Duncan gets victory as fill-in for Popovich
Tim Duncan won more than 1,000 games as an NBA player.
He got his first victory as an acting head coach on Tuesday night.
Dejounte Murray scored 21 points and the visiting San Antonio Spurs beat the Charlotte Hornets 104-103 without longtime head coach Gregg Popovich, who missed the game while dealing with “personal business,” according to the team.
Popovich is expected to return for Friday night’s game at Brooklyn.
“It’s night and day to be in the big boy chair,” said Duncan, who normally serves as an assistant coach. “Truth be told though, I wasn’t in the big boy chair. I had (other assistant coaches) making the calls and I was the one standing there screaming at people.”
When asked if being a head coach is something he wants to pursue down the road, Duncan said, “Nope, Pop is going to be back and I will be happy to hand it right over to him.”
Hornets coach James Borrego, who worked as an assistant coach for the Spurs when Duncan was there as a player, said it was “odd” to look down at the other bench and see the five-time NBA champion and 15-time All-Star coaching a team.
NETS 129, CELTICS 120, OT >> Caris LeVert scored 37 of his career-high 51 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to help visiting Brooklyn erase a 21-point, secondhalf deficit and snap a fourgame losing streak.
LeVert had all of the Nets’ 11 points in the extra period after sending the game to overtime, getting fouled on a 3-point attempt by Marcus Smart and connecting on all of his free throws with 0.2 seconds remaining.
That capped a 51-point fourth quarter by the Nets, a franchise record for most points in any period.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 22 points.
The Celtics played without Jayson Tatum, who sat out with an illness. They also lost Gordon Hayward, who left the game at halftime with a bruised right knee.
CLIPPERS 109, THUNDER 94 >> Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points to help Los Angeles to the road victory.
Montrezl Harrell and former Thunder star Paul George each added 16 points for the Clippers, who won their fifth in a row.
Dennis Schroder scored 24 points for the Thunder, who lost their second straight.
PISTONS’ ROSE OUT WITH INJURY >> Detroit guard Derrick Rose, who is averaging 18.1 points per game this season. has a sprained right ankle and is expected to be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Rose was injured in the first quarter of a loss at Sacramento on Sunday. NETS’ IRVING HAS SURGERY FOR SHOULDER INJURY >> Kyrie Irving underwent surgery to repair the injured right shoulder that ended his first season with Brooklyn after just 20 games.
LIANGELO BALL RECEIVES G LEAGUE OFFER >> LiAngelo Ball has been offered a G League contract for the remainder of this season.
Ball has been working out for about two months with the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue, who have 12 games left on the regular-season schedule.
LiAngelo Ball is the brother of New Orleans Pelicans and former Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball and 2020 NBA draft lottery-slot candidate LaMelo Ball.