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Saturday, Dec. 18 9:00pm ET
Van Exel, Stith sink last-second shots | |||||
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
DENVER (AP) -- For most of the game Nick Van Exel couldn't buy a basket and Bryant Stith had become a forgotten member of the Denver Nuggets. Both produced clutch baskets in the final 21 seconds and Ron Mercer had 25 points as the Denver Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs for the first time in nearly three years, winning 86-84 Saturday night. "Nick didn't hit a basket all game except when we needed it and Bryant, who had been the prototypical professional, came up with a big steal," Denver coach Dan Issel said. "But this was a game where everybody contributed that played and we had to have that type of game to beat the NBA champions." Van Exel, who was 1-for-10 through three quarters and had only six points for the game put the Nuggets ahead 83-82 with a 15-foot jumper. After a San Antonio timeout, Stith, who finished with 14 points, stole the inbounds pass at midcourt and drove the length of the court for a layup. "I told myself before the time out I would make the big shot," Van Exel said. "It just so happened that I got that one." Tim Duncan, who had 33 points 10 rebounds for San Antonio, hit an off balance shot with 12 seconds left, but missed a shot at the buzzer after Roy Rogers had given Denver a two-point lead with a free throw. "I had a wide open shot," Duncan said. "I just didn't hit it." Keon Clark had a career-high 18 points for the Nuggets who hadn't beaten the Spurs in 12 games. Denver, which last beat the Spurs on March 16, 1997, shot a chilling 19 percent in the first quarter. "The Nuggets got up the court quickly in Duncan's shot and he got a good look, but it didn't go down," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "But you don't lose games for that reason. You lose games because of turnovers and giving up offensive rebounds." Denver took a 59-58 lead into the fourth quarter, but San Antonio used an 8-2 run to take a 66-61 lead. The Spurs extended to a 72-65 lead with 7:05 left only to have the Nuggets answer with a 12-2 run on Mercer's reverse layup with 2:55 left that gave Denver a 77-74 lead. Mario Elie's 3-pointer keyed a 7-2 run that included two free throws by Duncan and Avery Johnson's jump shot with 1:16 left before Mercer tied the game at 81. David Robinson made only 1-of-2 free throws with 48 seconds left before Van Exel's layup. Trailing 38-35 at halftime, Antonio McDyess scored six points in the first two minutes of the third quarter to give Denver its first lead of the game, 43-42. "I thought we were in good shape at halftime," Mercer said. "We were only down three points after shooting 27 percent and I didn't think we could shoot any worse than that."
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard San Antonio Clubhouse Denver Clubhouse RECAPS Washington 95 New York 83
Denver 86
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