SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Kawhi Leonard had 34 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame the loss of Tony Parker to beat the Houston Rockets 121-96 on Wednesday and level the Western Conference semifinals at 1-1.
Parker did not return after hurting his left leg with 8:43 remaining. Spurs officials said Parker will undergo an MRI on Thursday morning.
Parker fell to the court after missing an uncontested short jumper. He grabbed his left knee immediately upon landing and remained on the court for a few minutes. He attempted to walk, but had to be carried by teammates.
Parker finished with 18 points and four assists in 26 minutes.
Houston point guard James Harden was limited to 13 points on 3-for-17 shooting.
The Rockets shot 11 for 34 on 3-pointers after going 22 for 50 in their 126-99 victory in Game 1 on Monday night.
They host Game 3 on Friday.
The start was as frenetic as Game 1, but the Spurs kept pace this time. The teams shot a combined 15 for 25 in the opening six minutes, including 5 for 9 on 3-pointers.
Popovich started Pau Gasol in place of David Lee to give the Spurs another outside shooter in the starting lineup and it paid off early. San Antonio shot 62 percent in the opening quarter.
The Spurs finished at 54 percent.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 points after being limited to four in the opener, and Danny Green added 12.
Leonard tied his postseason high with 20 points in the first half as the Spurs opened up a 65-55 lead entering the third quarter.
Harden led a charge in the second half, but not with his offense. He swiped the ball away, leapt out of bounds and tossed it backward to save it and then stripped Green on the following possession to set a strong defensive tone. The Rockets would force five turnovers in the third quarter to cut their deficit to 88-83