came the fourth player in history to appear in an NBA game and a D-League game in the same day. ... Lin (strained left hamstring) and Caris LeVert (left foot rehab) were inactive.LIN UPDATEC

As the San Antonio Spurs prepare to retire Tim Duncans No. 21 jersey Sunday night, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has described Duncan ?as like my son.I love him dearly, Popovich told ESPNs SportsCenter in an interview earlier this week.Told that Spurs president R.C. Buford once described the two as soulmates to ESPN.com, Popovich said: Were more soulmates in life than we are in basketball. Ive been on his fanny so many times throughout his 19 years, and half the time he agrees with me and half the time he thinks Im a nut. And he just is polite enough and mature enough to just ignore me and go back out on the court, which allowed me to coach everybody else all those years. But off the court, thats where were soulmates.Popovich, though, said he and Spurs veterans Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili try to bring up Duncans absence very rarely after the big mans 19 stellar seasons in which he led San Antonio to five championships.?I think about it more off the court than I do during games or practices, Popovich told SportsCenter. You get busy, you get into what youre doing, but I miss him on the plane and on the bus trips and in the locker room after a win or a loss. Just the banter back and forth that weve had for, whatever, 19 or 20 years. I miss all of that.We might be somewhere at a certain moment in time and somebody says something [about Duncan] in a melancholy manner or reminiscing about such and such because we were all there at some point. But thats only happened a couple of times. Everybody has to move on.?Duncan, though, has been a relatively frequent guest at Spurs practices this season, working out with former teammates or new Spurs like center Pau Gasol, or counseling younger players such as forward Jonathon Simmons.He jumps in and out, Popovich said. A little bit of scouting [to] tell us what he thinks about this player or that player. Little bit of one-on-one here and there. Little bit of coaching, what were doing in pick-and-roll and what were doing here. Just hanging around -- just jumping in, putting a toe in the water, wherever he feels like it. Its great.We never know [when Duncan will show up], honestly. Its totally random. Everything is extemporaneous. Hes there or hes not. We might walk through the building and all of a sudden hes in there lifting weights. We put a locker for him in the coachs locker room in the practice facility and at the AT&T Center so he comes whenever he feels like it.Popovich, the only head coach Duncan has ever known in the pros, says now that he had a strong inkling the 40-year-old was bound for retirement after San Antonios second-round elimination in the playoffs last season against Oklahoma City.I was pretty sure that it was [the end], Popovich said. I knew hed take time during the summer to make a final decision and wed talk now and then, but I know he was frustrated because he had told me a couple years earlier, When I cant do what I need to do to help the team, I dont want to do it anymore. And it would frustrate him if some young whipper-snapper would make a move on him or do something and look at him like, Yeah, I got you. I wanted to run on the court [and say]: No, no, no. That wasnt Tim Duncan that you just did that to. But the young kid would have the gall to act that way, and I know that frustrated the hell out of him.??Duncans No. 21 will be the eighth Spurs jersey in franchise history to be hoisted to the rafters, joining David Robinson (50), George Gervin (44), James Silas (13), Johnny Moore (00), Sean Elliott (32), Avery Johnson (6) and Bruce Bowen (12).In addition to his role in the Spurs five titles, Duncan is the clubs all-time leader in points (26,496), rebounds (15,091), blocked shots (3,020), minutes (47,368) and games played (1,392). Hes the 14th-ranked scorer in NBA history and won two regular-season MVP awards as a Spur.Popovich, though, acknowledged that the famously media-shy Duncan had to be talked into Sunday nights postgame ceremony after San Antonio takes on the New Orleans Pelicans.It was a tough one, Popovich said. He knew that, in the end, he had to do it because he knows he owes it to the fans, more than anything, whove come out and supported him through all those years. But thats really the only reason hes doing it. He doesnt want any of the accolades, he doesnt want to sit there in a chair and listen to us talk about him. Hes dreading it. I even had to convince him, you know, Theyre going to have quite a few people in, so I thought, you know afterwards, well go get a bite or a Coke or a glass of wine or a beer or something and add a little food. [Duncan said,] Nah, Im not sure I want to do that. So I said: Timmy, wait a minute. All of these people are going to come from everywhere and theyre going to pay for flights and hotel rooms and youre going to shake their hand and say take care, Im going home? He said, I guess I cant do that, can I? I said, No, you cant do that. So well have a little get-together afterwards.Saad Yousuf of ESPN Radio in Dallas (103.3 FM) contributed to this report.?Asics Outlet Store Online . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Buy Asics Shoes Cheap . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. http://www.cheapasics.net/ . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. Cheap Wholesale Asics . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. Cheap Asics Shoes Online . -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars.NEW YORK -- Bostons backcourt was too good for a Brooklyn one still missing Jeremy Lin.Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points, Avery Bradley had 22 and the Celtics beat the Nets 111-92 on Wednesday night.Al Horford added 17 points for the Celtics in their third straight victory. Jae Crowder had 15.Boston improved to 5-1 when Horford is in the lineup.Al can score the ball, Bradley said. But its all the little things that he does and how he gets the ball moving, its so contagious. During the timeouts hes telling guys, `We need to move the ball. Hes a leader, speaks up and he really helps our team with that because sometimes the ball sticks and for Al to step up and say something and us moving the ball and it start with him, that means a lot.Sean Kilpatrick scored 23 points for the Nets, who have lost five in a row. Trevor Booker had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Bojan Bogdanovic added 14 points.Boston raced to an 11-2 lead and was ahead 30-16 after one quarter, but the Nets answered with a 21-6 run and 12 points from Bogdanovic in the second quarter.The Nets came all the way back to tie it at 60 in the third, but the Celtics then went on a 19-6 run to regain control.For the most part, I feel like we were sharing the ball tonight and getting open shots for our teammates and thats how we pulled away in the first quarter and thats how we pulled away at the end of the game, Bradley said.Third-quarter struggles have become a theme for the Nets thus far.I dont know if our mindset collectively is right, center Brook Lopez said. I mean, I guess its not. We just need to find a way to all be on the same page and come out the way weve been coming out most games, and again just sustaininng that effort and energy.dddddddddddd Thats the bottom line.Kilpatrick scored 13 points in the fourth, but it wasnt enough for Brooklyn.TIP-INSCeltics: Guard Marcus Smart has made an effort to add the floater to his game. Hes worked on it quite a bit, coach Brad Stevens said. It was a major focus going into his second year and he got better at it and then hes continued that focus now going into his third year. The best part about a floater is its got a chance of going in, but it also leads to a shot block attempt so youve got a chance to get a rebound. ... Demetrius Jackson and Jordan Mickey were inactive.Nets: Lopez is now the only player in the league with 20 or more 3-pointers and blocks. ... Booker has matched his single-season career high with his fifth double-double of the season. ... Chris McCullough became the fourth player in history to appear in an NBA game and a D-League game in the same day. ... Lin (strained left hamstring) and Caris LeVert (left foot rehab) were inactive.LIN UPDATECoach Kenny Atkinson said there was no specific time frame for Lins return after he missed his ninth straight game.Hes just progressing as scheduled, Atkinson said. Hes anxious to play. Were anxious to get him back, but we also understand the big picture long-term and, definitely, I think in these situations I know collectively were airing on the side of being cautious and smart.UP NEXTCeltics: Host San Antonio on Friday in an afternoon start.Nets: Visit Indiana on Friday. The Nets beat the Pacers last month for their first victory under Atkinson. ' ' '