They are the defending NBA champions, even if it seems as if they're being ignored.
On Sunday, the San Antonio Spurs made a strong statement to basketball fans: Don't forget about them.
PHOTO: AFP
Tony Parker had 29 points and nine assists and the Spurs snapped the Lakers' 11-game winning streak 95-89. San Antonio has won six in a row and is within 1 1/2 games of the Western Conference lead held by Sacramento and Minnesota. The Lakers are one game in front of San Antonio.
The Kings won at Houston 99-94, and the Timberwolves beat Memphis 90-82 on Sunday.
"Every year, it's the same way. Every year, it's about somebody else," Tim Duncan said after getting 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. "Hopefully we'll sneak in the back door."
Added teammate Bruce Bowen: "You don't have to talk about us -- we're just vanilla. People are going to say what they say. It's not about what they say, it's about what we do on the court."
What they did on the court was hold off every challenge from the Lakers, who are 22-5 since the All-Star break.
"They are the defending champions until somebody beats them," Kobe Bryant said. Bryant led the Lakers with 28 points and six rebounds, but shot just 9-of-26 while being closely guarded by Bowen.
Gary Payton had 21 points and eight rebounds; Shaquille O'Neal added 17 points and nine rebounds; and Karl Malone had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers.
Timberwolves 90, Grizzlies 82
At Minneapolis, Sam Cassell scored a season-high 36 points and Kevin Garnett had 14 points and 22 rebounds for the Timberwolves' fifth straight victory. Despite shooting 5-for-20 from the field, Garnett got his 68th double-double to tie his franchise record set last season.
"Sam was in the flow," Garnett said. "Usually I get it done offensively, but he was crisp knocking shots down, so we just went with him."
Memphis had its seven-game winning streak snapped.
Kings 99, Rockets 94
At Houston, Peja Stojakovic had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Chris Webber added 19 points. The Kings had lost four of their previous five and began wondering what was wrong.
"This was really critical for us," said Anthony Peeler, who hit a big 3-pointer with three minutes to play for a 91-89 lead. "We've been losing all these games lately and we were starting to question ourselves.
"We're only human and we've tried to talk about it. But I think everybody grew up on this road trip."
Yao Ming had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Jim Jackson added 18 points for the Rockets, who lost their fourth straight.
Pistons 79, Pacers 61
At Auburn Hills, Michigan, Richard Hamilton scored 24 points and Detroit's defense held the Pacers to a season-low for points and 34.2 percent shooting in a matchup of teams with the top two records in the East.
Ron Artest scored 16 points for the Pacers, who had won six of seven despite not being at full strength. Jermaine O'Neal, still recovering from a sprained left knee, had just nine points in 37 minutes.
Jazz 97, Clippers 92
At Los Angeles, Andrei Kirilenko scored 18 points and Carlos Arroyo got nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Utah, vying for its 21st consecutive playoff berth, tied Denver for the final Western Conference berth, with Portland a half-game behind. The Trail Blazers have a game in hand on the Jazz and the Nuggets, who have five to play.
Bucks 90, Raptors 83
At Toronto, Brian Skinner had 19 points and a season-high 14 rebounds to help the Bucks clinch a playoff spot.
Michael Redd added 17 points for the Bucks, who lead Miami and New Orleans by one game. Jalen Rose had 21 points for the Raptors, who have lost seven straight.
SuperSonics 96, Hornets 88
At Seattle, Ray Allen scored 25 points, leading five Sonics in double figures, and the team snapped a four-game losing streak.
Brent Barry had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Rashard Lewis scored 14 points.
Wizards 112, Celtics 102
At Washington, Gilbert Arenas scored 32 points, including a four-point play with 1:25 left. Larry Hughes added 29 points for the Wizards, who avoided their first regular-season series sweep by Boston in more than 20 years.
Nets 106, Hawks 89
At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Richard Jefferson had 20 points and a career-high 12 assists for the Nets, who won their third straight game.
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