Spurs open big lead, and keep it this time

After two straight losses, San Antonio jolted the Lakers, 103-84, to trail series, 2-1.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs opened another big lead over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.

This time, they kept it.

Manu Ginobili broke out of his scoring slump with 30 points and the Spurs beat the Lakers 103-84 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.

Tim Duncan added 22 points and Tony Parker had 20 for the Spurs, who have not lost at home this postseason.

The Lakers lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Tuesday in San Antonio.

The Spurs squandered a 20-point lead to lose Game 1 in Los Angeles and the Lakers routed them in Game 2.

The Spurs did not want to be in the position of having to make league history by being the first team to come back from an 0-3 hole.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 30 points and Paul Gasol scored 15. Lamar Odom struggled all night, finishing 2-of-11 from the field for seven points. But he had six of the Lakers’ 13 assists and 11 rebounds.

The Lakers also struggled at the free throw line, going just 8-of-17.

On Sunday, the Spurs got a lead midway through the second quarter and never looked back, despite a late surge from Bryant.

Up 69-57 entering the fourth, the Spurs opened with a 12-4 run, and Parker’s layup gave them a 20-point lead a little over 8 minutes to play.

Then Bryant did what Bryant does: almost single-handedly pulled his team out of the hole. He hit four 3-pointers over the course of less than 2 1/2 minutes and his last one brought the Lakers within 12 points, 88-76, with 5 minutes to play.

But the Lakers would get no closer, not when the Spurs’ title defense would be all but ruined with a Game 3 loss.

Duncan answered with a three-point play to put the Spurs back up by 15 and not long after Brent Barry’s steal that resulted in a three-point play for Ginobili made it 97-78 with 3:26 to go.