Parker takes hard fall in Spurs' blowout win over Hornets

Slideshow

Manu Ginobili collides with Emeka Okafor during the first half. (AP)

By PAUL J. WEBER, Associated Press Writer

SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Tony Parker scored 17 points before leaving the game after a hard fall and the San Antonio Spurs beat the New Orleans Hornets 113-96 on Wednesday night.

Parker landed with a thud on his right side after slicing between fellow All-Star Chris Paul and Hilton Armstrong for a layup late in the third quarter. He lay scrunched up and wincing for more than a minute before walking back to the bench on his own.

The contact set off heated words between Paul and Spurs newcomer Richard Jefferson, who were both hit with technical fouls at midcourt upon being separated.

Paul led all scorers with 26 points and Emeka Okafor had 18 points and 10 rebounds in his Hornets debut after sitting out the preseason with an injured toe.

Manu Ginobili scored 16 points in his first game healthy for the Spurs since hobbling through last season with bad ankles. Tim Duncan had nine points and 12 rebounds.

Rookie DeJuan Blair, the All-American from Pitt who is becoming more intriguing to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich by the minute after an impressive preseason, had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

David West added 18 points and nine rebounds for New Orleans.

Parker was 6 of 9 from the field and had six assists before his hard landing set off a chorus of gasps at the AT&T Center. Parker had bumped off Armstrong in mid-air while putting up the layup, then fell almost horizontally to the ground.

He stayed sideways on the ground before turning over on his back and catching his breath. He went to the bench with 2:21 left in the third and was done for the night.

Ginobili, a former NBA sixth man of the year, became a starter last year but opened the season back on the bench for the revamped Spurs. Along with Jefferson, the Spurs showed off an overhauled roster that includes veteran Antonio McDyess and Blair.

The summer spending spree put the Spurs over the luxury tax threshold for one of the few times in the Duncan era. The hopeful payoff is a long season of what the Spurs had plenty of against New Orleans: balanced scoring providing an offensive punch that San Antonio sorely lacked last season.

Six players for the Spurs were in double figures. Matt Bonner scored 11 points, and Michael Finley and Roger Mason had 11 apiece.

Jefferson debuted in the starting lineup but struggled, scoring five points on 1 of 7 shooting. McDyess had nine points off the bench.

Poor shooting dug the Hornets in a hole quickly. New Orleans missed 10 consecutive shots over a 6-minute span in the first half while the Spurs rolled to a 16-0 run midway through the second quarter.

Notes: The Spurs rewarded guard George Hill before the game by exercising the option on his contract for next season. Popovich teased Hill as his "favorite player" throughout training camp but said, straight-faced, before the game that Hill has picked up the game after one season as well as Parker did. ...The Spurs have beaten New Orleans in nine of the last 10 games in San Antonio.

Wright 4-9 0-0 8, West 7-12 4-6 18, Okafor 8-14 2-3 18, Paul 11-16 2-4 26, Peterson 2-6 2-2 7, Armstrong 1-4 0-2 2, B.Brown 4-12 0-0 9, Stojakovic 1-2 1-1 4, Posey 0-0 1-2 1, Songaila 1-1 0-0 2, D.Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Collison 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 39-78 13-22 96.

Jefferson 1-7 3-4 5, Duncan 4-8 1-2 9, Bonner 4-9 0-0 11, Parker 6-9 5-5 17, Finley 4-6 0-0 10, Ginobili 5-11 4-7 16, Mason 5-11 0-0 11, McDyess 4-5 1-1 9, Hill 4-7 0-0 9, Blair 7-10 0-1 14, Bogans 0-1 0-0 0, Ratliff 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 45-86 14-20 113.

3-Point Goals_New Orleans 5-10 (Paul 2-2, Stojakovic 1-1, Peterson 1-2, B.Brown 1-5), San Antonio 9-24 (Bonner 3-6, Finley 2-4, Ginobili 2-5, Hill 1-1, Mason 1-5, Bogans 0-1, Jefferson 0-2). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_New Orleans 43 (Okafor 10), San Antonio 52 (Duncan 12). Assists_New Orleans 17 (Paul 9), San Antonio 29 (Parker 6). Total Fouls_New Orleans 19, San Antonio 22. Technicals_Paul, New Orleans Bench, Jefferson, San Antonio defensive three second. A_18,581 (18,797).

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