HOUSTON -- The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference Finals Wednesday night by beating the Portland Trail Blazers, 104-82, in Game 5 of their best-of-7 series at the AT&T Center.
Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard sparked the Spurs offense with 22 points apiece and veteran All-Star Tim Duncan provided stability in the paint with 16 and 8 rebounds.
Spurs point guard Tony Parker left the game in the first quarter with a Grade 1 hamstring strain. But his absence didn't hinder San Antonio from marching to the West Finals for the second straight year as Patty Mills filled in the void with 18 points.
"Glad it's over. Those guys are hard to guard. They (Trail Blazers) have a bright future. We feel great about being able to move forward," a relieved Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich told NBA.com.
LaMarcus Aldridge led the Blazers with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Damian Lillard added 17 and 10 assists, and Wesley Matthews added 14.
Robin Lopez and Nicolas Batum combined for 24 for Portland, which shot just 33 of 81 from the field (40.7 percent) and 5-of-19 from 3-point range (26.3 percent).
Photo: Kawhi Leonard (R) gets a low five from teammate Patty Mills after scoring 22 points to lead the Spurs past the Blazers.
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