Spurs notch 20th victory of season
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The San Antonio Spurs became the first NBA team to reach 20 victories this season with a 95- 78 win over Portland Monday.
George Hill scored 22 points and Manu Ginobili added 18 points to help the Spurs notch their fifth win in a row.
Wesley Matthews led the Trail Blazers with 17 points, but Portland saw a four-game winning streak end.
Spurs stalwart Tim Duncan played in his 1,000th career regular-season game but with little fanfare.
He had eight points and 13 rebounds in 27 minutes. Perhaps most remarkable was his appearance late in the fourth quarter, when coach Gregg Popovich sent him in even though the Spurs had the game in hand.
In fact, the Spurs have had the luxury of resting their star late in games. The last time he was really needed in the final period was on December 3 against Minnesota, when he when he finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
