(My Sportsbook) - The defending champion San Antonio Spurs are playing like a team that would like to make a serious run at winning their second straight NBA title.

The Spurs won their 13th in a row on Sunday, knocking off Eastern Conference foe Milwaukee, 89-74, at the SBC Center. San Antonio's Manu Ginobili netted a game-high 25 points and pulled down nine rebounds, while team leader Tim Duncan finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

"We match up well versus teams from the East," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said after the win. "But it has been our defense that has helped us achieve the record."

Hedo Turkoglu came off the San Antonio bench and contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds, while starting point guard Tony Parker netted 12 and dished out a team- high five assists.

The Spurs are winning because players are making sacrifices by playing hurt and they are making unselfish plays on the court.

"My hat goes off to Timmy (Duncan) because he's hurting bad," Popovich said. "He sprained his ankle again on the jump ball, believe it or not, to start the game. He had a tough time physically, but he hung in and stayed out there for us."

San Antonio, which has the longest winning streak in the NBA this season, last went on a 13-game tear in March 2002. The Spurs' club record for consecutive wins is 17, set during the 1995-96 campaign.

The Spurs had a tough start to the season, going 3-4 to open the 2003-04 campaign. But since then, San Antonio has won 19 of its last 25 and has climbed into first place in the Midwest Division.

The 27-year-old Duncan, who has missed four games this season due to injury, leads the Spurs in scoring (22.3 ppg), rebounding (13.1 rpg), blocks (2.79 bpg) and field goal percentage (50.6 %).

Duncan has gotten solid support from Parker, who leads the team in assists at 6.1 per game and is second on the team in scoring with 14.7 points per night. Ginobili, who has started all 32 of San Antonio's games, is also having a nice year, averaging 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists.

"I'm sure he's fun for the fans to watch," Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News of Ginobili after Sunday's win, "but he takes a month off my life each game."

The 26-year-old Ginobili is also shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc.

Let's not forget the contributions of starting center Rasho Nesterovic, who left Minnesota and signed with the Spurs as a free agent in the offseason, starting small forward Bruce Bowen and reserve Malik Rose. These players are not big names, but they are team players who will do what it takes to help San Antonio win.

Nesterovic and Bowen have both started all 32 games for the Spurs, while Rose has averaged 8.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in 25 games, four as a starter.

The Spurs have a chance to rest and get strong, as the next time they will take the court will be in 2004. San Antonio welcomes the injury-plagued Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday to the SBC Center.

Almost everyone, including myself, was convinced it was the Lakers' year. But the Spurs have turned it around and look like they are going to be very tough to dethrone.