Duncan's dunk sinks Pacers
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END RESULT
Down 13 in the first half, up 13 in the second, the Pacers rode a roller-coaster down to the wire with San Antonio. But after getting the initial defensive stop they needed when Roy Hibbert blocked Tim Duncan's shot in the lane, the veteran grabbed the rebound and dunked with 4.6 seconds left to lift the Spurs to a 100-99 victory over Indiana Saturday night in AT&T Center.
The Pacers had one last shot but T.J. Ford's hurried fadeaway from the right wing bounced off the iron at the buzzer.
IMPACT
The Pacers dropped their third in four games overall and ninth in 10 road games to fall to 9-16. They've lost five in a row to the Spurs and eight in a row in San Antonio, a streak that dates back to 2002. The Spurs won for the fifth time in six games to improve to 14-10.
KEY MOMENTS
The Spurs closed the first quarter with a 15-3 run keyed by the second unit to open a 30-21 lead and stretched it to double figures in the early minutes of the second quarter. It was 50-37 late in the half when San Antonio missed five straight free throws and the Pacers took advantage of the opportunity, scoring the final eight points of the half to cut the deficit to 50-45 at the break.
The Pacers dominated the third quarter, racking up 38 points against one of the NBA's top defensive teams while holding the Spurs to 7-of-22 shooting. Indiana closed the period with a 21-8 run, with Ford scoring eight, to take an 83-70 lead into the fourth quarter.
Ford kept the Pacers in front in the earl minutes of the fourth as his jumper made it 89-79 with 8:07 left. But Duncan and Indianapolis native George Hill keyed a 19-6 run that pushed the Spurs into a 98-95 lead with 1:57 remaining.
Ford found Rush cutting for a dunk, then Hibbert rebounded Ford's miss to give the Pacers a 99-98 lead with 1:12 to go. The teams traded empty possessions, with the Spurs taking a timeout with 10.2 seconds left to set up their final play. Though Hibbert got his sixth block, Duncan stayed with the play and scored the game-winner.
The Pacers called a timeout with 4.6 seconds left to set up an isolation for Ford, who had an otherwise strong game but missed his final three attempts, including the potential game-winner.
BY THE NUMBERS
Troy Murphy was the high scorer for the Pacers with 21 on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 from the 3-point line, adding seven rebounds. Hibbert tied his career-high with 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting, and produced seven rebounds, six blocked shots and three assists in 35 inspired minutes. Ford scored 14 with five assists off the bench. Mike Dunleavy scored 11 on 4-of-10 shooting, missing all five of his 3-point attempts. The Pacers shot well (.481) and were 6-of-17 (.353) from the 3-point line, committing just 10 turnovers. But they were outrebounded 51-38 and forced just nine Spurs turnovers.
Duncan led San Antonio with 19 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots. Tony Parker shot 4-of-17 and scored 15, while Keith Bogans shot 6-of-8 and scored 14. Manu Ginobili had 13 and Hill 12 off the bench. Richard Jefferson scored 10. The Pacers shot .424 and missed 15 of their 38 free-throw attempts but made 11-of-13 in the fourth quarter.