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Duncan, Spurs look to continue climb in West

Apr 1, 2007 - 3:45 PM San Antonio (52-20) at Indiana (31-41) 7:00 pm EDT

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs have been championship contenders for years. But somehow they have been overlooked this season.

Duncan and the Spurs look to extend their winning streak to seven games when they face the sliding Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

One of the best big men in the NBA's history, Duncan is known for his stellar but unspectacular play. Duncan continues to dominate the paint - averaging 20.1 points and 10.7 rebounds this season.

His stellar play along with the defensive principles of hard-nosed coach Gregg Popovich have San Antonio near the top of the Western Conference once again, as the Spurs trail Phoenix (54-18) by two games for second place in the conference.

San Antonio has posted wins in 19 of its last 21 games, including a 102-93 victory over Utah on Friday. Manu Ginobili scored 25 points off the bench.

The Spurs, who start a five-game homestand after Sunday's game, will look to continue their climb when they face the Pacers, who have lost 17 of their last 19 games and are in danger of sliding out of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.

Indiana is 2 1/2 games behind Orlando (34-39) and New Jersey (34-39) for the final two playoff spots.

Indiana looked lost in Friday's 95-87 loss to the Magic and suffered from a poor performance by star forward Jermaine O'Neal, who returned to the lineup after missing a game with a knee injury but scored just 10 points.

The Pacers have lost 10 of their last 13 games against the Spurs, including a 90-72 loss March 21 in San Antonio.