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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Tim Duncan made three mistakes in the final 33 seconds, none of which mattered much after he blocked
the final shot of the game.
|  | | David Robinson scored a season-high 27 points ... some the easy way. |
Duncan had 26 points and five blocks, including a rejection of
Stephon Marbury's potential game-tying layup with 2 seconds left as
the San Antonio Spurs edged the New Jersey Nets 96-94 Thursday
night.
"I made some mistakes down the stretch and I just wanted to
make up for it," said Duncan, who committed two turnovers in the
final 33 seconds and was beaten defensively on a drive by Keith Van
Horn on the game-deciding play.
It was the closest game of the season for the Spurs, who won
their seventh in a row in the opener of a four-game road trip.
David Robinson added season-highs of 27 points and 13 rebounds, and
Avery Johnson scored 12.
Duncan had turnovers on the Spurs' final two possessions, the
latter of which came with 6.8 seconds left and gave the Nets,
trailing 96-94, a chance to tie or go for the win.
Inbounding from midcourt, the Nets got the ball to Van Horn. As
he drove to his right, got a step ahead of Duncan and reached the
foul line, Van Horn found Marbury cutting to the basket and hit him
with a perfect pass.
"He did have a step on me, and I thought he would try a little
jumper in the middle," Duncan said. "When he shuffled it off, I
had a chance to catch myself and go up and try it again."
As Marbury went up, Duncan swooped in from behind and rejected
the shot to ruin what was arguably New Jersey's best effort of this
disappointing season (2-14).
"He was guarding the ball and got beat, but he stayed in the
play and continued to chase it," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
"A lot of guys would have just stopped, but his ability to stay in
the play and understand that saved us a basketball game."
Marbury and Van Horn scored 20 each, while Kerry Kittles and
Lucious Harris added 14 apiece. Marbury had a season-high 13
assists with no turnovers.
The Spurs took the lead for good on a 2-footer by Robinson with
3:18 left in the third quarter for a 60-59 lead. San Antonio's
advantage grew to double digits on a 3-pointer by Jaren Jackson with just over 7 minutes left, but the Nets -- unlike they had appeared to do so
many times this season -- did not quit.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Scott Burrell and Kittles quickly got
the deficit down to four points, and Marbury took over offensively
from there by scoring 10 of the Nets' final 12 points.
Marbury was absolutely stunned that Duncan was able to block his final attempt.
"When it left my hand I could taste it, but Duncan knew exactly
what to do," said Marbury, whose head was buried in a towel for
several minutes after the game in the Nets' locker room. "I went
low on the glass and he was there. He just seemed to come out of
nowhere."
The Spurs final points came on a pair of free throws by Terry
Porter with 2:36 left for a 96-90 lead. Duncan lost his dribble out
of bounds with 33 seconds left and the Spurs up 96-92, and Marbury
converted two free throws five seconds later. Duncan's next
turnover came after he had trouble handling a high entry pass from
Porter, setting the Nets up for their final try.
"If it's anybody but Tim Duncan, I don't think that play gets
made," New Jersey's Johnny Newman said.
Game notes
The Spurs, the league's best 3-point shooting team, were
0-for-7 from behind the arc in the first half and 4-for-6
afterward. ... Marbury's previous season-high was 12 assists. ...
The Nets lost their fifth straight home game. ... This game was
much different from the others' in the Spurs' winning streak. They
had won their previous six by an average of 17.1 points. ... Spurs
center Felton Spencer, activated earlier in the day when Samaki
Walker went on the injured list with a sprained ankle, did not
play.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
San Antonio Clubhouse
New Jersey Clubhouse
Elliott '80 percent sure' he'll return to Spurs' lineup this season
RECAPS
Atlanta 110
Sacramento 100
San Antonio 96
New Jersey 94
New York 84
Milwaukee 80
Orlando 103
Minnesota 93
Dallas 101
Chicago 95
Seattle 117
Golden State 108
Houston 109
LA Clippers 96
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