Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili produced dramatic shots to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 117-115 double overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns in their NBA playoff game on Saturday.
Guard Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs makes the game-winning basket against Raja Bell of the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals at the AT&T Center on Saturday in San Antonio. AFP
Duncan sank his first 3-pointer of the season to force a second overtime and Ginobili delivered the game-winner on a layup with 1.8 seconds remaining in the game at San Antonio.
"I had all the time in the world to line it up. I just threw it up there and hoped for the best," Duncan told reporters of his clutch shot with three seconds to go in the first overtime.
"It was such a hard fought battle in a game that could have gone either way so easily," added Duncan, who had 40 points and 15 rebounds. "It seemed like a finals game."
In other playoff games, the New Orleans Hornets beat the Dallas Mavericks 104-92 with Chris Paul scoring 35 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Washington Wizards 93-86 behind LeBron James's 32 points and the Utah Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets 93-82.
At San Antonio, Duncan brought the Spurs back from a 104-99 deficit with a minute to play in the first overtime by scoring the period's final five points.
Ginobili took over in the second extra period, providing eight of the Spurs' 13 points in the period including the winning shot. He ended with 24 points, while Tony Parker scored 26.
Amare Stoudemire scored 33 points and Steve Nash contributed 25 points and 13 assists for the Suns.
In Houston, the Utah Jazz won a hard-nosed 93-82 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
The Jazz dominated the offensive boards in the first half and dug in defensively to hold off a second-half Rockets comeback in a win that took away Houston's home court advantage in the best-of-seven series.
Andrei Kirilenko led Utah with 21 points while Carlos Boozer scored 20 and grabbed 16 rebounds, including seven in the first quarter when the Jazz had seven offensive rebounds to the Rockets' one.
"They really hurt us on the boards offensively, they overpowered us there," said Rockets coach Rick Adelman.
Shane Battier led Houston with 22 points, while Tracy McGrady scored 20.
In Cleveland, determined to make Washington swallow its words, LeBron James scored 32 points and Cleveland won Game 1 of the third consecutive first-round playoff series the Eastern Conference rivals have played, 93-86.
Called "overrated" by Washington's DeShawn Stevenson in the final weeks of the season, James scored 20 points in the second half to lead the defending Eastern Conference champions, who took a 1-0 lead in a best-of-seven series that appears to have a long way to go.
Gilbert Arenas scored 24 points in 27 minutes for Washington before fouling out with 13 seconds to go.
In New Orleans, Chris Paul had 35 points and 10 assists in his first playoff game, lifting New Orleans to a come-from-behind 104-92 victory over Dallas.
David West, in his first playoff game since he was a rookie reserve, scored 23 points, and Tyson Chandler had 10 points and 15 rebounds to help New Orleans storm back from a 12-point halftime deficit.
(Agencies April 21, 2008)