SAN ANTONIO -- In a game of runs, San Antonio eventually put one together that Charlotte couldn't handle.

The Spurs exploded for 42 points in the third quarter, and their 24-2 run late in that quarter turned a six-point deficit into an 89-73 advantage. That provided plenty of cushion, and the Spurs cruised from there to a 104-84 victory Saturday night at the AT&T Center.

Small forward Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points for the Spurs (4-2), who shot 55.6 percent from the floor to improve to 2-0 at home for the young season.

Guard Manu Ginobili drained three 3-pointers and point guard Patty Mills added another in the middle of the deciding surge, which culminated with Charlotte coach Steve Clifford being hit with a technical foul.

"That stretch was incredible," Ginobili said. "It was fun to be out there. We moved the ball very well. We ran all of our plays and hit some open shots. We played good defense at the same time, because sometimes you make shots but they make it, too, so it doesn't create momentum. But today it was impressive."

Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge battled through foul trouble to put in 16 points in 17 minutes, Ginobili added 13 and power forward Tim Duncan chipped in with 11 points and forward David West collected a team-high nine rebounds.

Guard Kemba Walker scored a game-high 27 points for Charlotte. The Hornets picked up 13 points from power forward Al Jefferson, while guards Jeremy Lin and Nicolas Batum scored 12 and 10, respectively.

Charlotte (2-4) actually got out of the halftime gates quicker than the Spurs. The Hornets trailed 51-47 at intermission, but needed only a minute to score seven straight points to move in front. It was all Spurs after that.

"We did a good job of syncing in the first half and started to play really well," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. "When we went to the bench, we were minus-30."

Mills continued his hot shooting in the fourth with a pair of 3-pointers that helped him to a 15-point night and kept the Hornets from mounting a serious threat.

"That (second unit) enjoys coming off the bench and playing together," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Patty is healthier than he was last year. They're a little bit more of a movement team. They run a little bit of a different set when they are out there than the other group."

Walker was able to get to the basket and knock down long-range shots and score from everywhere in-between while going 11-of-15 shooting from the floor.

"He hasn't shot the ball as well this season as he did tonight," Clifford said. "He has played six really good games, so he is playing at a really high level."

He set the tone for his night early, when he scored 10 straight points to help the Hornets to a 14-8 start, but the Spurs closed the opening 12 minutes by hitting for 14 of the last 16 points. That burst included a Leonard 3-pointer with two seconds left to help them take control, 29-21.

The teams traded baskets for much of the first seven minutes of the second quarter, a span during which the Spurs led by as many as 12 on three occasions.

The last of those came with 6:12 to go before halftime, when Aldridge drilled a midrange jumper to make it a 44-32 game. But San Antonio went cold after that and didn't make another field goal over the next four-plus minutes, and Charlotte took advantage with a 10-0 run that cut its deficit to 46-45.

Duncan ended the Spurs' scoring drought with a pair of free throws at the 3:04 mark, then split a pair and rolled in a layup a minute later before Walker closed the first-half scoring with a long jumper from the left side.

"I thought we got better as the game went on defensively," Popovich said. "We started a little slow in that area, but as the game went along we did a better job defensively -- a really good job in the second half."

NOTES: San Antonio SF Kawhi Leonard entered Saturday's game in the top 20 in the league in five categories (scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks and free-throw percentage). ... The Spurs swept the season series against the Hornets last season, and ran their winning streak against them to 10 straight with Saturday's victory. ... Charlotte F Nicolas Batum is one of four players in franchise history to have at least 60 points, 30 rebounds and 20 assists in the first five games. ... Hornets G Kemba Walker moved into fourth place on the franchise's all-time list for 3-pointers made against Dallas on Nov. 5. He made two against the Spurs to raise his total to 378.