NEW ORLEANS — As Manu Ginobili dribbled out the final few seconds of the second-round series clincher, Tony Parker walked over and gave him a congratulatory pat on the head.
There would be no exuberant celebration for the San Antonio Spurs when the final horn sounded, just a few hugs for a job well done.
Ginobili scored 26 points, hitting four free throws in the final minute, to send the Spurs to the Western Conference finals with a 91-82 win Monday night.
Parker added 17 points, including a crucial jumper in the final minute, as the Spurs held off a late rally to become the first team in this series to win on the road.
“We really believed we had a chance to win on the road here,” said Spurs forward Tim Duncan, who had 16 points and 14 rebounds. “It’s just a lot of confidence, a lot of games under our belt.”
With a nucleus of Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler, the Hornets appear destined for greater things, but now is not their time.
“One thing I want them to remember when they start working out next season is how they feel right now,” said Hornets coach Byron Scott, adding he was proud that his team, which did not make the playoffs last season, pushed the Spurs as far as it did.
While the Hornets managed to hold Duncan to fewer than 20 points, his Spurs teammates combined for 12 3-pointers to keep alive their chance to win back-to-back titles for the first time.
The win also gave Spurs coach Gregg Popovich 100 playoff victories, moving him into a tie with Larry Brown for third on the career list.
Buoyed by a home crowd that stood throughout the fourth quarter, the Hornets fought back to make a game of it, largely behind Jannero Pargo. He scored seven straight on four free throws sandwiched around a 3-pointer, pulling the Hornets to 81-77 with 3:10 to go.
Pargo made another 3 to cut it to 83-80 with about 1 1/2 minutes left, then attempted another for the tie with a minute left, but it rattled out.
Parker drained a jumper on the other end with 50 seconds left to make it 85-80, and New Orleans could not recover.
FG FT Reb
S.A. Min M-A M-A O-T A F Pt BBowen28:25 2-6 0-0 1-3 2 2 6
Duncan 39:29 5-17 6-6 1-14 3 5 16
Oberto 32:28 2-2 0-0 2-9 2 2 4
Parker 43:33 7-17 3-4 0-2 5 3 17
Ginobili 41:34 6-19 10-11 1-5 5 3 26
Udoka 21:03 3-7 0-0 2-4 2 1 8
Thomas 7:29 1-2 0-0 5-6 0 0 2
Finley 11:07 2-2 0-0 0-4 0 2 6
Horry 14:52 2-4 0-0 1-4 0 1 6
Totals 240:00 30-76 19-21 13-51 19 19 91
Percentages: FG .395, FT .905. 3-point goals: 12-28, .429 (Ginobili 4-11, Finley 2-2, Horry 2-4, B.Bowen 2-5, Udoka 2-5, Duncan 0-1). Team rebounds: 1. Team turnovers: 14 (12 points). Blocked shots: 2 (B.Bowen, Parker). Turnovers: 14 (Duncan 4, Ginobili 3, Udoka 3, Parker 2, Finley, Oberto). Steals: 5 (Udoka 2, Duncan, Horry, Parker). Technical fouls: None.
FG FT Reb
N.O. Min M-A M-A O-T A F Pt Stojakovic44:19 3-11 0-0 0-4 1 2 7
West 46:24 8-19 4-4 2-9 1 2 20
Chandler 42:19 6-8 1-2 4-15 1 3 13
Paul 47:35 8-18 2-5 3-8 14 6 18
Peterson 24:19 2-7 0-0 0-1 0 3 5
Pargo 25:56 6-16 4-4 2-4 1 2 18
Ely 3:51 0-2 1-2 0-1 0 0 1
Wells 5:17 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 2 0
Totals 240:00 33-82 12-17 11-42 18 20 82
Percentages: FG .402, FT .706. 3-point goals: 4-17, .235 (Pargo 2-6, Peterson 1-4, Stojakovic 1-5, Paul 0-1, West 0-1). Team rebounds: 8. Team turnovers: 9 (10 points). Blocked shots: 2 (Chandler, West). Turnovers: 8 (Paul 4, Pargo, Peterson, Stojakovic, West). Steals: 10 (Paul 5, Pargo 2, Peterson, Wells, West). Technical foul: Defensive three second, 6:41 third.
San Antonio 23 28 20 20 — 91
New Orleans 20 22 14 26 — 82
A — 18,235 (17,200). T — 2:33. Officials — Dick Bavetta, Scott Foster, Steve Javie.
