Spurs Stop Clippers In Overtime

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gary Neal went from butterfingers to brilliant in a span of 3.8 seconds, hitting a tying 3-pointer late in regulation and a go-ahead 3 in overtime.

Neal and Tony Parker helped the San Antonio Spurs hold off the Los Angeles Clippers, 103-100, on Saturday in a matchup of the West’s second and third-best teams. The Spurs won their NBA-leading 10th in a row to solidify their hold on the No. 2 spot behind Oklahoma City.

“At this level, confidence is the biggest thing you can have,” said Neal, a second-year pro out of Towson. “It’s good to be counted on with your teammates.”

Neal was one of six Spurs in double figures with 17 points. He lost a pass from Parker, who had 30 points, with 9.5 seconds left in regulation.

“First of all, I wanted to strangle him because I didn’t know what happened,” Parker said, his hands forming a circle. “He lost it, but that can happen to anyone and we kept playing. We got the ball back and he hit a big 3. He’s known for that.”

Neal stole the ball 3.8 seconds later and hit the tying 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds left in regulation.

“I was running toward Chris (Paul) to foul him because I thought he was going to try to run out the clock,” Neal said. “My first dribble was toward the rim and I remembered we were down three.”

Paul blamed himself for losing the ball near half-court with 6.9 seconds left in regulation. Without any timeouts, the Clippers had to get the ball in play.

“Man, that was probably the worst play I’ve been a part of since I’ve been in the NBA,” he said.

“We were taking the ball out and we knew they had to foul. I was running to the backcourt when the ball came, and I didn’t want to get a backcourt violation. So the dummy I am, I threw the ball and it went right to Gary Neal and he hit the 3. We obviously gave that game away right there—up three with the ball with some seconds left. We’ve got to win games like that.”

Neal’s 3 with 25 seconds to go on Tim Duncan’s pass in overtime snapped a 98-all tie.

“Tim looked over and I was in the corner wide-open,” Neal said.

Matt Bonner added 13 points, Duncan had 11 points and 17 rebounds in over 41 minutes, and Danny Green scored 11 points for the Spurs, 6-0 on their annual rodeo trip that includes nine games. DeJuan Blair had 10 points.

“Sometimes you got to get lucky and we definitely got lucky,” Duncan said. “It’s been a great run for us.”

It was costly, though.

Spurs star Manu Ginobili, who finished with two points in 19 minutes, twice left the court in the fourth.

source | http://www.mb.com.ph