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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- David Wesley wouldn't mind some national
recognition for the Charlotte Hornets -- but not at the expense of
the team's recent success.
|  | | Charlotte guard David Wesley scored six clutch points in OT to help the Hornets nip the Spurs. |
Wesley scored 21 points, six coming in overtime, as the Hornets
beat the San Antonio Spurs 88-84 on Saturday night. It was the
sixth win in a row for the Hornets (19-9), who continued to build
on the best start in franchise history.
"It would be nice to turn some heads nationally -- I said
nationally," said Wesley, who tied Jamal Mashburn for team scoring
honors. "But I hate to start talking about the best start in
franchise history. The last time we did that, we went on a
five-game losing streak."
Baron Davis contributed 16 points for Charlotte, most in clutch
situations. Tim Duncan paced the Spurs with 29 points and 16
rebounds. David Robinson and Derek Anderson scored 12 points each
for San Antonio.
Wesley hit back-to-back jumpers to give Charlotte an 83-79 lead
with 1:09 left in overtime. After Sean Elliott answered with a
layup at the 1:05 mark, Davis hit a jumper from the top of the key
with 47.1 seconds to play.
Despite a 3-pointer from Duncan with 16.9 seconds remaining, the
Hornets preserved the win at the foul line with two free throws
from Wesley and one from Elden Campbell.
"We had a few chances to come back, but we didn't take
advantage of them," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.
"Wesley hit some shots down the stretch, so the game ended up
being on the other side of the ledger.
"Wesley, Mashburn and Davis have many talents, and they can all
score."
The Hornets used a 26-6 run spanning the third and fourth
quarters to take a 70-57 lead on Lee Nailon's jumper with 10:28 to
play in regulation.
But Steve Kerr scored eight points in a 12-2 San Antonio run
that saw the Spurs close to 72-69 with 7:41 left. The Spurs
eventually tied the game at 79 with a 3-pointer from Anderson.
The Spurs had several chances to win the game in regulation, but
Duncan missed two free throws with 9.3 seconds to play, followed by
a missed 3 from Elliott, a missed putback from Anderson and a
missed jumper from Duncan.
"Turnovers hurt us in the third quarter, and that's the thing
we need to work on," Elliott said. "Tonight we played a quality
team, and we can't get away with turnovers against a quality team.
Wesley hit some jump shots at the end that really killed us."
Duncan had 14 of San Antonio's 21 points in the first quarter
and 18 at the half on 8-of-13 shooting, as the Spurs built a
5-point lead after two periods.
San Antonio led by seven four times in the second quarter and
led 43-38 at the break. The Spurs extended their lead to 51-44 on
Derek Anderson's jumper with 9:24 to play in the third quarter, but
the Hornets pulled even at 53-53 with a 9-2 run capped by Wesley's
turnaround jumper from the baseline with 6:46 in the period.
With two 3-pointers from Mashburn and one from Hersey
Hawkins, Charlotte surged to a 66-57 lead after three quarters. The
Spurs managed just four points in the final 7:29 of the third
period.
"We're really confident right now," Davis said. "We believe
we can play with the best, and we believe we are one of the
best."
Game notes
The Hornets lead Cleveland by 2½ games in the Central
Division, the largest such margin in franchise history. ... San
Antonio's season-best four-game winning streak came to an end. ...
For only the fourth time in 18 games this season, the Spurs lost
while holding an opponent under 90 points. ... Duncan and Robinson
combined to score 40 or more points for the fourth time this
season.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
San Antonio Clubhouse
Charlotte Clubhouse
RECAPS
Atlanta 91
Indiana 87
Charlotte 88
San Antonio 84
Detroit 106
Chicago 93
Miami 86
New Jersey 80
Orlando 111
Cleveland 92
Utah 98
Minnesota 92
Golden State 95
Houston 87
Milwaukee 104
Boston 99
Phoenix 102
Denver 93
Portland 87
Washington 70
LA Clippers 92
Vancouver 90
Sacramento 97
Seattle 92
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Baron Davis Official Site
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