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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Make it eight consecutive victories for the San
Antonio Spurs, who got another huge game from Derek Anderson.
|  | | San Antonio's David Robinson, left, and Derek Anderson enjoy winning their eighth game in a row. |
Anderson scored a season-high 30 points as the Spurs defeated
the Minnesota Timberwolves 106-100 in overtime Wednesday night.
"It was a heck of a game, just like every time we play each
other," said San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich. "The guys just
grinded it out. Play by play, possession by possession. They hung
in and got it done. You have to get a few like this. We were
fortunate."
Tim Duncan backed Anderson with 23 points and 20 rebounds, while
David Robinson scored 18 and Danny Ferry 12.
"He (Anderson) was chasing, rebounding, just playing all-out as
usual," Popovich said.
Minnesota, which has lost three of its last four games, was led
by Kevin Garnett with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Terrell
Brandon chipped in 17. Garnett missed a jumper at the end of
regulation that would have won it.
"This is the kind of game you play for," said Anderson, who
shot 10-for-22 from the floor. "No NBA player wants a blowout,
they're no fun. I'd rather have a competitive game that gets
decided down the stretch."
The Spurs, who have won 22 of their past 26 games, never trailed
in overtime after Anderson opened with a 3-pointer to give
San Antonio a 95-92 lead.
Leading 100-98, Avery Johnson connected on a driving layup to
give San Antonio a 102-98 lead with 25.1 seconds remaining. Johnson
and Anderson each added a pair of free throws over the final 15.2
seconds as San Antonio scored the victory.
"It was a very difficult loss," Garnett said. "We sort of had
the game sewn up and they made a run. It just shows you how this
game is, you can be doing a great job, then it changes in
seconds."
After being down by as many as seven points in the fourth
quarter, Minnesota rallied behind five 3-pointers -- four
by Anthony Peeler -- to grab a 91-88 lead with 23.6 seconds
remaining on a 3-pointer by Peeler.
After a free throw by Chauncey Billups put the Timberwolves
ahead by two with 8.1 seconds left, Robinson tied the game 92-92 on
a driving layup with 3.7 seconds remaining.
Garnett misfired on a 15-foot jump shot as time expired.
"We didn't execute well in the last 24 seconds when you need to
in order to win," Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said. "We should
have ended it. We had opportunities to finish it off with free
throws."
After trailing for most of the game, Minnesota grabbed a 71-69
lead on a jump shot by Garnett with 9:44 to play in the fourth
quarter.
San Antonio surged ahead behind a 8-0 run to grab a 78-71 lead
on a 3-point field goal by Ferry with 7:04 remaining.
Behind three 3-point field goals by Peeler, Minnesota responded
with a 12-6 run to cut San Antonio's lead to 84-83 with 3:13 to
play.
San Antonio, which improved to 45-19, outscored Minnesota 52-36
in the paint.
"This was a great confidence builder and good game experience
for us," said Duncan, who had his 52nd double-double of the
season. "We haven't had a whole lot of wins in games like this. It
was good to be able to grind it out."
Game notes
San Antonio's eighth consecutive victory tied a season-high. ... Tim Duncan's double-double was the 205th of his career. ... The
game marked the one-year anniversary of San Antonio forward Sean
Elliott's return to the court following a kidney transplant.
Elliott, who is currently nursing a sore left knee, did not play.
... Prior to the game, San Antonio activated forward Ira Newble and
placed forward Derrick Dial on the injured list with a sprained
right wrist. ... Garnett had his 45th double-double of the season
and ranks third behind Duncan and Antonio McDyess.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
San Antonio Clubhouse
RECAPS
Washington 103
Detroit 96
Charlotte 100
Vancouver 95
Orlando 97
Cleveland 87
Miami 114
Sacramento 104
San Antonio 106
Minnesota 100
Philadelphia 85
Chicago 67
Denver 95
Indiana 83
Phoenix 84
Portland 79
Utah 102
Golden State 83
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