SAN ANTONIO -- The Spurs play a style thats been described as boring and ugly at times, so it only made sense that they felt comfortable down the stretch against Charlotte in a game their own coach said was "hard to watch." Tim Duncan had 17 points and 16 rebounds, and San Antonio overcame a sluggish start to beat the Bobcats 92-82 on Friday night. The Spurs clinched their 17th consecutive winning season, dating to Duncans first with the team. Manu Ginobili scored 15 points, Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills added 14 each and Kawhi Leonard had 12 for San Antonio (42-16). "Im really proud of how they hung in and realized it was a 48-minute game," coach Gregg Popovich said. "Manu didnt have a good game for a while, but down the stretch he came through. He and Timmy, they executed well; Patty really well (and), obviously, Marco was a big help. Overall it was a hell of a win against a very good basketball team." Al Jefferson scored 20 points and former Spurs guard Gary Neal added 15 for Charlotte (27-31), which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Gerald Henderson scored 12 and Kemba Walker 11. San Antonio had 19 turnovers, but only one in the final 6 minutes of the game. That helped the Spurs overcome a 14-point deficit in the first half. "Fourteen points in this league is nothing," Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said. "Especially against a team like that, that shoots the ball like that. I think the way you look at it, to me, is you want to have a chance on the road at the end of the game to win, which we did." There were three ties and two lead changes in the final 7 minutes as the Spurs celebrated Military Appreciation Night with camouflage uniforms. Ginobili blocked Walkers layup attempt and drew a charge on Jefferson on consecutive possessions. Duncan followed with a 15-foot jumper that gave San Antonio an 82-80 lead with 1:43 remaining. Duncan then fired a pass to Belinelli in the right corner for a 3-pointer over Neal that gave the Spurs an 85-80 edge. "We know (Neals) a bad defender. All he wants to do is shoot," Duncan said, smiling afterward. "We took advantage of that. Gary was great tonight, actually. He played hard, played well." Neal said he knew that play was coming off an inbounds set, but Duncan simply executed it well. "Ive made a couple of 3s like that from Timmy over the 207 games I played here," Neal said. "Tim is a Hall of Famer. He made a great play. Thats what he does. Thats why the Spurs are so successful." Duncan had six assists and shot 6 for 12 from the field, including 4 of 4 in the second half. Ginobili later completed a three-point play after rolling in a left-handed layup from the right side of the rim just beyond the reach of Jefferson and Henderson to put San Antonio up 88-80. The rally helped the Spurs wipe away a second straight sluggish start at home. "Its frustrating at times that were not able to come out of the gates and play the way we want to play night in and night out," Duncan said. "To play through the ups and downs and find a way to win a game like that is good for us." Charlotte led throughout the first half, extending its cushion to 34-20 with 8:26 remaining on three free throws by Anthony Tolliver. Showing the type of ball movement the Spurs are normally known for, the Bobcats had 15 assists on 19 first-half baskets. San Antonio had only three assists early in the game, missing all but five of its first 17 shots while shooting 30 per cent. "Its hard to watch, isnt it?" Popovich said, laughing when a reporter responded that the game was ugly. "Appreciate your honesty. The turnovers are how we dug a hole for ourselves in the first half. The only thing that kept us in the first half is we hit five 3s." Charlotte built its advantage with little help from Walker, the teams second-leading scorer. He had only three points, going 1 for 8 from the field in the first half. Ginobilis 3-pointer gave the Spurs their first lead at 51-49 with 5:21 left in the third. His second 3 gave San Antonio a 64-57 advantage and brought a loud cheer from the sold-out crowd, which began buzzing in anticipation before he even released the ball. "We made too many mistakes and we got away from our defensive principles," Jefferson said. "The one thing we know about San Antonio is you have to play 48 minutes because they are not going to stop what theyre doing." NOTES: With his 12th rebound, Duncan passed Hakeem Olajuwon (13,748) for 12th on the NBAs career list. At 13,753 rebounds, Duncan is 16 shy of tying Wes Unseld for 11th. "Obviously, I watched (Olajuwon) growing up playing and played against him for a little while," Duncan said. "I respect what he did throughout his career. Its an honour." ... Neal and Duncan shook hands and hugged following a timeout with 4 minutes remaining after Duncan glared at his former teammate before giving a sly smile. ... Spurs point guard Tony Parker sat behind the teams bench as he continues to recover from a series of leg maladies that began before the All-Star break. ... Charlotte C Brenden Haywood (broken left foot) and F Jeff Taylor (ruptured right Achilles) sat out. Hydro Flask Water Bottle Sale . - Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has signed with WME-IMG, saying the sports management powerhouse will help maximize the value of my brand. Hydro Flask Clearance Online . With the Pirates in the thick of the race in the NL Central, the timing couldnt be better. Liriano struck out a season-high 11 in seven innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season and Pittsburgh beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Tuesday night. http://www.clearancehydroflask.com/ . No, the San Antonio star didnt announce retirement plans during an off day at the NBA Finals on Wednesday. Hydro Flask Online Sale . The defending champions’ roller coaster season included trading offensive star Percy Harvin in the midst of the team’s 3-3 start. That move that reportedly irked several Seahawk players, but one management saw necessary to save the team’s chemistry. Hydro Flask Clearance Sale . Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed.MONTREAL -- Charles Hamelin is confident that he wont stop at just one gold medal at the world short-track speedskating championships. Three weeks after winning gold in the 1,500 metres at the Sochi Olympics, Hamelin did it again Friday as he cruised to the win in the opening event at the Maurice Richard Arena. The 1,500 used to be the weakest event for the Ste-Julie, Que., skater, but now he seems to own the distance as he easily finished ahead of Han Tianyu of China and bronze medallist Park Se Yeong of South Korea. Earlier this week, the 29-year-old Hamelin announced that he will continue to skate at least four more years until the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. "In the 1,500 metres, every time I go on the podium now it proves that the work Ive done in the last four years has really paid off," he said. "Its proof that Im improving year after year. "Thats a big part of why I wanted to continue for four more years. You can see Im still strong. After a big event like Sochi, I was able to come back and refocus on what I need to do here. Im ready." Now he hopes to avoid the bad luck that followed his Olympic gold. In Sochi, he inexplicably fell in the heats of both the 500 and 1,000-metre events, dashing his hopes of sweeping the individual distances. He said the world championships are different because, instead of waiting a day or two between skates like at the Olympics, he will be back on the track Saturday for the 500 metres and the mens relay heats and again on Sunday for the 1,000, the 3,000, and, he hopes, the relay final. "Momentum is a big part of it and right now, its on my side," he said. "I had a great race and I know Im stronng in the 500 and 1,000 metres.dddddddddddd" Hamelins goal is to win the overall title, which goes to the skater who does best cumulatively in the individual events. He has come second for that honour twice, but has never won it. He said the first rule is to avoid a disqualification in any race. The large crowd of mostly school children in the stands was worried that might happen when, halfway through the race, Hamelin nearly crashed into a South Korean. He managed to stay upright and then pass Han on the final lap to claim the win. Race officials did not call a foul. "He passed me on the outside and came back really quickly in front of me," said Hamelin. "He was one or two centimetres from hitting my blades. "It could have been a disaster for me, but I was able to control myself and not push too hard or lose too much speed. For him, the race was kind of over. It was a scary moment in the race." Hamelins biggest rival in recent years, five-time overall world champion Victor An of Russia, formerly known as Ahn Hyun-Soo of South Korea, never mounted a challenge and finished fourth. An won three golds and a bronze in Sochi. Wu Dajing of China was fifth ahead of South Koreans Lee Han-Bin and Sin Da Woon. Olivier Jean of Lachenaie, Que., and Charle Cournoyer of Boucherville, Que., were eliminated in the semifinals. South Korea swept the podium in the womens 1,500. Shim Suk Hee finished first ahead of Kim Alang and Park Seung-Hi. Valerie Maltais of La Baie, Que., was caught at the finish line by Park and settled for fourth. Marianne St-Gelais lost in the semifinals while Marie-Eve Drolet was beaten in the heats and was classified 22nd. ' ' '