Spurs rally in 2nd half to upend reeling Hornets

DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points and Jakob Poeltl added a season-best 17 on 7-for-8 shooting as the San Antonio Spurs dominated the second half on the way to a 114-90 win over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. The Spurs trailed by 13 points at the half but stormed back in the third quarter. After trailing 70-51 at the 9:22 mark, San Antonio ripped off runs of 13-2 and 15-2 to jump back in front at 79-74. Poeltl and DeRozan each had eight points in the pivotal stretch, which set the table for their furious final quarter.

That's when Patty Mills took charge, scoring all 11 of his points in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the fourth to help San Antonio pull away and earn its second straight win. The Spurs outscored Charlotte 64-27 in the second half. Derrick White added 12 points for San Antonio while Trey Lyles tallied 11 and Dejounte Murray grabbed 10 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the starting lineup for the Spurs after missing the past two games with a right thumb injury and scored eight points in 28 minutes.

Miles Bridges led all scorers with 25 points for Charlotte, with Cody Zeller adding 14 points and 12 rebounds, Malik Monk totaling 11 points, and Willy Hernangomez and Terry Rozier scoring 10 each for the Hornets, who have lost two straight games and 16 of their past 19. The Hornets used a 23-6 run over the second half of the second quarter to take go ahead 58-42 on the way to a 63-50 lead at halftime.

Bridges led the way for the Hornets with 16 points while Zeller totaled 12 and Hernangomez scored 10. DeRozan paced San Antonio with 11 points, and Lyles pumped in 10 points and grabbed four rebounds over the first 24 minutes. The Hornets played without forward PJ Washington, who is nursing a right ankle sprain.

The game was the Spurs' last at home before their arduous, annual Rodeo Road Trip, in which this season they will play eight consecutive games on the road in 21 days, seven of them against teams ahead of them in the Western Conference standings. 

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