San Antonio Spurs' shooting guard Marco Belinelli shoots the ball over Washington Wizards' power forward Nene Hilario during the first half of their NBA game at AT&T Center in San Antonio Saturday. — Reuters SAN ANTONIO — NBA champions San Antonio Spurs, still depleted by injury but hoping to put a disappointing December behind them, defeated Washington Wizards 101-92 Saturday in their first game of 2015. Canadian point guard Cory Joseph scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and French big man Boris Diaw scored 12 of his 14 in the second as the Spurs rallied for the win. Brazil's Tiago Splitter added 16 points and Aussie Patty Mills chipped in 15 for the Spurs, whose 8-10 record in December marked the club's first losing month since February 1999. San Antonio got January off to a better start despite still missing small forward Kawhi Leonard with a hand injury and French point guard Tony Parker with a sore hamstring. John Wall and Bradley Beal led six Wizards players in double figures with 15 points each. But Washington fell to 1-3 on their five-game Western Conference road trip which concludes at New Orleans on Monday. Washington built their first-half lead to 51-41 after French center Kevin Seraphin's three-point play with 6:50 left in the second quarter. But a 6-0 scoring run helped San Antonio make it 58-58 at halftime, with Joseph beating the buzzer to end the half with a turn-around jump shot. The third quarter followed a similar pattern to the second, with the Wizards building a lead and the Spurs fighting back. The Wizards had taken a 73-66 lead when Diaw caught fire, making three straight baskets and assisting on a shot by Marco Belinelli that put the Spurs ahead. Diaw stayed strong in the fourth, when his six points included a running reverse layup that put the Spurs up 98-88 with 2:33 remaining, a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Bulls 109, Celtics 104 (OT): Pau Gasol scored 29 points with 16 rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls held on for a win in overtime against the Boston Celtics. Aaron Brooks added 19 points for the Bulls (24-10), who won for the ninth time in the past 10 games. Boston forward Evan Turner scored a season-high 29 points to lead the Celtics (11-20). Rockets 115, Heat 79: Dwight Howard paced the scoring in a runaway second quarter, and James Harden did the same in an explosive third period as the Houston Rockets routed Miami. Howard scored 19 of his 23 points in the second quarter, half of the Rockets' total as Houston (23-10) flipped a four-point deficit into a 61-49 lead at the intermission. Harden tallied 15 of his 28 points in the third as the Rockets outscored the Heat (14-20) 71-33 over the middle two periods. Heat forward Chris Bosh and guard Dwyane Wade scored 15 points apiece for Miami, which lost its fifth consecutive game. Nuggets 114, Grizzlies 85: Ty Lawson had 25 points and 11 assists, guard Arron Afflalo scored 23, and the Denver Nuggets routed the Memphis Grizzlies. Kenneth Faried had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets, who led by as many as 33 to end a three-game skid. Jazz 101, Timberwolves 89: Trey Burke scored a season-high 28 points and the Utah Jazz continued their recent run of success, using a big third quarter to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Jazz (12-22) led by six at halftime, then went on a 30-20 run in the third quarter, leading by as many as 20 points at one point. Hornets 98, Magic 90: The Charlotte Hornets scored the last 22 points of the first half and went on to break a five-game losing streak with a victory over the Orlando Magic. Kemba Walker had 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Hornets (11-24). Other results: Hawks 115, Trail Blazers 107; Clippers 127, Sixers 91. — Agencies
