Spurs Are Too Tough for Kings

SACRAMENTO — The San Antonio Spurs’ most entertaining first-round series in years ended the way it began: with a methodical blowout victory for the defending NBA champions.

Tony Parker scored a playoff career-high 31 points and Tim Duncan had 15 as the Spurs finally shook the Sacramento Kings, winning Game 6 of their first-round Western Conference series, 105-83, Friday night.

With an 18-1 run spanning halftime and fundamentally flawless play down the stretch, the top-seeded Spurs advanced to the second round for the sixth consecutive season.

Bruce Bowen scored 16 points as the NBA’s best road team during the regular season also closed out a series on the road for the seventh time in the last four playoffs.

On Sunday, the Spurs will play host to the fourth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, who finished their first-round sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. Dallas chased San Antonio in the Western Conference standings all season, ultimately falling three games short of the Spurs’ franchise-record 63-win season.

Mike Bibby scored 19 points, and Bonzi Wells had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings.

Ron Artest had 11 points on two-for-11 shooting while playing on an injured ankle, but Sacramento didn’t have the poise or the resourcefulness to rally after San Antonio took control in the third quarter.