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SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- By the time he called his first timeout as an NBA coach, Isiah Thomas had his first inkling of just how much rebuilding he may have to do with the Indiana Pacers. Although Thomas' team hung tough after a disastrous start, they proved no match for David Robinson and the San Antonio Spurs, suffering a 98-85 setback in their first game since the nucleus of last year's Eastern Conference championship team disbanded. Sean Elliott's 3-pointer 33 seconds into play put the Spurs ahead to stay and sparked a 13-2 run that forced Thomas to call timeout with 7:44 left in the first quarter. "It's the NBA. It's a game of runs," Thomas said. "On opening night, most teams come out and play well. It's not uncommon that a team gets a 10-to-14 point lead in the first quarter. You just have to battle back." The Pacers did manage to make a game of it, pulling within 85-79 with 4:11 to play when newcomer Jermaine O'Neal threw down a vicious dunk. But Robinson hit two free throws on San Antonio's ensuing trip and the Spurs pulled away with an 11-4 burst that Derek Anderson capped with a 3-pointer with 66 seconds to go. "David gets the game ball tonight," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "When we lost our momentum, he kept us in the game." Robinson had 22 points and nine rebounds and fellow "Twin Tower" Tim Duncan added 16 and 10 as the Spurs took their first step toward regaining the form that led them to the 1999 NBA title. The Spurs were knocked off in the first round of last year's playoffs as Duncan sat out with an injured knee. "We did a good job managing this game," Robinson said. "This was a good sign for us. I like the versatility of this team, this season." "It felt good to be out there," Duncan said. "We played well but have a lot of things to improve on. Tonight was a great win. (The quick start) gave us confidence to get on an early roll, especially on our home court. They are a totally different team from last season. They are a young squad." Reggie Miller, the lone starter from last season's Pacers team, had 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 41 minutes but was unable to drive his team past the Spurs in crunch time. After losing forward Dale Davis (trade), center Rik Smits (retirement) and guard Mark Jackson (free agent) during the offseason, the Pacers' lineup has been further depleted by the absence of star swingman Jalen Rose (fractured wrist). "Everything was pretty much as I expected," Thomas said. "No butterflies at all. I like the way our guys competed. The second unit had a tough time scoring. As the season goes on, they'll get more points on the board. We hung around and had a chance to win at the end." Thomas took over the coaching duties when Larry Bird retired after the Pacers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in last season's NBA Finals. The Thomas era got off to a rousing start when O'Neal knocked down a six-foot jumper from the right side to open the scoring. But the Spurs reeled off the next 13 points with Robinson contributing a hook shot, a jumper and two free throws. After gathering his seemingly rattled starting unit of Miller, Austin Croshere, O'Neal, Sam Perkins and Travis Best, Thomas watched his team outscore the Spurs 91-84 over the final 43:44. "We have veteran guys, we're not going to panic if we get down early," Best said. "We've been in these situations numerous times. We were calm and I thought coach did a great job of keeping us that way. He kept us poised. He said that it was to be expected, them coming out with emotion in their first home game." Unfortunately for Thomas, the improvement in effort did not result in his first career NBA coaching win. Croshere scored 17 points, O'Neal added 16 and 10 rebounds and Best had 15 points, eight assists and six boards for the Pacers, who shot 45 percent (36-of-80). "Coach told us to stay with it and keep digging at the lead," O'Neal said. "That eventually, we could break the lead down. The Spurs did a good job of countering. That's what NBA basketball is all about. We just didn't get the big basket." New acquisition Danny Ferry and Antonio Daniels scored 12 points apiece off the bench for the Spurs, who shot 52 percent (33-of-64) and held a 37-35 rebounding edge. "It's difficult to tell where (the Pacers) will end up," Daniels said. "They have lost veteran leadership with Mark Jackson gone and players retiring. They have a lot of young talent with potential. Isiah is a great guy. I think he'll mesh well with the young players that he has and bring it all together." The Pacers threatened the lead late in the third quarter, closing within 61-58 on a pair of free throws by Best with 4:27 remaining in the period. But Robinson hit two free throws, a 15-footer and two more from the line as San Antonio closed the quarter with a 13-2 run, opening a 74-60 bulge entering the final 12 minutes.
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