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SAN ANTONIO -- After nearly falling on their face in the opening round of the playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs found their footing Tuesday night and ran the Portland Trail Blazers off the court. Tony Parker had 33 points and nine assists and San Antonio never trailed in a resounding 116-92 victory over Portland, bullying the younger Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. "Hes been doing that for a lot of years," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Its nothing different. Hes the guy thats our attack guy. (He) creates for everybody and starts the offence. Hes also played very good defence this year and most people dont really see that." Parker, who had 32 points in Game 7 against Dallas, scored 13 points in the first quarter on a series of drives and capped it with a corner 3 as San Antonio built a 10-point lead 8 minutes into the game. The Spurs never led by less than 20 in the second half. "They did what championship teams do," Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge said. "They came out and set the tone early. Most of the guys on (Portlands) team havent even been in the second round and theyve won championships. Theyve been here. I think they definitely came out and they let us know how its going to be." Kawhi Leonard had 16 points and Tim Duncan added 12 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio. More importantly for the Spurs, their bench contributed mightily after being virtually nonexistent in the series against Dallas. Marco Belinelli had 19 points and the Australian connection of Aron Baynes and Patty Mills had 10 points apiece. "We came out swinging, caught them with a few early punches and they were on their back heel at that point," Baynes said. "It was good for us that we came out like that but now we have to maintain it." The Spurs had their most complete game of the post-season, playing with the flair and fluidity that resulted in the leagues best regular-season record. "I think Game 7 (against Dallas) gave us a lot of confidence for our team," Parker said. "I think team wise we played our best game in Game 7. I think tonight was a little bit of the same thing. Defensively, it was one of our best games because Portland has a lot of shooters, a lot of scorers." Portland, meanwhile, didnt come close to resembling the confident and sharp-shooting group that upset Houston in the opening round. Aldridge had 32 points and 14 rebounds and Damian Lillard had 17 points for Portland, but the All-Star duo combined for just 17 points in the first half as San Antonio built a 26-point lead. "They knew where we were going to do (plays)," Aldridge said. "They tried to deny guys on certain sets. They tried to force guys to their weak hand. They did what good teams do. I think guys are going to learn from it." Lillard was pushed out of the paint by 6-foot-7 Leonard early in the game and was nearly knocked off his feet defensively by a series of blistering picks. It wasnt any easier physically for Aldridge, who opened the game shooting 1 for 5 against Tiago Splitter and Baynes. "The first half was not what we were looking for," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "San Antonio really came out with a lot of energy and aggressiveness. They were the more aggressive team at both ends of the floor for the whole half." Splitter had an early steal on a pass to Aldridge and nearly had a second when he poked a dribble away as the 6-11 forward attempted to push his way into the block. Splitter hit the court in a failed attempt to keep the ball from going out of bounds, but it mattered little as the tone had been set for a long night for Aldridge and the Trail Blazers. Duncan left the game with 4 minutes remaining in the first quarter after picking up two quick fouls, but the Spurs increased their lead in his absence thanks to big contributions from reserves. Baynes had an immediate impact after playing only the final 6 minutes of San Antonios Game 7 victory over Dallas. He scored four points quickly and continued the physical defence against Aldridge that Splitter established. "He was awesome," Duncan said. "He gave us some great minutes. He came in there with his big ......., made some plays for us, made some shots, cleaned up the glass. He did everything he was asked to do. It was great." Belinelli finished 3 for 5 from 3-point range, leading the Spurs bench to leap to their feet in loud celebration after the Italian guards struggles in the opening series. After going just 4 for 7 on 3-pointers against Dallas, Belinelli opened the game by hitting his first three attempts from long range. "Ball movement was good," Parker said. "Dallas made a conscious effort to stay on our shooters. Tonight was different. I made a conscious effort to find Marco. I talked to Pop. We wanted Marco to be back in the series, be back in the playoffs. I was trying to call his number and look for him a lot. Tonight I think half my assists were to Marco." The Spurs scored the opening eight points from close range as Portland missed its first six attempts from a variety of spots on the court. NOTES: San Antonio and Portland had not met in the playoffs since the Western Conference finals in 1999, when Sean Elliott made a dramatic 3-pointer with 9 seconds remaining to win Game 2 and spark a series victory. Dubbed the "Memorial Day Miracle," Elliott made the game-winning shot after catching a pass, turning with his heels hovering above the out-of-bounds line and firing a high-arcing shot over a hard-charging Rasheed Wallace. The Spurs would go on to win their first NBA title that season. ... Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen was in attendance as was NBA super fan Jimmy Goldstein, who was dressed in his trademark leather outfit and hat. ... Ginobili was issued a technical foul by Tony Brothers after slamming the ball to the court following a travelling violation with 1:23 remaining in the first quarter. ... Entering the series opener, Duncan had played as many post-season games (218) as the entire Portland roster. Cody Whitehair Bears Jersey . According to TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, the deal will pay Schenn $2.25 million in the first year and $2.75 million in the second year. In 82 games with the Flyers in 2013-14, Schenn scored 20 goals and added 21 assists. Khari Lee Bears Jersey . The 23-year-old Neustaedter will move at the end of the season when his contract with Moenchengladbach expires. He signed a four-year deal with Schalke. http://www.bearsauthenticproshop.com/Yo ... -Jersey/.Y. -- The New York Islanders were seeking a positive finish to a frustrating season on home ice. Lance Briggs Bears Jersey . Hoefl-Rieschs exit — from the downhill course into safety nets, then airlifted from the slope by helicopter — left Anna Fenninger of Austria favourite to win her first giant crystal trophy one month after becoming an Olympic champion. Tom Waddle Bears Jersey . Tensions rose in the first period when Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik hit Bruins forward Loui Eriksson with what appeared to be a clean hit.OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton apparently has Villanovas number. Doug McDermott matched his season high with 39 points and passed Larry Bird for 13th on the Division I career scoring chart, and the 18th-ranked Bluejays won 101-80 on Sunday to move into first place in the Big East, a half-game ahead of the No. 6 Wildcats. Their 21-point victory came less than a month after they hammered Villanova by 28 in Philadelphia on the strength of a record 3-point shooting performance. "I didnt think we could play much better than we did at Villanova," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. "But Im not sure we didnt play better today. We didnt have the crazy shooting night from the 3-point line, but the other parts of the game were really good." Villanova coach Jay Wright said getting blown out again was frustrating because he and his staff came up with a much different defensive plan. The Wildcats didnt double-team McDermott as much, and they denied the ball to 3-point marksman Ethan Wragge. McDermott did his thing, as usual, and Creightons bench produced 39 points. "Theyve got the best player in the country, and he makes everybody better around him," Wright said. "Theyre just a tough matchup for us. Our style of play and their style of play kind of leads to these kinds of games. Weve got to find the answer if we face them again." The Bluejays (21-4, 11-2) beat the same ranked opponent twice in the same season for the first time in program history. They also won their 16th straight at home, matching their longest streak since moving into the CenturyLink Center in 2003. McDermott went over 30 points for the ninth time this season and 23rd time in his career. He took over the national scoring lead, at 25.9 points a game. He passed Bird, the Indiana State great of the late 1970s, on the NCAAs scoring list with his fourth 3-pointer with 13:23 left. "Its pretty crazy. Thats one of my idols," he said. "Imagine if (Bird) had the 3-point line and he stayed four years. He would be way ahead of me. Its really cool just to be in that category with some of those guys." The senior forwward left to an ovation with 1:43 left, embracing his coach and father before sitting down.dddddddddddd He now has 2,863 career points. "Doug was obviously incredible," Greg McDermott said. "He has a way of stepping up for these games, and today was certainly an example of that." Isaiah Zierden had 13 points, Devin Brooks added 12 and Grant Gibbs had 11 for the Bluejays, who shot a season-best 64.2 per cent. Their previous high was 56.9 per cent in their 96-68 win at Villanova on Jan. 20. James Bell scored 18 points for the Wildcats (22-3, 10-2) before fouling out with 6:11 left. JayVaughn Pinkston scored all 15 of his points in the second half, and Dylan Ennis had 11. Wragge, who made nine 3-pointers and had a career-high 27 points in the teams first meeting, didnt get off a shot until the third minute of the second half and didnt make a field goal until 7:37 remained. Villanova mimicked other recent Creighton opponents in denying the senior forward the ball, and he finished with five points. Villanova had won six straight since its loss to the Bluejays last month. The Wildcats never led after the first minute. The start of the game wasnt quite like it was in Philadelphia last month. That night, Wragge was 7 for 7 on 3-pointers in the first 7 minutes and Creighton ran off to a 28-point victory over then-No. 4 Villanova after making a Big East-record 21 shots from behind the arc. McDermott scored Creightons first 11 points Sunday. He made two 3s, converted a three-point play after spinning to the basket for a left-handed layup and scored off Gibbs pass through the lane to the delight of the sellout crowd of 18,797. Villanova was the highest-ranked team to play Creighton in Omaha since fourth-ranked DePaul visited in December 1983. "I live for these kinds of games," McDermott said. "These are the best, especially playing against a top-10 team here in Omaha. I dont think any of us ever thought wed see this day. Youve got to get fired up for this kind of game and atmosphere. It was a great start, and that carried the momentum for our team the rest of the game." 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