Spurs beat Pacers 106-100 without Popovich
Manu Ginobili had 21 of his 28 points in the second half and the San Antonio Spurs won without coach Gregg Popovich, rallying for a 106-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Popovich missed the game after undergoing what the team is calling a minor medical procedure. He is expected to miss Friday's home game against Sacramento, too. Ettore Messina took over for Popovich, becoming the first European-born coach to run an NBA team in the regular season.
Tony Parker scored 21 points for San Antonio (10-4), and Kawhi Leonard had 21 points and 13 rebounds. Tim Duncan finished with 17 points.
Rodney Stuckey had 22 points and Luis Scola scored 13 for Indiana (6-9).
Bucks 103 Timberwolves 86
Larry Sanders had 15 points, seven rebounds and five blocks to help the Bucks to a 103-86 victory over the Timberwolves.
Brandon Knight scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter for the Bucks (9-7), who have won five of their last seven games in a spirited start under new coach Jason Kidd.
All eyes were on Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, the top two picks in the draft. Parker added 11 points and seven boards for Milwaukee. Wiggins had 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks for the Wolves.
Corey Brewer led the Wolves with 19 points.
Kings 89 Rockets 102
James Harden scored 26 points on 10-for-31 shooting in Houston's 102-89 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Harden also had eight assists and seven rebounds in Houston's third straight win, and Donatas Motiejunas and Isaiah Canaan each set a career high for points. Canaan made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points, and Motiejunas had 21 points.
DeMarcus Cousins had 29 points and 17 rebounds for the Kings (9-6).
Clippers 104 Pistons 98
Chris Paul scored 14 of his 23 points in the third, and the Clippers beat the slumping Detroit Pistons that have lost six in a row.
Los Angeles outscored Detroit 32-25 in the final period. The Clippers shot 64.7 percent from the field in the last 12 minutes, including a 5-for-7 finish from 3-point range. Los Angeles reserve Jamal Crawford scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth.
D.J. Augustin scored 19 points for the Pistons, and Andre Drummond had 17 points and 13 rebounds.