Losing streak over! Parker leads Spurs past Celtics

Ginobili departed with a bruised left quad after he ran into Chris Wilcox's knee on a screen with 2:42 left in the first quarter. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he didn't have an update on the reserve guard after the game.

Spurs star Tim Duncan had a season-low five points, making Parker's effort even more important. Duncan had nine rebounds, but was 2 for 13 from the field.

Parker's layup with 3:35 remaining gave San Antonio a 96-82 lead, leading to his animated celebration and prompting a timeout by Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Both teams pulled their starters a minute later.

''That was an amazing shot,'' Neal said. ''It looked like he lost his balance and he was able to still put the spin on it to get it to go in on that. Tony's a phenomenal player. Through the years I've been here, he's done some phenomenal things.''

Paul Pierce and Jason Terry each scored 18 points for Boston (12-11). Kevin Garnett added 13 points and Courtney Lee had 11.

''(Parker) has been in those situations many times,'' Pierce said. ''He understands when to take on the trap. He knows when to get rid of the ball. He has a great in-between game. That is what makes him one of the premiere point guards in the league.''

San Antonio went on a 17-8 run after Boston closed to 79-74 on a three-point play by Lee with 9 minutes remaining.

Parker had nine points, one assist, one rebound and a steal during the run.

''Obviously, Tony was unbelievable down the stretch, but a lot of guys like Gary, Danny and Tiago played very solid basketball,'' Popovich said.

Splitter scored 10 points in the first half, going 4 for 5 from the field. With Duncan struggling, the Spurs needed Splitter's production.

''Tiago came in and played great,'' said Parker, who had one turnover in 36 minutes. ''It's going to be big for us because we can't play Timmy 40 minutes every game. We have to rest him for the playoffs, so if Tiago can give us quality minutes like that, it's definitely going to be helpful.''

The Spurs went on an 11-0 run after Jeff Green's layup tied it at 55 in the third. Danny Green hit a pair of 3s and Neal had a 3 and a teardrop jumper during the spurt.

The Spurs were 15 for 20 on free throws compared to just 6 for 8 for the Celtics. The discrepancy didn't go unnoticed.

''They went into the fourth quarter with six fouls total,'' Rivers said. ''That means they are one heck of a defensive basketball team. It is what it is. They shot more free throws and two of our free throws were just technical. It's hard to win games on the road when a team goes to the line like that and we don't go to the line.''

NOTES: Boston, which lost 101-89 at Houston on Friday night, will play 21 back-to-back games this season, but none consecutively at home. The Celtics had split their first six back-to-backs this season prior to Saturday's loss against the Spurs. ... San Antonio swingman Stephen Jackson (broken right pinkie) and F Kawhi Leonard (left knee) have both been out a month with injuries. ... San Antonio leads the NBA with 25.3 assists per game, its highest total since averaging 24.9 assists in 1995.

SPURS HEAD COACH GREGG POPOVICH: “We kept our composure and had a lot of guys play well. The bench was real big for us. Obviously Tony (Parker) was unbelievable down the stretch, but a lot of guys like Gary (Neal), Danny (Green), and Tiago (Splitter) played very solid basketball.”

SPURS HEAD COACH GREGG POPOVICH: “Nando (De Colo) is a really intelligent player. He’s not going to jump out of the gym and be on ESPN for dunking or anything like that, but he moves the ball at the right times. He made a great steal when it was an important time in the game when they were getting back in it. He makes good decisions. He’s really gaining confidence and doing a good job for us.”

SPURS GUARD TONY PARKER: “Tiago (Splitter) has been playing well for us this year coming off the bench and playing with a lot of energy. Timmy (Duncan) was struggling a little bit with his shot and Tiago (Splitter) came in and played great. It’s going to be big for us because we can’t play Timmy (Duncan) 40 minutes every game.”

CELTICS FORWARD KEVIN GARNETT: “These guys (Spurs) are a well-oiled machine. This place is one hard place to play in. You are not going to get many calls in here to begin with. It’s your team versus whoever else is in here. We did have some fans in the stands but when you come here it is a tough place to play.”

The win snapped a five-game losing streak to the Celtics inside the AT&T Center. The last time the Spurs defeated Boston at home was a 101-89 victory on Dec. 9, 2005. With the win the Silver and Black swept the season series for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

With the scored tied at 55 apiece with 8:56 remaining in the third quarter, the Spurs would go on an 11-0 run over the next 2:11 to open up a 66-55 lead. Boston would cut the deficit to five, 79-74, early in the fourth quarter, but San Antonio responded with a 20-8 run to put the game out of reach.

The Spurs defense forced the Celtics into 20 turnovers which led to 27 points for the Silver and Black.

After allowing the Celtics to shoot .525 (21-40) in the first half, including .545 (6-11) from 3-point range, the Spurs defense tightened up in the second half, limiting Boston to just .415 (17-41) shooting from the floor and 0-of-5 from beyond the arc.

Tony Parker led the way for the Spurs with 22 points (8-14 FG, 1-2 3FG, 5-6 FT), 8 assists, a season-high 4 steals and 3 rebounds. Parker scored nine of his 22 points in the fourth quarter knocking down 4-of-5 shots, including his lone 3-pointer.

Tiago Splitter continued his impressive play in December recording 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. It was his seventh straight game scoring in double figures. For the month, Splitter is averaging 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting .639 (39-61) from the field.