters Devin Vassell Jeremy Sochan and Zach Collins along with Keita Bates-Diop and Charles Bassey. But as they did in setting a franchise record with 22 3-pointers in a rousing victory over Orlando on Tuesday night, San Antonio responded with a balanced scoring effort.
Branham had 20 points, Romeo Langford had 17 points and four others scored in double figures.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Dallas has won six straight against San Antonio. The Mavericks&rsquo; previous loss to the Spurs was April 11, 2021, in San Antonio. &hellip; Doncic and Irving were both in attendance, sitting at the end of the Mavericks bench. &hellip; Jaden Hardy has scored 20 points in all three of his career starts for the Mavericks. In a back-to-back set against Memphis, Hardy had 22 points on March 11 and 28 points on March 13.
Spurs: San Antonio confirmed that C Charles Bassey suffered a non-displace fracture in his left patella. The injury occurred at the close of the first quarter of Tuesday&rsquo;s victory over Orlando. Bassey will miss the remainder of the season. &hellip;. San Antonio is 2-1 during its six-game homestand. &hellip; Of the 13 games the Spurs have remaining, 10 are against a team in the playoffs or play-in tournament if the season ended today. &hellip; Johnson made his 200th career start in 219 career games with the Spurs. Only Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Tony Parker, Willie Anderson and Sean Elliott have 200 starts in fewer games for the Spurs.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: At Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Spurs: Host Memphis on Friday night.

Christian Wood had 27 points and 13 rebounds as the Mavericks beat the Spurs 137-128 in overtime on Wednesday night.

Christian Wood has 27 points, 13 rebounds in Mavs’ OT win over Spurs

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — The smallest gesture can have a huge impact.
That was reaffirmed to the San Antonio Spurs when the team held an open practice and community fair in Uvalde, Texas.
It was 137 days ago that the small town, 88 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio, was the sight of an elementary school shooting. On May 24, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary.
The Spurs held an open practice Saturday at Uvalde High School in support of the students of Robb Elementary and those affected by that tragic day. 
“It’s extremely sad,” San Antonio guard Tre Jones said. “We wish everybody was with us, still being able to enjoy this moment. We are just trying to bring joy to the families and all the kids who were friends with those kids that died and help the teachers as well. We want to bring a moment of happiness into their lives again and try to just bring a smile to their faces.”
With a transformative roster brimming with young players, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich received the loudest ovation as the team took the court for a brief practice. The Spurs then literally lifted the community, raising toddlers on their shoulders to bring them closer to the rim for a basket. 
The true elevation was felt off the court. 
Monica Flores’ eldest daughter is still understandably traumatized by the day’s tragedy. Her daughter was in the fourth grade, the same classification as those who died. Her daughter’s classroom was directly across the hall from the two adjoining rooms where the shooting took place.
“She has her moments, but we will never forget,” Flores said. “Sudden hands, different people that look like the shooter — she did see the shooter through her classroom window. She is terrified by people who look like him, not that she judges, but people have (similar looks), and it’s just scary.”
Flores’ daughter is scared to leave her home. She is terrified of certain situations. But that was pushed aside for a few hours, thanks to the Spurs. 
Flores’ daughter eagerly anticipated Saturday afternoon once she heard the Spurs were coming to Uvalde just to see her and the other kids from Robb Elementary. 
Dressed in the Manu Ginobili jersey her uncle purchased for her a few years ago, Flores’ daughter and the crowd were surprised and delighted to see the Spurs’ hall of fame guard in attendance. Now a special advisor with the Spurs, Ginobili spent the entire event signing autographs and taking pictures with those in attendance. 
Flores’ daughter sprinted directly for Ginobili at midcourt when it was her group’s turn to take the court and meet the players.
And just as hundreds of fans have done for more than a decade, Flores’ daughter was beaming in delight as she posed with Ginobili.
“I am so glad she got to experience this with Manu,” Flores said.
The feeling was mutual for the Spurs.
“It’s big for me to be able to come out here and see the kids smile,” San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson said. “We know it’s been tough. If we can just come out here and bring just a little bit of joy, it’s a successful day for us.”
The tragedy of May 24 is something the Uvalde community will never get over, but they are trying to get through it.
“Tomorrow, on the court and off the court, we will fly,” Dr. Kara Allen, Spurs chief impact officer, said. “We will do the work and we will fly, but today, today is just doing joy. So, on behalf of the brilliant humans on the court and the brilliant humans you are, thank you for letting us choose to just do joy with you today.”
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

UVALDE, Texas (AP) &mdash; The smallest gesture can have a huge impact.
That was reaffirmed to the San Antonio Spurs when the team held an open practice and community fair in Uvalde, Texas.
It was 137 days ago that the small town, 88 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio, was the sight of an elementary school shooting. On May 24, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary.
The Spurs held an open practice Saturday at Uvalde High School in support of the students of Robb Elementary and those affected by that tragic day.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s extremely sad,&rdquo; San Antonio guard Tre Jones said. &ldquo;We wish everybody was with us, still being able to enjoy this moment. We are just trying to bring joy to the families and all the kids who were friends with those kids that died and help the teachers as well. We want to bring a moment of happiness into their lives again and try to just bring a smile to their faces.&rdquo;
With a transformative roster brimming with young players, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich received the loudest ovation as the team took the court for a brief practice. The Spurs then literally lifted the community, raising toddlers on their shoulders to bring them closer to the rim for a basket.
The true elevation was felt off the court.
Monica Flores&rsquo; eldest daughter is still understandably traumatized by the day&rsquo;s tragedy. Her daughter was in the fourth grade, the same classification as those who died. Her daughter&rsquo;s classroom was directly across the hall from the two adjoining rooms where the shooting took place.
&ldquo;She has her moments, but we will never forget,&rdquo; Flores said. &ldquo;Sudden hands, different people that look like the shooter &mdash; she did see the shooter through her classroom window. She is terrified by people who look like him, not that she judges, but people have (similar looks), and it&rsquo;s just scary.&rdquo;
Flores&rsquo; daughter is scared to leave her home. She is terrified of certain situations. But that was pushed aside for a few hours, thanks to the Spurs.
Flores&rsquo; daughter eagerly anticipated Saturday afternoon once she heard the Spurs were coming to Uvalde just to see her and the other kids from Robb Elementary.
Dressed in the Manu Ginobili jersey her uncle purchased for her a few years ago, Flores&rsquo; daughter and the crowd were surprised and delighted to see the Spurs&rsquo; hall of fame guard in attendance. Now a special advisor with the Spurs, Ginobili spent the entire event signing autographs and taking pictures with those in attendance.
Flores&rsquo; daughter sprinted directly for Ginobili at midcourt when it was her group&rsquo;s turn to take the court and meet the players.
And just as hundreds of fans have done for more than a decade, Flores&rsquo; daughter was beaming in delight as she posed with Ginobili.
&ldquo;I am so glad she got to experience this with Manu,&rdquo; Flores said.
The feeling was mutual for the Spurs.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s big for me to be able to come out here and see the kids smile,&rdquo; San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson said. &ldquo;We know it&rsquo;s been tough. If we can just come out here and bring just a little bit of joy, it&rsquo;s a successful day for us.&rdquo;
The tragedy of May 24 is something the Uvalde community will never get over, but they are trying to get through it.
&ldquo;Tomorrow, on the court and off the court, we will fly,&rdquo; Dr. Kara Allen, Spurs chief impact officer, said. &ldquo;We will do the work and we will fly, but today, today is just doing joy. So, on behalf of the brilliant humans on the court and the brilliant humans you are, thank you for letting us choose to just do joy with you today.&rdquo;

UVALDE, Texas (AP) &mdash; The smallest gesture can have a huge impact.
That was reaffirmed to the San Antonio Spurs when the team held an open practice and community fair in Uvalde, Texas.
It was 137 days ago that the small town, 88 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio, was the sight of an elementary school shooting. On May 24, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary.
The Spurs held an open practice Saturday at Uvalde High School in support of the students of Robb Elementary and those affected by that tragic day.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s extremely sad,&rdquo; San Antonio guard Tre Jones said. &ldquo;We wish everybody was with us, still being able to enjoy this moment. We are just trying to bring joy to the families and all the kids who were friends with those kids that died and help the teachers as well. We want to bring a moment of happiness into their lives again and try to just bring a smile to their faces.&rdquo;
With a transformative roster brimming with young players, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich received the loudest ovation as the team took the court for a brief practice. The Spurs then literally lifted the community, raising toddlers on their shoulders to bring them closer to the rim for a basket.
The true elevation was felt off the court.
Monica Flores&rsquo; eldest daughter is still understandably traumatized by the day&rsquo;s tragedy. Her daughter was in the fourth grade, the same classification as those who died. Her daughter&rsquo;s classroom was directly across the hall from the two adjoining rooms where the shooting took place.
&ldquo;She has her moments, but we will never forget,&rdquo; Flores said. &ldquo;Sudden hands, different people that look like the shooter &mdash; she did see the shooter through her classroom window. She is terrified by people who look like him, not that she judges, but people have (similar looks), and it&rsquo;s just scary.&rdquo;
Flores&rsquo; daughter is scared to leave her home. She is terrified of certain situations. But that was pushed aside for a few hours, thanks to the Spurs.
Flores&rsquo; daughter eagerly anticipated Saturday afternoon once she heard the Spurs were coming to Uvalde just to see her and the other kids from Robb Elementary.
&nbsp;
Dressed in the Manu Ginobili jersey her uncle purchased for her a few years ago, Flores&rsquo; daughter and the crowd were surprised and delighted to see the Spurs&rsquo; hall of fame guard in attendance. Now a special advisor with the Spurs, Ginobili spent the entire event signing autographs and taking pictures with those in attendance.
Flores&rsquo; daughter sprinted directly for Ginobili at midcourt when it was her group&rsquo;s turn to take the court and meet the players.
And just as hundreds of fans have done for more than a decade, Flores&rsquo; daughter was beaming in delight as she posed with Ginobili.
&ldquo;I am so glad she got to experience this with Manu,&rdquo; Flores said.
The feeling was mutual for the Spurs.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s big for me to be able to come out here and see the kids smile,&rdquo; San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson said. &ldquo;We know it&rsquo;s been tough. If we can just come out here and bring just a little bit of joy, it&rsquo;s a successful day for us.&rdquo;
The tragedy of May 24 is something the Uvalde community will never get over, but they are trying to get through it.
&ldquo;Tomorrow, on the court and off the court, we will fly,&rdquo; Dr. Kara Allen, Spurs chief impact officer, said. &ldquo;We will do the work and we will fly, but today, today is just doing joy. So, on behalf of the brilliant humans on the court and the brilliant humans you are, thank you for letting us choose to just do joy with you today.&rdquo;

UVALDE, Texas (AP) &mdash; The smallest gesture can have a huge impact.
That was reaffirmed to the San Antonio Spurs when the team held an open practice and community fair in Uvalde, Texas.
It was 137 days ago that the small town, 88 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio, was the sight of an elementary school shooting. On May 24, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary.
The Spurs held an open practice Saturday at Uvalde High School in support of the students of Robb Elementary and those affected by that tragic day.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s extremely sad,&rdquo; San Antonio guard Tre Jones said. &ldquo;We wish everybody was with us, still being able to enjoy this moment. We are just trying to bring joy to the families and all the kids who were friends with those kids that died and help the teachers as well. We want to bring a moment of happiness into their lives again and try to just bring a smile to their faces.&rdquo;
With a transformative roster brimming with young players, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich received the loudest ovation as the team took the court for a brief practice. The Spurs then literally lifted the community, raising toddlers on their shoulders to bring them closer to the rim for a basket.
&nbsp;
The true elevation was felt off the court.
Monica Flores&rsquo; eldest daughter is still understandably traumatized by the day&rsquo;s tragedy. Her daughter was in the fourth grade, the same classification as those who died. Her daughter&rsquo;s classroom was directly across the hall from the two adjoining rooms where the shooting took place.
&ldquo;She has her moments, but we will never forget,&rdquo; Flores said. &ldquo;Sudden hands, different people that look like the shooter &mdash; she did see the shooter through her classroom window. She is terrified by people who look like him, not that she judges, but people have (similar looks), and it&rsquo;s just scary.&rdquo;
Flores&rsquo; daughter is scared to leave her home. She is terrified of certain situations. But that was pushed aside for a few hours, thanks to the Spurs.
Flores&rsquo; daughter eagerly anticipated Saturday afternoon once she heard the Spurs were coming to Uvalde just to see her and the other kids from Robb Elementary.
Dressed in the Manu Ginobili jersey her uncle purchased for her a few years ago, Flores&rsquo; daughter and the crowd were surprised and delighted to see the Spurs&rsquo; hall of fame guard in attendance. Now a special advisor with the Spurs, Ginobili spent the entire event signing autographs and taking pictures with those in attendance.
Flores&rsquo; daughter sprinted directly for Ginobili at midcourt when it was her group&rsquo;s turn to take the court and meet the players.
And just as hundreds of fans have done for more than a decade, Flores&rsquo; daughter was beaming in delight as she posed with Ginobili.
&ldquo;I am so glad she got to experience this with Manu,&rdquo; Flores said.
The feeling was mutual for the Spurs.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s big for me to be able to come out here and see the kids smile,&rdquo; San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson said. &ldquo;We know it&rsquo;s been tough. If we can just come out here and bring just a little bit of joy, it&rsquo;s a successful day for us.&rdquo;
The tragedy of May 24 is something the Uvalde community will never get over, but they are trying to get through it.
&ldquo;Tomorrow, on the court and off the court, we will fly,&rdquo; Dr. Kara Allen, Spurs chief impact officer, said. &ldquo;We will do the work and we will fly, but today, today is just doing joy. So, on behalf of the brilliant humans on the court and the brilliant humans you are, thank you for letting us choose to just do joy with you today.&rdquo;

UVALDE, Texas (AP) &mdash; The smallest gesture can have a huge impact.
That was reaffirmed to the San Antonio Spurs when the team held an open practice and community fair in Uvalde, Texas.
It was 137 days ago that the small town, 88 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio, was the sight of an elementary school shooting. On May 24, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary.
The Spurs held an open practice Saturday at Uvalde High School in support of the students of Robb Elementary and those affected by that tragic day.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s extremely sad,&rdquo; San Antonio guard Tre Jones said. &ldquo;We wish everybody was with us, still being able to enjoy this moment. We are just trying to bring joy to the families and all the kids who were friends with those kids that died and help the teachers as well. We want to bring a moment of happiness into their lives again and try to just bring a smile to their faces.&rdquo;
With a transformative roster brimming with young players, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich received the loudest ovation as the team took the court for a brief practice. The Spurs then literally lifted the community, raising toddlers on their shoulders to bring them closer to the rim for a basket.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/1000-1_690w.jpeg" alt="" />
The true elevation was felt off the court.
Monica Flores&rsquo; eldest daughter is still understandably traumatized by the day&rsquo;s tragedy. Her daughter was in the fourth grade, the same classification as those who died. Her daughter&rsquo;s classroom was directly across the hall from the two adjoining rooms where the shooting took place.
&ldquo;She has her moments, but we will never forget,&rdquo; Flores said. &ldquo;Sudden hands, different people that look like the shooter &mdash; she did see the shooter through her classroom window. She is terrified by people who look like him, not that she judges, but people have (similar looks), and it&rsquo;s just scary.&rdquo;
Flores&rsquo; daughter is scared to leave her home. She is terrified of certain situations. But that was pushed aside for a few hours, thanks to the Spurs.
Flores&rsquo; daughter eagerly anticipated Saturday afternoon once she heard the Spurs were coming to Uvalde just to see her and the other kids from Robb Elementary.
Dressed in the Manu Ginobili jersey her uncle purchased for her a few years ago, Flores&rsquo; daughter and the crowd were surprised and delighted to see the Spurs&rsquo; hall of fame guard in attendance. Now a special advisor with the Spurs, Ginobili spent the entire event signing autographs and taking pictures with those in attendance.
Flores&rsquo; daughter sprinted directly for Ginobili at midcourt when it was her group&rsquo;s turn to take the court and meet the players.
And just as hundreds of fans have done for more than a decade, Flores&rsquo; daughter was beaming in delight as she posed with Ginobili.
&ldquo;I am so glad she got to experience this with Manu,&rdquo; Flores said.
The feeling was mutual for the Spurs.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s big for me to be able to come out here and see the kids smile,&rdquo; San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson said. &ldquo;We know it&rsquo;s been tough. If we can just come out here and bring just a little bit of joy, it&rsquo;s a successful day for us.&rdquo;
The tragedy of May 24 is something the Uvalde community will never get over, but they are trying to get through it.
&ldquo;Tomorrow, on the court and off the court, we will fly,&rdquo; Dr. Kara Allen, Spurs chief impact officer, said. &ldquo;We will do the work and we will fly, but today, today is just doing joy. So, on behalf of the brilliant humans on the court and the brilliant humans you are, thank you for letting us choose to just do joy with you today.&rdquo;

UVALDE, Texas (AP) &mdash; The smallest gesture can have a huge impact.
That was reaffirmed to the San Antonio Spurs when the team held an open practice and community fair in Uvalde, Texas.
It was 137 days ago that the small town, 88 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio, was the sight of an elementary school shooting. On May 24, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary.
The Spurs held an open practice Saturday at Uvalde High School in support of the students of Robb Elementary and those affected by that tragic day.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s extremely sad,&rdquo; San Antonio guard Tre Jones said. &ldquo;We wish everybody was with us, still being able to enjoy this moment. We are just trying to bring joy to the families and all the kids who were friends with those kids that died and help the teachers as well. We want to bring a moment of happiness into their lives again and try to just bring a smile to their faces.&rdquo;
With a transformative roster brimming with young players, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich received the loudest ovation as the team took the court for a brief practice. The Spurs then literally lifted the community, raising toddlers on their shoulders to bring them closer to the rim for a basket.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/1000-1_690w.jpeg" alt="" width="603" height="402" />
The true elevation was felt off the court.
Monica Flores&rsquo; eldest daughter is still understandably traumatized by the day&rsquo;s tragedy. Her daughter was in the fourth grade, the same classification as those who died. Her daughter&rsquo;s classroom was directly across the hall from the two adjoining rooms where the shooting took place.
&ldquo;She has her moments, but we will never forget,&rdquo; Flores said. &ldquo;Sudden hands, different people that look like the shooter &mdash; she did see the shooter through her classroom window. She is terrified by people who look like him, not that she judges, but people have (similar looks), and it&rsquo;s just scary.&rdquo;
Flores&rsquo; daughter is scared to leave her home. She is terrified of certain situations. But that was pushed aside for a few hours, thanks to the Spurs.
Flores&rsquo; daughter eagerly anticipated Saturday afternoon once she heard the Spurs were coming to Uvalde just to see her and the other kids from Robb Elementary.
Dressed in the Manu Ginobili jersey her uncle purchased for her a few years ago, Flores&rsquo; daughter and the crowd were surprised and delighted to see the Spurs&rsquo; hall of fame guard in attendance. Now a special advisor with the Spurs, Ginobili spent the entire event signing autographs and taking pictures with those in attendance.
Flores&rsquo; daughter sprinted directly for Ginobili at midcourt when it was her group&rsquo;s turn to take the court and meet the players.
And just as hundreds of fans have done for more than a decade, Flores&rsquo; daughter was beaming in delight as she posed with Ginobili.
&ldquo;I am so glad she got to experience this with Manu,&rdquo; Flores said.
The feeling was mutual for the Spurs.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s big for me to be able to come out here and see the kids smile,&rdquo; San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson said. &ldquo;We know it&rsquo;s been tough. If we can just come out here and bring just a little bit of joy, it&rsquo;s a successful day for us.&rdquo;
The tragedy of May 24 is something the Uvalde community will never get over, but they are trying to get through it.
&ldquo;Tomorrow, on the court and off the court, we will fly,&rdquo; Dr. Kara Allen, Spurs chief impact officer, said. &ldquo;We will do the work and we will fly, but today, today is just doing joy. So, on behalf of the brilliant humans on the court and the brilliant humans you are, thank you for letting us choose to just do joy with you today.&rdquo;

UVALDE, Texas (AP) &mdash; The smallest gesture can have a huge impact.
That was reaffirmed to the San Antonio Spurs when the team held an open practice and community fair in Uvalde, Texas.
It was 137 days ago that the small town, 88 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio, was the sight of an elementary school shooting. On May 24, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary.
The Spurs held an open practice Saturday at Uvalde High School in support of the students of Robb Elementary and those affected by that tragic day.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s extremely sad,&rdquo; San Antonio guard Tre Jones said. &ldquo;We wish everybody was with us, still being able to enjoy this moment. We are just trying to bring joy to the families and all the kids who were friends with those kids that died and help the teachers as well. We want to bring a moment of happiness into their lives again and try to just bring a smile to their faces.&rdquo;
With a transformative roster brimming with young players, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich received the loudest ovation as the team took the court for a brief practice. The Spurs then literally lifted the community, raising toddlers on their shoulders to bring them closer to the rim for a basket.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/1000-1_690w.jpeg" alt="" width="650" height="433" />
The true elevation was felt off the court.
Monica Flores&rsquo; eldest daughter is still understandably traumatized by the day&rsquo;s tragedy. Her daughter was in the fourth grade, the same classification as those who died. Her daughter&rsquo;s classroom was directly across the hall from the two adjoining rooms where the shooting took place.
&ldquo;She has her moments, but we will never forget,&rdquo; Flores said. &ldquo;Sudden hands, different people that look like the shooter &mdash; she did see the shooter through her classroom window. She is terrified by people who look like him, not that she judges, but people have (similar looks), and it&rsquo;s just scary.&rdquo;
Flores&rsquo; daughter is scared to leave her home. She is terrified of certain situations. But that was pushed aside for a few hours, thanks to the Spurs.
Flores&rsquo; daughter eagerly anticipated Saturday afternoon once she heard the Spurs were coming to Uvalde just to see her and the other kids from Robb Elementary.
Dressed in the Manu Ginobili jersey her uncle purchased for her a few years ago, Flores&rsquo; daughter and the crowd were surprised and delighted to see the Spurs&rsquo; hall of fame guard in attendance. Now a special advisor with the Spurs, Ginobili spent the entire event signing autographs and taking pictures with those in attendance.
Flores&rsquo; daughter sprinted directly for Ginobili at midcourt when it was her group&rsquo;s turn to take the court and meet the players.
And just as hundreds of fans have done for more than a decade, Flores&rsquo; daughter was beaming in delight as she posed with Ginobili.
&ldquo;I am so glad she got to experience this with Manu,&rdquo; Flores said.
The feeling was mutual for the Spurs.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s big for me to be able to come out here and see the kids smile,&rdquo; San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson said. &ldquo;We know it&rsquo;s been tough. If we can just come out here and bring just a little bit of joy, it&rsquo;s a successful day for us.&rdquo;
The tragedy of May 24 is something the Uvalde community will never get over, but they are trying to get through it.
&ldquo;Tomorrow, on the court and off the court, we will fly,&rdquo; Dr. Kara Allen, Spurs chief impact officer, said. &ldquo;We will do the work and we will fly, but today, today is just doing joy. So, on behalf of the brilliant humans on the court and the brilliant humans you are, thank you for letting us choose to just do joy with you today.&rdquo;

UVALDE, Texas (AP) &mdash; The smallest gesture can have a huge impact.
That was reaffirmed to the San Antonio Spurs when the team held an open practice and community fair in Uvalde, Texas.
It was 137 days ago that the small town, 88 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio, was the sight of an elementary school shooting. On May 24, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary.
The Spurs held an open practice Saturday at Uvalde High School in support of the students of Robb Elementary and those affected by that tragic day.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s extremely sad,&rdquo; San Antonio guard Tre Jones said. &ldquo;We wish everybody was with us, still being able to enjoy this moment. We are just trying to bring joy to the families and all the kids who were friends with those kids that died and help the teachers as well. We want to bring a moment of happiness into their lives again and try to just bring a smile to their faces.&rdquo;
With a transformative roster brimming with young players, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich received the loudest ovation as the team took the court for a brief practice. The Spurs then literally lifted the community, raising toddlers on their shoulders to bring them closer to the rim for a basket.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/1000-1.jpeg" alt="" width="650" height="433" />
The true elevation was felt off the court.
Monica Flores&rsquo; eldest daughter is still understandably traumatized by the day&rsquo;s tragedy. Her daughter was in the fourth grade, the same classification as those who died. Her daughter&rsquo;s classroom was directly across the hall from the two adjoining rooms where the shooting took place.
&ldquo;She has her moments, but we will never forget,&rdquo; Flores said. &ldquo;Sudden hands, different people that look like the shooter &mdash; she did see the shooter through her classroom window. She is terrified by people who look like him, not that she judges, but people have (similar looks), and it&rsquo;s just scary.&rdquo;
Flores&rsquo; daughter is scared to leave her home. She is terrified of certain situations. But that was pushed aside for a few hours, thanks to the Spurs.
Flores&rsquo; daughter eagerly anticipated Saturday afternoon once she heard the Spurs were coming to Uvalde just to see her and the other kids from Robb Elementary.
Dressed in the Manu Ginobili jersey her uncle purchased for her a few years ago, Flores&rsquo; daughter and the crowd were surprised and delighted to see the Spurs&rsquo; hall of fame guard in attendance. Now a special advisor with the Spurs, Ginobili spent the entire event signing autographs and taking pictures with those in attendance.
Flores&rsquo; daughter sprinted directly for Ginobili at midcourt when it was her group&rsquo;s turn to take the court and meet the players.
And just as hundreds of fans have done for more than a decade, Flores&rsquo; daughter was beaming in delight as she posed with Ginobili.
&ldquo;I am so glad she got to experience this with Manu,&rdquo; Flores said.
The feeling was mutual for the Spurs.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s big for me to be able to come out here and see the kids smile,&rdquo; San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson said. &ldquo;We know it&rsquo;s been tough. If we can just come out here and bring just a little bit of joy, it&rsquo;s a successful day for us.&rdquo;
The tragedy of May 24 is something the Uvalde community will never get over, but they are trying to get through it.
&ldquo;Tomorrow, on the court and off the court, we will fly,&rdquo; Dr. Kara Allen, Spurs chief impact officer, said. &ldquo;We will do the work and we will fly, but today, today is just doing joy. So, on behalf of the brilliant humans on the court and the brilliant humans you are, thank you for letting us choose to just do joy with you today.&rdquo;

The Spurs held an open practice Saturday at Uvalde High School in support of the students of Robb Elementary.

Spurs' open practice, community fair bring a bit of joy to Uvalde

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans first-year coach Willie Green could have been forgiven for wondering what he had gotten himself into early this season.
Star forward Zion Williamson was injured with no clear timeline for recovery, and the Pelicans started 1-12. 
Rather than foreshadowing a long year at the bottom of the Western Conference, those setbacks set the stage for New Orleans to exemplify the benefits of patience and perseverance.
Williamson still hasn't played all season, yet the Pelicans have won more games than they've lost since last Thanksgiving. They finished ninth in the Western Conference and will host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night in the first postseason game played in New Orleans since 2018.
“We definitely have resiliency," Green said. "It’s a continuation of trying to build our program, starting with the beginning of this season and how difficult it was to be 1-12, and be at a point where we have this opportunity in front of us.”
While Gregg Popovich is in his 26th season as Spurs coach, is the NBA's career leader in coaching victories and has five NBA championships to his name, his road to the 2022 postseason hasn't been much different from Green's.
The Spurs won just four of their first 17 games and were 16 games below .500 after a loss at Charlotte on March 5. Since then, they've gone 10-8 to sneak into the last Western Conference play-in spot as the 10th seed.
“We’re starting to get better and better,” said Spurs wing player Devin Vassell, now in his second NBA season. “We’re growing as a team. We’ve got a lot of young players, but we’re all developing right now.”
Spurs guard Dejounte Murray has made major strides, becoming a first-time All-Star and averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 assists and 8.3 rebounds this season. 
Brandon Ingram has been New Orleans' most productive offensive player, averaging 22.7 points, but he has gotten some help since the Pelicans acquired guard CJ McCollum in a multiplayer deal with Portland shortly before the NBA trade deadline in February.
McCollum, averaging 24 points since the trade, wasn't around for New Orleans' early season stumbles, but was well aware of them.
“It shows you how they stuck together, how they continued to fight through adversity, how much growth the team has had,” McCollum said. "I’m happy I could help get us into this position where we have a chance to get some postseason experience.”
To make it into the first round of the NBA playoffs, the winner in New Orleans must win again on Friday night, on the road, against the loser of Tuesday night’s play-in game between No. 7 seed Minnesota and the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers.
PRODUCTIVE LINEUP
Some recent lineup changes have yielded compelling results for New Orleans.
The 6-foot-11 Jaxson Hayes, drafted eighth overall in 2019, was inserted into the starting lineup at power forward, and McCollum took over at point guard following his trade. When those two have started alongside center Jonas Valanciunas, Ingram and defensive-minded rookie Herb Jones, the Pelicans are 7-3.
That is the likely lineup against San Antonio. Ingram, who missed the last three regular-season games with a sore hamstring, practiced Tuesday and declared himself ready.
While various injuries have limited that lineup's sample size to 10 games, Green said the way that group plays passes the “eye test.”
“It looks right. It feels right,” Green said. "The numbers kind of solidify what we’re seeing, and we kind of go with that.”
PERIMETER IMPROVEMENT
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson set career highs in points (17.0), rebounding (6.1), assists (2.1) and 3-point shooting (40%) in his third NBA season.
Johnson led the Spurs in 3-pointers, going 159 for 399 after making just 73 in his first two seasons. 
The long-range scoring "frankly kind of surprised us all,” Popovich said. “That’s not what we expected him to improve on to that degree.”
ROOKIE TRIO
During the final weeks of the regular season, the Pelicans relied on significant contributions from three rookies. 
The 6-8 Jones, a second-round pick out of Alabama, has started much of the season after demonstrating he could defend many opposing teams' top scorers.
First-round pick Trey Murphy III and undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado also have emerged during the latter portion of the season.
While Murphy has only scored 10 or more points eight times — seven of those instances came in the last 16 games, including a high of 32 points.
Alvarado seldom played prior to January, but now has 16 games with two or more steals, including a high of six. He has scored more than 10 points 12 times since Jan. 20, with a high of 23, and routinely plays meaningful minutes in the fourth quarter. 
“You see the strides throughout the year, especially Trey Murphy in these last few games,” Ingram said. “Jose is getting more confidence shooting the basketball and Herb has been playing like a professional since he’s been here.” 
CLOSING TIME
The Spurs say they have become more poised in late-game situations. They blew numerous fourth-quarter leads early this season, but have closed out some critical wins in recent weeks, including a 107-103 victory on March 23 in New Orleans.
“That’s something I’ve really been saying since Day One: We’re young, we’re still growing,” fourth-year guard Lonnie Walker said. “We’re starting to get used to (close games) and have that type of mindset — locked in — those final moments.”
___
Raul Dominguez of The Associated Press contributed from San Antonio.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

New Orleans first-year coach Willie Green could have been forgiven for wondering what he had gotten himself into early this season.
Star forward Zion Williamson was injured with no clear timeline for recovery, and the Pelicans started 1-12.
Rather than foreshadowing a long year at the bottom of the Western Conference, those setbacks set the stage for New Orleans to exemplify the benefits of patience and perseverance.
Williamson still hasn't played all season, yet the Pelicans have won more games than they've lost since last Thanksgiving. They finished ninth in the Western Conference and will host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night in the first postseason game played in New Orleans since 2018.
&ldquo;We definitely have resiliency," Green said. "It&rsquo;s a continuation of trying to build our program, starting with the beginning of this season and how difficult it was to be 1-12, and be at a point where we have this opportunity in front of us.&rdquo;
While Gregg Popovich is in his 26th season as Spurs coach, is the NBA's career leader in coaching victories and has five NBA championships to his name, his road to the 2022 postseason hasn't been much different from Green's.
The Spurs won just four of their first 17 games and were 16 games below .500 after a loss at Charlotte on March 5. Since then, they've gone 10-8 to sneak into the last Western Conference play-in spot as the 10th seed.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get better and better,&rdquo; said Spurs wing player Devin Vassell, now in his second NBA season. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re growing as a team. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of young players, but we&rsquo;re all developing right now.&rdquo;
Spurs guard Dejounte Murray has made major strides, becoming a first-time All-Star and averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 assists and 8.3 rebounds this season.
Brandon Ingram has been New Orleans' most productive offensive player, averaging 22.7 points, but he has gotten some help since the Pelicans acquired guard CJ McCollum in a multiplayer deal with Portland shortly before the NBA trade deadline in February.
McCollum, averaging 24 points since the trade, wasn't around for New Orleans' early season stumbles, but was well aware of them.
&ldquo;It shows you how they stuck together, how they continued to fight through adversity, how much growth the team has had,&rdquo; McCollum said. "I&rsquo;m happy I could help get us into this position where we have a chance to get some postseason experience.&rdquo;
To make it into the first round of the NBA playoffs, the winner in New Orleans must win again on Friday night, on the road, against the loser of Tuesday night&rsquo;s play-in game between No. 7 seed Minnesota and the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers.
PRODUCTIVE LINEUP
Some recent lineup changes have yielded compelling results for New Orleans.
The 6-foot-11 Jaxson Hayes, drafted eighth overall in 2019, was inserted into the starting lineup at power forward, and McCollum took over at point guard following his trade. When those two have started alongside center Jonas Valanciunas, Ingram and defensive-minded rookie Herb Jones, the Pelicans are 7-3.
That is the likely lineup against San Antonio. Ingram, who missed the last three regular-season games with a sore hamstring, practiced Tuesday and declared himself ready.
While various injuries have limited that lineup's sample size to 10 games, Green said the way that group plays passes the &ldquo;eye test.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It looks right. It feels right,&rdquo; Green said. "The numbers kind of solidify what we&rsquo;re seeing, and we kind of go with that.&rdquo;
PERIMETER IMPROVEMENT
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson set career highs in points (17.0), rebounding (6.1), assists (2.1) and 3-point shooting (40%) in his third NBA season.
Johnson led the Spurs in 3-pointers, going 159 for 399 after making just 73 in his first two seasons.
The long-range scoring "frankly kind of surprised us all,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not what we expected him to improve on to that degree.&rdquo;
ROOKIE TRIO
During the final weeks of the regular season, the Pelicans relied on significant contributions from three rookies.
The 6-8 Jones, a second-round pick out of Alabama, has started much of the season after demonstrating he could defend many opposing teams' top scorers.
First-round pick Trey Murphy III and undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado also have emerged during the latter portion of the season.
While Murphy has only scored 10 or more points eight times &mdash; seven of those instances came in the last 16 games, including a high of 32 points.
Alvarado seldom played prior to January, but now has 16 games with two or more steals, including a high of six. He has scored more than 10 points 12 times since Jan. 20, with a high of 23, and routinely plays meaningful minutes in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;You see the strides throughout the year, especially Trey Murphy in these last few games,&rdquo; Ingram said. &ldquo;Jose is getting more confidence shooting the basketball and Herb has been playing like a professional since he&rsquo;s been here.&rdquo;
CLOSING TIME
The Spurs say they have become more poised in late-game situations. They blew numerous fourth-quarter leads early this season, but have closed out some critical wins in recent weeks, including a 107-103 victory on March 23 in New Orleans.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve really been saying since Day One: We&rsquo;re young, we&rsquo;re still growing,&rdquo; fourth-year guard Lonnie Walker said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get used to (close games) and have that type of mindset &mdash; locked in &mdash; those final moments.&rdquo;
___
Raul Dominguez of The Associated Press contributed from San Antonio.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

New Orleans first-year coach Willie Green could have been forgiven for wondering what he had gotten himself into early this season.
Star forward Zion Williamson was injured with no clear timeline for recovery, and the Pelicans started 1-12.
Rather than foreshadowing a long year at the bottom of the Western Conference, those setbacks set the stage for New Orleans to exemplify the benefits of patience and perseverance.
Williamson still hasn't played all season, yet the Pelicans have won more games than they've lost since last Thanksgiving. They finished ninth in the Western Conference and will host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night in the first postseason game played in New Orleans since 2018.
&ldquo;We definitely have resiliency," Green said. "It&rsquo;s a continuation of trying to build our program, starting with the beginning of this season and how difficult it was to be 1-12, and be at a point where we have this opportunity in front of us.&rdquo;
While Gregg Popovich is in his 26th season as Spurs coach, is the NBA's career leader in coaching victories and has five NBA championships to his name, his road to the 2022 postseason hasn't been much different from Green's.
The Spurs won just four of their first 17 games and were 16 games below .500 after a loss at Charlotte on March 5. Since then, they've gone 10-8 to sneak into the last Western Conference play-in spot as the 10th seed.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get better and better,&rdquo; said Spurs wing player Devin Vassell, now in his second NBA season. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re growing as a team. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of young players, but we&rsquo;re all developing right now.&rdquo;
Spurs guard Dejounte Murray has made major strides, becoming a first-time All-Star and averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 assists and 8.3 rebounds this season.
Brandon Ingram has been New Orleans' most productive offensive player, averaging 22.7 points, but he has gotten some help since the Pelicans acquired guard CJ McCollum in a multiplayer deal with Portland shortly before the NBA trade deadline in February.
McCollum, averaging 24 points since the trade, wasn't around for New Orleans' early season stumbles, but was well aware of them.
&ldquo;It shows you how they stuck together, how they continued to fight through adversity, how much growth the team has had,&rdquo; McCollum said. "I&rsquo;m happy I could help get us into this position where we have a chance to get some postseason experience.&rdquo;
To make it into the first round of the NBA playoffs, the winner in New Orleans must win again on Friday night, on the road, against the loser of Tuesday night&rsquo;s play-in game between No. 7 seed Minnesota and the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers.
PRODUCTIVE LINEUP
Some recent lineup changes have yielded compelling results for New Orleans.
The 6-foot-11 Jaxson Hayes, drafted eighth overall in 2019, was inserted into the starting lineup at power forward, and McCollum took over at point guard following his trade. When those two have started alongside center Jonas Valanciunas, Ingram and defensive-minded rookie Herb Jones, the Pelicans are 7-3.
That is the likely lineup against San Antonio. Ingram, who missed the last three regular-season games with a sore hamstring, practiced Tuesday and declared himself ready.
While various injuries have limited that lineup's sample size to 10 games, Green said the way that group plays passes the &ldquo;eye test.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It looks right. It feels right,&rdquo; Green said. "The numbers kind of solidify what we&rsquo;re seeing, and we kind of go with that.&rdquo;
PERIMETER IMPROVEMENT
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson set career highs in points (17.0), rebounding (6.1), assists (2.1) and 3-point shooting (40%) in his third NBA season.
Johnson led the Spurs in 3-pointers, going 159 for 399 after making just 73 in his first two seasons.
The long-range scoring "frankly kind of surprised us all,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not what we expected him to improve on to that degree.&rdquo;
ROOKIE TRIO
During the final weeks of the regular season, the Pelicans relied on significant contributions from three rookies.
The 6-8 Jones, a second-round pick out of Alabama, has started much of the season after demonstrating he could defend many opposing teams' top scorers.
First-round pick Trey Murphy III and undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado also have emerged during the latter portion of the season.
While Murphy has only scored 10 or more points eight times &mdash; seven of those instances came in the last 16 games, including a high of 32 points.
Alvarado seldom played prior to January, but now has 16 games with two or more steals, including a high of six. He has scored more than 10 points 12 times since Jan. 20, with a high of 23, and routinely plays meaningful minutes in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;You see the strides throughout the year, especially Trey Murphy in these last few games,&rdquo; Ingram said. &ldquo;Jose is getting more confidence shooting the basketball and Herb has been playing like a professional since he&rsquo;s been here.&rdquo;
CLOSING TIME
The Spurs say they have become more poised in late-game situations. They blew numerous fourth-quarter leads early this season, but have closed out some critical wins in recent weeks, including a 107-103 victory on March 23 in New Orleans.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve really been saying since Day One: We&rsquo;re young, we&rsquo;re still growing,&rdquo; fourth-year guard Lonnie Walker said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get used to (close games) and have that type of mindset &mdash; locked in &mdash; those final moments.&rdquo;

New Orleans first-year coach Willie Green could have been forgiven for wondering what he had gotten himself into early this season.
Star forward Zion Williamson was injured with no clear timeline for recovery, and the Pelicans started 1-12.
Rather than foreshadowing a long year at the bottom of the Western Conference, those setbacks set the stage for New Orleans to exemplify the benefits of patience and perseverance.
Williamson still hasn't played all season, yet the Pelicans have won more games than they've lost since last Thanksgiving. They finished ninth in the Western Conference and will host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night in the first postseason game played in New Orleans since 2018.
&ldquo;We definitely have resiliency," Green said. "It&rsquo;s a continuation of trying to build our program, starting with the beginning of this season and how difficult it was to be 1-12, and be at a point where we have this opportunity in front of us.&rdquo;
While Gregg Popovich is in his 26th season as Spurs coach, is the NBA's career leader in coaching victories and has five NBA championships to his name, his road to the 2022 postseason hasn't been much different from Green's.
The Spurs won just four of their first 17 games and were 16 games below .500 after a loss at Charlotte on March 5. Since then, they've gone 10-8 to sneak into the last Western Conference play-in spot as the 10th seed.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get better and better,&rdquo; said Spurs wing player Devin Vassell, now in his second NBA season. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re growing as a team. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of young players, but we&rsquo;re all developing right now.&rdquo;
Spurs guard Dejounte Murray has made major strides, becoming a first-time All-Star and averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 assists and 8.3 rebounds this season.
Brandon Ingram has been New Orleans' most productive offensive player, averaging 22.7 points, but he has gotten some help since the Pelicans acquired guard CJ McCollum in a multiplayer deal with Portland shortly before the NBA trade deadline in February.
McCollum, averaging 24 points since the trade, wasn't around for New Orleans' early season stumbles, but was well aware of them.
&ldquo;It shows you how they stuck together, how they continued to fight through adversity, how much growth the team has had,&rdquo; McCollum said. "I&rsquo;m happy I could help get us into this position where we have a chance to get some postseason experience.&rdquo;
To make it into the first round of the NBA playoffs, the winner in New Orleans must win again on Friday night, on the road, against the loser of Tuesday night&rsquo;s play-in game between No. 7 seed Minnesota and the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers.
PRODUCTIVE LINEUP
Some recent lineup changes have yielded compelling results for New Orleans.
The 6-foot-11 Jaxson Hayes, drafted eighth overall in 2019, was inserted into the starting lineup at power forward, and McCollum took over at point guard following his trade. When those two have started alongside center Jonas Valanciunas, Ingram and defensive-minded rookie Herb Jones, the Pelicans are 7-3.
That is the likely lineup against San Antonio. Ingram, who missed the last three regular-season games with a sore hamstring, practiced Tuesday and declared himself ready.
While various injuries have limited that lineup's sample size to 10 games, Green said the way that group plays passes the &ldquo;eye test.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It looks right. It feels right,&rdquo; Green said. "The numbers kind of solidify what we&rsquo;re seeing, and we kind of go with that.&rdquo;
PERIMETER IMPROVEMENT
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson set career highs in points (17.0), rebounding (6.1), assists (2.1) and 3-point shooting (40%) in his third NBA season.
Johnson led the Spurs in 3-pointers, going 159 for 399 after making just 73 in his first two seasons.
The long-range scoring "frankly kind of surprised us all,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not what we expected him to improve on to that degree.&rdquo;
ROOKIE TRIO
During the final weeks of the regular season, the Pelicans relied on significant contributions from three rookies.
The 6-8 Jones, a second-round pick out of Alabama, has started much of the season after demonstrating he could defend many opposing teams' top scorers.
First-round pick Trey Murphy III and undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado also have emerged during the latter portion of the season.
While Murphy has only scored 10 or more points eight times &mdash; seven of those instances came in the last 16 games, including a high of 32 points.
Alvarado seldom played prior to January, but now has 16 games with two or more steals, including a high of six. He has scored more than 10 points 12 times since Jan. 20, with a high of 23, and routinely plays meaningful minutes in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;You see the strides throughout the year, especially Trey Murphy in these last few games,&rdquo; Ingram said. &ldquo;Jose is getting more confidence shooting the basketball and Herb has been playing like a professional since he&rsquo;s been here.&rdquo;
CLOSING TIME
The Spurs say they have become more poised in late-game situations. They blew numerous fourth-quarter leads early this season, but have closed out some critical wins in recent weeks, including a 107-103 victory on March 23 in New Orleans.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve really been saying since Day One: We&rsquo;re young, we&rsquo;re still growing,&rdquo; fourth-year guard Lonnie Walker said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get used to (close games) and have that type of mindset &mdash; locked in &mdash; those final moments.&rdquo;

New Orleans first-year coach Willie Green could have been forgiven for wondering what he had gotten himself into early this season.
Star forward Zion Williamson was injured with no clear timeline for recovery, and the Pelicans started 1-12.
Rather than foreshadowing a long year at the bottom of the Western Conference, those setbacks set the stage for New Orleans to exemplify the benefits of patience and perseverance.
Williamson still hasn't played all season, yet the Pelicans have won more games than they've lost since last Thanksgiving. They finished ninth in the Western Conference and will host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night in the first postseason game played in New Orleans since 2018.
&ldquo;We definitely have resiliency," Green said. "It&rsquo;s a continuation of trying to build our program, starting with the beginning of this season and how difficult it was to be 1-12, and be at a point where we have this opportunity in front of us.&rdquo;
While Gregg Popovich is in his 26th season as Spurs coach, is the NBA's career leader in coaching victories and has five NBA championships to his name, his road to the 2022 postseason hasn't been much different from Green's.
The Spurs won just four of their first 17 games and were 16 games below .500 after a loss at Charlotte on March 5. Since then, they've gone 10-8 to sneak into the last Western Conference play-in spot as the 10th seed.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get better and better,&rdquo; said Spurs wing player Devin Vassell, now in his second NBA season. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re growing as a team. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of young players, but we&rsquo;re all developing right now.&rdquo;
Spurs guard Dejounte Murray has made major strides, becoming a first-time All-Star and averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 assists and 8.3 rebounds this season.
Brandon Ingram has been New Orleans' most productive offensive player, averaging 22.7 points, but he has gotten some help since the Pelicans acquired guard CJ McCollum in a multiplayer deal with Portland shortly before the NBA trade deadline in February.
McCollum, averaging 24 points since the trade, wasn't around for New Orleans' early season stumbles, but was well aware of them.
&ldquo;It shows you how they stuck together, how they continued to fight through adversity, how much growth the team has had,&rdquo; McCollum said. "I&rsquo;m happy I could help get us into this position where we have a chance to get some postseason experience.&rdquo;
To make it into the first round of the NBA playoffs, the winner in New Orleans must win again on Friday night, on the road, against the Los Angeles Clippers.
PRODUCTIVE LINEUP
Some recent lineup changes have yielded compelling results for New Orleans.
The 6-foot-11 Jaxson Hayes, drafted eighth overall in 2019, was inserted into the starting lineup at power forward, and McCollum took over at point guard following his trade. When those two have started alongside center Jonas Valanciunas, Ingram and defensive-minded rookie Herb Jones, the Pelicans are 7-3.
That is the likely lineup against San Antonio. Ingram, who missed the last three regular-season games with a sore hamstring, practiced Tuesday and declared himself ready.
While various injuries have limited that lineup's sample size to 10 games, Green said the way that group plays passes the &ldquo;eye test.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It looks right. It feels right,&rdquo; Green said. "The numbers kind of solidify what we&rsquo;re seeing, and we kind of go with that.&rdquo;
PERIMETER IMPROVEMENT
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson set career highs in points (17.0), rebounding (6.1), assists (2.1) and 3-point shooting (40%) in his third NBA season.
Johnson led the Spurs in 3-pointers, going 159 for 399 after making just 73 in his first two seasons.
The long-range scoring "frankly kind of surprised us all,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not what we expected him to improve on to that degree.&rdquo;
ROOKIE TRIO
During the final weeks of the regular season, the Pelicans relied on significant contributions from three rookies.
The 6-8 Jones, a second-round pick out of Alabama, has started much of the season after demonstrating he could defend many opposing teams' top scorers.
First-round pick Trey Murphy III and undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado also have emerged during the latter portion of the season.
While Murphy has only scored 10 or more points eight times &mdash; seven of those instances came in the last 16 games, including a high of 32 points.
Alvarado seldom played prior to January, but now has 16 games with two or more steals, including a high of six. He has scored more than 10 points 12 times since Jan. 20, with a high of 23, and routinely plays meaningful minutes in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;You see the strides throughout the year, especially Trey Murphy in these last few games,&rdquo; Ingram said. &ldquo;Jose is getting more confidence shooting the basketball and Herb has been playing like a professional since he&rsquo;s been here.&rdquo;
CLOSING TIME
The Spurs say they have become more poised in late-game situations. They blew numerous fourth-quarter leads early this season, but have closed out some critical wins in recent weeks, including a 107-103 victory on March 23 in New Orleans.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve really been saying since Day One: We&rsquo;re young, we&rsquo;re still growing,&rdquo; fourth-year guard Lonnie Walker said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get used to (close games) and have that type of mindset &mdash; locked in &mdash; those final moments.&rdquo;

To make it into the first round of the NBA playoffs, the winner in New Orleans must win again on Friday night, on the road, in L.A.

Pelicans-Spurs Play-In Tournament matchup a study in resilience

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — R.J. Barrett made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 32 points, and the New York Knicks snapped a three-game skid, beating the San Antonio Spurs 121-109 on Tuesday night.
“Things may not be going well and, all of a sudden, you take a charge, get to a loose ball, you get a tip from behind, you get a block,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “That could ignite you and all of a sudden you get an easy score, a couple of easy buckets and now you find your rhythm and things change quickly in this league. They can go from being terrible to being great real fast and vice versa. You’ve just got to keep going.”
Alec Burks scored 18 points, Immanuel Quickley added 16 points and Julius Randle had 15 for the Knicks, who won at San Antonio for the first time since Jan. 2, 2014.
“Heck yeah, we needed that,” New York center Mitchell Robinson said. “We needed that win bad. We’re desperate right now.”
Derrick White had a season-high 26 points along with six rebounds and seven assists for the Spurs, who have dropped two straight after a season-long three-game winning streak. Dejounte Murray added 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
“That first game, being a back-to-back, after a road trip, we knew that would be tough energy-wise,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “But I thought we competed our (butt) off. Guys gave their effort. I was really happy with that.”
The Knicks were 18 for 38 on 3-pointers, with Barrett going 7 for 8.
Barrett said he's feeling “a lot better” after suffering from a stomach bug for two weeks.
“It was annoying, but I tried to do my job to the best of my ability no matter what,” Barrett said.
Barrett, who finished 11 of 20 from the field overall, made two 3s during a 10-2 run that gave New York a 13-point lead midway through the third quarter. The Spurs briefly got within nine points in the fourth but couldn’t trim the lead any further.
“I think the defense was really, really focused on Julius,” Barrett said. “They were doubling on him every time he had the ball and we just moved it. We moved it and I was able to knock them down.”
New York took advantage of the Spurs’ smaller lineups, out-rebounding the Spurs 56-49 and enjoying a 21-8 advantage in second-chance points.
San Antonio got even smaller when starting forward Keldon Johnson exited early in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle. Johnson was injured with 1:21 left in the first half after stepping on Poeltl’s foot. He started the second half but appeared to be in some pain before heading to the locker room.
Popovich said X-rays on Johnson's ankle were negative.
A CHANGE
Thibodeau started Nerlens Noel at center instead of Robinson, who had started all 20 games he had played previously this season.
“We feel really strongly about both guys,” Thibodeau said. “We just wanted a different look. Those guys are interchangeable, just go as hard as you can for as long as you can and then the next guy comes in and does the same thing.”
Robinson had 11 points and 14 rebounds in 22 minutes. Noel had two points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes.
Robinson endured a scare when he injured his back with 56.4 seconds left in the third quarter after an awkward landing. He went flying after his legs were clipped when Spurs center Drew Eubanks dived for a loose ball.
Robinson stayed in the game but said he was in pain afterward. He walked gingerly into and out of the interview room.
“The ground ain’t never lost,” Robinson said.
TIP-INS
Knicks: New York had lost seven straight at San Antonio. Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert each had 27 points to lead the Knicks in their previous win. ... New York is 7-4 on the road but entered having lost three of four away from home.
Spurs: G Devin Vassell missed his third straight game with a bruised right quadriceps. ... The Spurs entered Monday having played the fewest games of any NBA team. That will change quickly as the Spurs play five games in seven days. ... San Antonio is 4-7 at home and has not had a winning record at AT&amp;T Center since winning its season opener.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At Indiana on Wednesday.
Spurs: Host Denver on Thursday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; R.J. Barrett made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 32 points, and the New York Knicks snapped a three-game skid, beating the San Antonio Spurs 121-109 on Tuesday night.
&ldquo;Things may not be going well and, all of a sudden, you take a charge, get to a loose ball, you get a tip from behind, you get a block,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;That could ignite you and all of a sudden you get an easy score, a couple of easy buckets and now you find your rhythm and things change quickly in this league. They can go from being terrible to being great real fast and vice versa. You&rsquo;ve just got to keep going.&rdquo;
Alec Burks scored 18 points, Immanuel Quickley added 16 points and Julius Randle had 15 for the Knicks, who won at San Antonio for the first time since Jan. 2, 2014.
&ldquo;Heck yeah, we needed that,&rdquo; New York center Mitchell Robinson said. &ldquo;We needed that win bad. We&rsquo;re desperate right now.&rdquo;
Derrick White had a season-high 26 points along with six rebounds and seven assists for the Spurs, who have dropped two straight after a season-long three-game winning streak. Dejounte Murray added 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
&ldquo;That first game, being a back-to-back, after a road trip, we knew that would be tough energy-wise,&rdquo; San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;But I thought we competed our (butt) off. Guys gave their effort. I was really happy with that.&rdquo;
The Knicks were 18 for 38 on 3-pointers, with Barrett going 7 for 8.
Barrett said he's feeling &ldquo;a lot better&rdquo; after suffering from a stomach bug for two weeks.
&ldquo;It was annoying, but I tried to do my job to the best of my ability no matter what,&rdquo; Barrett said.
Barrett, who finished 11 of 20 from the field overall, made two 3s during a 10-2 run that gave New York a 13-point lead midway through the third quarter. The Spurs briefly got within nine points in the fourth but couldn&rsquo;t trim the lead any further.
&ldquo;I think the defense was really, really focused on Julius,&rdquo; Barrett said. &ldquo;They were doubling on him every time he had the ball and we just moved it. We moved it and I was able to knock them down.&rdquo;
New York took advantage of the Spurs&rsquo; smaller lineups, out-rebounding the Spurs 56-49 and enjoying a 21-8 advantage in second-chance points.
San Antonio got even smaller when starting forward Keldon Johnson exited early in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle. Johnson was injured with 1:21 left in the first half after stepping on Poeltl&rsquo;s foot. He started the second half but appeared to be in some pain before heading to the locker room.
Popovich said X-rays on Johnson's ankle were negative.
A CHANGE
Thibodeau started Nerlens Noel at center instead of Robinson, who had started all 20 games he had played previously this season.
&ldquo;We feel really strongly about both guys,&rdquo; Thibodeau said. &ldquo;We just wanted a different look. Those guys are interchangeable, just go as hard as you can for as long as you can and then the next guy comes in and does the same thing.&rdquo;
Robinson had 11 points and 14 rebounds in 22 minutes. Noel had two points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes.
Robinson endured a scare when he injured his back with 56.4 seconds left in the third quarter after an awkward landing. He went flying after his legs were clipped when Spurs center Drew Eubanks dived for a loose ball.
Robinson stayed in the game but said he was in pain afterward. He walked gingerly into and out of the interview room.
&ldquo;The ground ain&rsquo;t never lost,&rdquo; Robinson said.
TIP-INS
Knicks: New York had lost seven straight at San Antonio. Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert each had 27 points to lead the Knicks in their previous win. ... New York is 7-4 on the road but entered having lost three of four away from home.
Spurs: G Devin Vassell missed his third straight game with a bruised right quadriceps. ... The Spurs entered Monday having played the fewest games of any NBA team. That will change quickly as the Spurs play five games in seven days. ... San Antonio is 4-7 at home and has not had a winning record at AT&amp;T Center since winning its season opener.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At Indiana on Wednesday.
Spurs: Host Denver on Thursday.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; R.J. Barrett made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 32 points, and the New York Knicks snapped a three-game skid, beating the San Antonio Spurs 121-109 on Tuesday night.
&ldquo;Things may not be going well and, all of a sudden, you take a charge, get to a loose ball, you get a tip from behind, you get a block,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;That could ignite you and all of a sudden you get an easy score, a couple of easy buckets and now you find your rhythm and things change quickly in this league. They can go from being terrible to being great real fast and vice versa. You&rsquo;ve just got to keep going.&rdquo;
Alec Burks scored 18 points, Immanuel Quickley added 16 points and Julius Randle had 15 for the Knicks, who won at San Antonio for the first time since Jan. 2, 2014.
&ldquo;Heck yeah, we needed that,&rdquo; New York center Mitchell Robinson said. &ldquo;We needed that win bad. We&rsquo;re desperate right now.&rdquo;
Derrick White had a season-high 26 points along with six rebounds and seven assists for the Spurs, who have dropped two straight after a season-long three-game winning streak. Dejounte Murray added 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
&ldquo;That first game, being a back-to-back, after a road trip, we knew that would be tough energy-wise,&rdquo; San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;But I thought we competed our (butt) off. Guys gave their effort. I was really happy with that.&rdquo;
The Knicks were 18 for 38 on 3-pointers, with Barrett going 7 for 8.
Barrett said he's feeling &ldquo;a lot better&rdquo; after suffering from a stomach bug for two weeks.
&ldquo;It was annoying, but I tried to do my job to the best of my ability no matter what,&rdquo; Barrett said.
Barrett, who finished 11 of 20 from the field overall, made two 3s during a 10-2 run that gave New York a 13-point lead midway through the third quarter. The Spurs briefly got within nine points in the fourth but couldn&rsquo;t trim the lead any further.
&ldquo;I think the defense was really, really focused on Julius,&rdquo; Barrett said. &ldquo;They were doubling on him every time he had the ball and we just moved it. We moved it and I was able to knock them down.&rdquo;
New York took advantage of the Spurs&rsquo; smaller lineups, out-rebounding the Spurs 56-49 and enjoying a 21-8 advantage in second-chance points.
San Antonio got even smaller when starting forward Keldon Johnson exited early in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle. Johnson was injured with 1:21 left in the first half after stepping on Poeltl&rsquo;s foot. He started the second half but appeared to be in some pain before heading to the locker room.
Popovich said X-rays on Johnson's ankle were negative.
A CHANGE
Thibodeau started Nerlens Noel at center instead of Robinson, who had started all 20 games he had played previously this season.
&ldquo;We feel really strongly about both guys,&rdquo; Thibodeau said. &ldquo;We just wanted a different look. Those guys are interchangeable, just go as hard as you can for as long as you can and then the next guy comes in and does the same thing.&rdquo;
Robinson had 11 points and 14 rebounds in 22 minutes. Noel had two points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes.
Robinson endured a scare when he injured his back with 56.4 seconds left in the third quarter after an awkward landing. He went flying after his legs were clipped when Spurs center Drew Eubanks dived for a loose ball.
Robinson stayed in the game but said he was in pain afterward. He walked gingerly into and out of the interview room.
&ldquo;The ground ain&rsquo;t never lost,&rdquo; Robinson said.
TIP-INS
Knicks: New York had lost seven straight at San Antonio. Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert each had 27 points to lead the Knicks in their previous win. ... New York is 7-4 on the road but entered having lost three of four away from home.
Spurs: G Devin Vassell missed his third straight game with a bruised right quadriceps. ... The Spurs entered Monday having played the fewest games of any NBA team. That will change quickly as the Spurs play five games in seven days. ... San Antonio is 4-7 at home and has not had a winning record at AT&amp;T Center since winning its season opener.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At Indiana on Wednesday.
Spurs: Host Denver on Thursday.

R.J. Barrett made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 32 points, and the New York Knicks snapped a three-game skid, beating the San Antonio Spurs 121-109 on Tuesday night.
&ldquo;Things may not be going well and, all of a sudden, you take a charge, get to a loose ball, you get a tip from behind, you get a block,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;That could ignite you and all of a sudden you get an easy score, a couple of easy buckets and now you find your rhythm and things change quickly in this league. They can go from being terrible to being great real fast and vice versa. You&rsquo;ve just got to keep going.&rdquo;
Alec Burks scored 18 points, Immanuel Quickley added 16 points and Julius Randle had 15 for the Knicks, who won at San Antonio for the first time since Jan. 2, 2014.
&ldquo;Heck yeah, we needed that,&rdquo; New York center Mitchell Robinson said. &ldquo;We needed that win bad. We&rsquo;re desperate right now.&rdquo;
Derrick White had a season-high 26 points along with six rebounds and seven assists for the Spurs, who have dropped two straight after a season-long three-game winning streak. Dejounte Murray added 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
&ldquo;That first game, being a back-to-back, after a road trip, we knew that would be tough energy-wise,&rdquo; San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;But I thought we competed our (butt) off. Guys gave their effort. I was really happy with that.&rdquo;
The Knicks were 18 for 38 on 3-pointers, with Barrett going 7 for 8.
Barrett said he's feeling &ldquo;a lot better&rdquo; after suffering from a stomach bug for two weeks.
&ldquo;It was annoying, but I tried to do my job to the best of my ability no matter what,&rdquo; Barrett said.
Barrett, who finished 11 of 20 from the field overall, made two 3s during a 10-2 run that gave New York a 13-point lead midway through the third quarter. The Spurs briefly got within nine points in the fourth but couldn&rsquo;t trim the lead any further.
&ldquo;I think the defense was really, really focused on Julius,&rdquo; Barrett said. &ldquo;They were doubling on him every time he had the ball and we just moved it. We moved it and I was able to knock them down.&rdquo;
New York took advantage of the Spurs&rsquo; smaller lineups, out-rebounding the Spurs 56-49 and enjoying a 21-8 advantage in second-chance points.
San Antonio got even smaller when starting forward Keldon Johnson exited early in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle. Johnson was injured with 1:21 left in the first half after stepping on Poeltl&rsquo;s foot. He started the second half but appeared to be in some pain before heading to the locker room.
Popovich said X-rays on Johnson's ankle were negative.
A CHANGE
Thibodeau started Nerlens Noel at center instead of Robinson, who had started all 20 games he had played previously this season.
&ldquo;We feel really strongly about both guys,&rdquo; Thibodeau said. &ldquo;We just wanted a different look. Those guys are interchangeable, just go as hard as you can for as long as you can and then the next guy comes in and does the same thing.&rdquo;
Robinson had 11 points and 14 rebounds in 22 minutes. Noel had two points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes.
Robinson endured a scare when he injured his back with 56.4 seconds left in the third quarter after an awkward landing. He went flying after his legs were clipped when Spurs center Drew Eubanks dived for a loose ball.
Robinson stayed in the game but said he was in pain afterward. He walked gingerly into and out of the interview room.
&ldquo;The ground ain&rsquo;t never lost,&rdquo; Robinson said.
TIP-INS
Knicks: New York had lost seven straight at San Antonio. Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert each had 27 points to lead the Knicks in their previous win. ... New York is 7-4 on the road but entered having lost three of four away from home.
Spurs: G Devin Vassell missed his third straight game with a bruised right quadriceps. ... The Spurs entered Monday having played the fewest games of any NBA team. That will change quickly as the Spurs play five games in seven days. ... San Antonio is 4-7 at home and has not had a winning record at AT&amp;T Center since winning its season opener.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At Indiana on Wednesday.
Spurs: Host Denver on Thursday.

R.J. Barrett made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 32 points, and the Knicks snapped a three-game skid.

Barrett makes 7 threes, Knicks beat Spurs to snap 3-game skid

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Devin Booker had 23 points, Deandre Ayton had 21 points and 14 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns won their 13th straight, rolling past the San Antonio Spurs 115-111 on Monday night.
Cameron Payne added 20 points off the bench for Phoenix, which had six players finish in double figures. Phoenix finished with 25 assists and went 45 for 87 (51.1%) from the field.
San Antonio point guard Dejounte Murray had 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his seventh career triple-double. But the Spurs have now lost five straight and eight of 10 for their second-worst start in franchise history.
The Suns were patient on offensive despite the Spurs' quicker pace. San Antonio outscored Phoenix 20-10 to open the fourth quarter, pulling with 100-95 with 6 minutes remaining. 
The Suns went on a 10-0 run following a timeout. San Antonio responded, outscoring Phoenix 10-2 to pull within 114-109 with 38.6 seconds remaining. 
The Spurs are winless when trailing by double digits, and they matched a season-low with five 3-pointers on 20 attempts.
TIP-INS
Suns: Frank Kaminsky missed his fourth straight game after suffering a stress reaction in his right knee. Kaminsky is averaging 10.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 22.8 minutes this season as the primary big man off Phoenix’s bench. … Cameron Johnson had 18 points after scoring a career-high 22 in Sunday’s victory against Denver.
Spurs: Doug McDermott missed the game with an inflamed right knee. He sat out three games earlier this season because of soreness in the same knee. … Keita Bates-Diop made his fourth career start and first since his rookie season in 2019. … Jock Landale remains under the league’s COVID-19 health &amp; safety protocols. ... San Antonio’s worst start came in 1997 when the club went 2-13. 
UP NEXT
Suns: At Cleveland on Wednesday.
Spurs: Host Atlanta on Wednesday.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Devin Booker had 23 points, Deandre Ayton had 21 points and 14 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns won their 13th straight, rolling past the San Antonio Spurs 115-111 on Monday night.
Cameron Payne added 20 points off the bench for Phoenix, which had six players finish in double figures. Phoenix finished with 25 assists and went 45 for 87 (51.1%) from the field.
San Antonio point guard Dejounte Murray had 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his seventh career triple-double. But the Spurs have now lost five straight and eight of 10 for their second-worst start in franchise history.
The Suns were patient on offensive despite the Spurs' quicker pace. San Antonio outscored Phoenix 20-10 to open the fourth quarter, pulling with 100-95 with 6 minutes remaining.
The Suns went on a 10-0 run following a timeout. San Antonio responded, outscoring Phoenix 10-2 to pull within 114-109 with 38.6 seconds remaining.
The Spurs are winless when trailing by double digits, and they matched a season-low with five 3-pointers on 20 attempts.
TIP-INS
Suns: Frank Kaminsky missed his fourth straight game after suffering a stress reaction in his right knee. Kaminsky is averaging 10.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 22.8 minutes this season as the primary big man off Phoenix&rsquo;s bench. &hellip; Cameron Johnson had 18 points after scoring a career-high 22 in Sunday&rsquo;s victory against Denver.
Spurs: Doug McDermott missed the game with an inflamed right knee. He sat out three games earlier this season because of soreness in the same knee. &hellip; Keita Bates-Diop made his fourth career start and first since his rookie season in 2019. &hellip; Jock Landale remains under the league&rsquo;s COVID-19 health &amp; safety protocols. ... San Antonio&rsquo;s worst start came in 1997 when the club went 2-13.
UP NEXT
Suns: At Cleveland on Wednesday.
Spurs: Host Atlanta on Wednesday.

The Phoenix Suns won their 13th-straight game on Monday night, rolling past the San Antonio Spurs 115-111.

Suns win 13th-straight game, rollling past Spurs 115-111

Raul Dominguez is a writer for the Associated Press.