For the better part of his 10th NBA season, Manu Ginobili has stood in awe of Tony Parker as the point guard carried the Spurs to the top of the Western Conference standings.
Likewise, Ginobili has been heartened by the renaissance of Tim Duncan, who at age 35 has often looked, if not 25, at least 30 again.
All that has been most often missing from the Spurs' season-long jaunt through yesteryear has been Ginobili himself.
"It's about time for me to join in," Ginobili said.
Sunday at the AT&T Center, the Spurs extended the NBA's longest winning streak to 11 games with a 114-104 victory over Utah that they hope is a harbinger of nights to come in the playoffs.
Parker did what he's been doing, scoring 28 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Duncan chipped in 13 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks.
Ginobili, the creakiest leg of the Spurs' star triad, had his best game since New Year's Eve, adding 23 points that included a 14-of-15 performance from the free-throw line.
For a team that has all too often seen its Big Three reduced to a Big Two this season, it was a welcome sight.
"(Ginobili) feels like he's got his legs to shoot the three," coach Gregg Popovich said. "At the same time, he's going to the rim and getting the contact. His game is coming together."
With the win, the 40-14 Spurs — who a day earlier clinched their 15th consecutive playoff berth when Dallas lost to Memphis — matched the longest winning streak in the league this season.
It equals their own 11-game handiwork from Jan. 30 to Feb. 20.
Tellingly, Ginobili played in just four games of the first streak.
The last time Ginobili scored as many points as he did Sunday was Dec. 31, against these same Jazz. Two nights later, he broke his hand in Minnesota, setting off a star-crossed start to his season.
His odyssey back into fighting shape after missing 29 games with one malady or another has been a running storyline of the Spurs' season. The team's success, with or without him, has been nothing short of mind-boggling.
For it, Ginobili credits Parker and Duncan.
"They've been on the same page for a long time," he said. "They've been the key for why we are No. 1 in the West. I'm the one who needs to join in."
Sunday, he did.
Ginobili was a modest 4 of 10 from the field, but his 15 free-throw attempts were a season high for any Spurs player, as were the 14 he converted. They provided a signal that the stars are beginning to realign for him.
"I'm starting to feel better," Ginobili said.
With an eye to today's rematch in Salt Lake City, Popovich tweaked his playing rotation, starting Boris Diaw at center for DeJuan Blair.
Blair, who had been the only Spurs player to start all 53 games to that point, did not play at all. Popovich also kept Stephen Jackson and James Anderson tethered to the bench.
Though Popovich wouldn't say, there is a good chance the Spurs' Big Three might not even board the plane for tonight's game in Utah.
If there was a bright spot Sunday for the Jazz, it's that they made a lost cause competitive.
Trailing by 19 in the first half, Utah (29-28) rallied behind 19 points and 10 rebounds from Al Jefferson, three second-half 3-pointers from Devin Harris and a career-high 16 points from DeMarre Carroll.
Late in a 36-point third quarter, the Jazz were within six.
The Spurs' Big Three, whole and in unison, would not let them lose.
Summoning the familiarity of nine-plus seasons together, Parker, Duncan and Ginobili accounted for 25 of the Spurs' final 27 points.
It was the NBA's longest tenured trio doing what it does best. This time, Parker handled most of the load.
"He kind of decided he wasn't going to let them come back," Popovich said.
Right there alongside him, grinding, driving, attacking the rim and living at the foul line, was Ginobili.
Joining in.
jmcdonald
@express-news.net
Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN
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