Spurs take control and fend off Clippers, 114-117.

Many flash bulbs went off for this thrilling smash by Leonard.

An entertaining contest for the fans in attendance, the Spurs were able to hold off the Clippers, owning a high lead of twelve at one point, as Danilo Gallinari's final sixth 3PTer crashed in at the buzzer.

The game had its share of highlight reel moments, including a huge dunk as Kawhi Leonard soared through the air and slammed the ball home. The Spurs won the first quarter 31-29, surging heavily after a sour start on a 17-4 run. They won the second quarter 28-27, pulled away in the third 31-24 and then got outscored by seven in the final period, 27-34. It was Avery Bradley's ballsy performance in the final moments that preserved the lead, preventing the upset.

The Clippers threw down in this battle, with Gallinari the top scorer for 27 points on 9-13 shooting. Tobias Harris put the pressure on early, finishing with 26 points. Patrick Beverley had 13 points with 8 assists. Lou Williams had 12 points but went 0-2 from deep. Marcin Gortat filled the absence of DeAndre Jordan (now with the Mavericks) for 12 points and 11 reobunds. Ex-Spur, Jeremy Lamb, tussled all game long with Iman Shumpert for 10 points, also going scoreless from long range.

The Spurs made eleven 3PTers, both teams shooting above 50% overall, as the Spurs dominated the interior 62-46 and won the rebound war by a hair, committing also two less turnovers as a team. A stalemate on the fast break, however, despite the Spurs bench coming through fiercely on the night. Kawhi Leonard had 25 points to lead San Antone, going 11-17 making just 1-4 from distance.

Avery Bradley had 22 points with a trio of long-shots. Patty Mills was hot early, giving the Spurs momentum as the floor general with 15 points, cooling down as the game went along for a trio of threes with eight assists and 4 steals. Dejounte Murray had 9 points behind him. Shumpert had 12 points, making two threes. Joakim Noah had some nice moments with 6 points, 7 rebounds and two blocks; Pau Gasol kept the lead intact with a mid range shot here and some post flair there for 6 points. Kyle O'Quinn corralled 7 rebounds, Josh Smith had 4 points with a block, and new third-string center addition Emeka Okafor (who wowed the Pelicans last season in a comeback after an injury-prone career) contributed six rebounds with a block.