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Poeltl has 20 points, 16 rebounds as Spurs rally past Bulls
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)CHICAGO – Jakob Poeltl tied a career high with 20 points and set one with 16 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs used a huge fourth quarter to beat the Chicago Bulls 106-99 on Wednesday night. The Spurs trailed by 23 in the second quarter and were down 58-40 after their lowest-scoring first half of the season. “We played two great defensive quarters in the second half, spurred on by Patty Mills' aggressiveness, and it just seemed to infect everybody else," coach Gregg Popovich said. Jakob had a wonderful game.”AdZach LaVine led Chicago with 29 points after scoring 40 the previous night in a win over Oklahoma City. One big difference for the Spurs in the second half was they went to a press.
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The NBA preseason begins, with empty arenas as the stages
Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford talks to players during a timeout in the first half of the team's NBA preseason basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020, in Atlanta. The NBA preseason — a truncated 49-game, nine-day sprint — opened Friday with a five-game slate, action returning to NBA arenas for the first time in exactly nine months. Friday’s games:KNICKS 90, PISTONS 84At Detroit, R.J. Barrett scored 15 points and Toppin finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in his debut as the Knicks won their preseason opener. Julius Randle scored 11, while Elfrid Payton and Nerlens Noel each scored 10 for New York. Svi Mykhailiuk and Saddiq Bey led the Pistons with 14 points apiece.