Gregg Popovich: San Antonio Spurs sets new NBA winning record with victory against Utah
Gregg Popovich broke the NBA career regular-season wins record for a coach as his San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz 104-102.
The triumph was the 1,336th of Popovich's career and saw him surpass NBA legend Don Nelson for total wins.
The 73-year-old, who has led the Spurs to five NBA titles, said the record was «testament to a whole lot of people».
«Basketball is a team sport,» he said. «All of us share in this record. It's not mine. It's ours.»
Popovich, who worked under Hall of Fame coach Nelson at Golden State three decades ago, saw his Spurs side battle back from 15 points down in the final quarter to deliver the record-making win.
The milestone victory was celebrated at home in front of fans who have cheered his sides on for more than a quarter of a century since taking charge of Spurs in 1996.
«Something like this does not belong to one individual,» said Popovich, who also led the US to Olympic gold last summer.
«You preach to your players that you have to do it together and that has certainly been the case in my life with all the wonderful players and coaches, staff I've been blessed with [and] the support of this wonderful city. The fans support us no matter what.»
In a video posted by the Golden State Warriors on social media, Nelson congratulated Popovich for breaking his old mark.
«I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of all your accomplishments and the wonderful things you've done for basketball worldwide,» Nelson said.
Dejounte Murray led the Spurs with 27 points, with Jakob Poeltl adding 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Gary Trent Jr matched his season best with 42 points, which included hitting eight three-pointers, as the Toronto Raptors held on to beat thePhoenix Suns 117-112.
Pascal Siakam added 25


