Quick guards spark Spurs early

Sacramento was thoroughly out-rebounded and out-worked.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The San Antonio Spurs got their NBA title defense off to a blazing start with 25 points from speedy Tony Parker and a surprising boost from Nick "the Quick" Van Exel, who scored 11 points in the decisive second quarter of a series-opening 122-88 victory over the stunned Sacramento Kings Saturday.
San Antonio's fleet-footed point guards led a 41-15 run in that quarter, staking the Spurs to a 34-point halftime lead. The second half was all garbage time in San Antonio's seventh victory in the last eight playoff series openers -- and the biggest postseason loss in the Kings' history.
Dominance
Parker's frenetic dominance was no surprise after his excellent regular season as the Spurs' leading scorer. But three 3-pointers from Van Exel, the seldom-used veteran guard who's retiring after this season, were shockers from which the Kings couldn't recover.
San Antonio made eight 3-pointers and 68 percent of its first-half shots -- both franchise records for a playoff half. Ten Spurs scored at least six points apiece in the game, and coach Gregg Popovich still got to rest his stars for Game 2 on Tuesday in the best-of-seven series.
Tim Duncan had 11 points and seven rebounds while sitting out the fourth quarter along with Parker and Bruce Bowen. Nazr Mohammed added 18 points and eight rebounds, hitting the first 3-pointer of his NBA career in the final minute.
The Spurs lost their first-round opener to Denver last spring on the way to their third title in seven seasons, but Duncan's crew hit the ground sprinting in this postseason.
Mike Bibby scored 17 points and Ron Artest had 16 on 7-of-21 shooting for the Kings, whose newfound defensive intensity is lost again after Artest labeled his surging club as "the team to beat" in the first round. Sacramento entered the playoffs with 25 wins in its last 36 games, including nine of 11 to earn its eighth straight postseason trip.
Loss' comparison
Instead, Sacramento was thoroughly out-rebounded and out-worked in its biggest defeat of the season, surpassing 26-point losses to New Orleans and Dallas. It also was the biggest margin of defeat in the Kings' playoff history, besting a 30-point loss at Utah in the 1999 postseason opener.
Parker penetrated the lane at will from the opening minutes, and Manu Ginobili also set the tone with several drives past Artest. Both Bibby and Artest got into foul trouble, and their teammates fared no better in slowing down the Spurs.
Sacramento actually kept it close in the first quarter, trailing just 32-24 before Van Exel hit the first of his three 3-pointers to open the second. San Antonio made a 12-2 run before scoring 14 consecutive points midway through the period, including eight more from Van Exel on a pair of 3s and two free throws.
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