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NBA roundup: Nets cruise past depleted Spurs

Nets forward Kevin Garnett fouled San Antonio’s Tiago Splitter during the first half.Jason DeCrow/Associated Press

Alan Anderson scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half, helping the Nets pull away from the shorthanded San Antonio Spurs for a 103-89 victory Thursday night in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Despite playing without Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard, their top four scorers, the Spurs were still within 5 points early in the fourth quarter before the Nets pulled away for good.

Deron Williams added 16 points and eight assists as Brooklyn ended a six-game losing streak to San Antonio with its first victory since March 29, 2010.

So banged-up that at one point they had two players on the court wearing facial masks to protect broken noses, the Spurs fell to 2-1 on their nine-game rodeo trip. Cory Joseph scored 18 for the Spurs, Danny Green had 17, and Patty Mills 16.

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Paul Pierce had 12 points for the Nets.

Ginobili (left hamstring) and Leonard (broken bone in right hand) were already out, and Popovich noticed Parker laboring with a back injury during the first half of Wednesday’s game. Parker then sat the remainder of the game, and Duncan played a season-high 40 minutes, well more than Popovich prefers to use the 37-year-old forward and essentially mandating a night off Thursday.

Making matters worse, Boris Diaw was vomiting during the day at the team hotel because of food poisoning and couldn’t play. Nando de Colo broke his nose in the first half when he was whacked while trying to defend Andrei Kirilenko, though he returned in the second half wearing a mask, as Matt Bonner already was.

The guys who were left raced to a 20-8 lead and were ahead the whole first quarter, settling for a 24-7 advantage. The Nets finally grabbed their first lead late in the second quarter and took a 40-39 lead into halftime when Williams made a jumper with 38 seconds remaining.

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Warriors 102, Bulls 87 — Stephen Curry had 34 points, Klay Thompson scored 22 and undermanned Golden State rallied from 16 down in the first half to beat Chicago in Oakland, Calif.

With big men Andrew Bogut and David Lee sidelined, Golden State’s streaky backcourt found its shooting stroke after falling behind 34-18 in the second quarter. Curry finished 13-for-19 shooting, and Thompson shot 8 of 16 from the floor to give the Warriors’ raucous fans reason to cheer.