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Streaking Spurs get wild win in Denver

Dec 17, 2010 - 8:25 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Manu Ginobili rattled in the go-ahead shot with 4.2 seconds left, then took a game-winning charge on Carmelo Anthony at the other end to give San Antonio a thrilling 113-112 win over Denver.

Ginobili beat a double-team for his bucket, scoring the last of his 16 points with a running bank shot that rattled around the rim before dropping.

Anthony drove hard down the lane at the other end, knocking Ginobili over and hitting what appeared to hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer.

But the Nuggets forward was called for the offensive foul, and San Antonio inbounded the ball to run off the final ticks.

"To lose a game on something like that, it's tough," said Anthony, who led all scorers with 31 points, the last two coming after an inbounds steal on Denver's previous possession that gave the Nuggets a brief one-point lead.

It was a frantic end to San Antonio's seventh straight win, which gave the Spurs (22-3) their best 25-game start in franchise history.

Tim Duncan had 28 points and 16 rebounds in the victory, while Tony Parker scored 24 with nine assists.

The Nuggets were trying to extend their home winning streak to 11 games, but fell short despite overcoming a nine-point deficit with six minutes remaining.

Arron Afflalo scored 20 in support of Anthony, while Nene added 19 points and Ty Lawson had 15.

San Antonio took a nine-point lead midway through the fourth quarter with a 15-5 run that was capped by Matt Bonner's three-pointer. The Spurs still led by seven with just 3:38 remaining.

But the Nuggets, sparked by Afflalo's three-pointer and Anthony's driving layup, quickly cut their deficit to two at 106-104.

And each time the Spurs tried to re-gain control, the Nuggets had an answer. Richard Jefferson's three was followed by two missed free throws by Duncan, then a tough scoop in the lane by Anthony that made it a three-point game.

Parker missed a three and J.R. Smith hit 1-of-2 free throws to draw Denver within two points with 67 seconds left.

The Spurs were a little sloppy. George Hill was called for an offensive foul when he pushed Smith -- San Antonio's first turnover of the fourth quarter -- and Antonio McDyess was also called for a foul after a Ginobili miss.

Al Harrington made a free throw after that to cut Denver's lead to one, and after Ginobili restored it to three, Anthony responded with a dunk to get the Nuggets within 111-110 with 8.4 seconds left.

McDyess sent a sloppy inbounds pass to Ginobili under the basket, Smith knocked the ball loose, and Anthony picked it up for an easy bucket to give Denver a 112-111 lead with 7.1 ticks left.

But Ginobili was able to squeeze through a double-team at the other end, throwing a shot off the glass that fell for the go-ahead bucket and set the stage for his game-winning charge.

"That pretty much says it all about what he's capable of doing," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said of Ginobili's well-rounded effort.

Anthony, dejected after the loss, said he didn't think he should have been called for a foul on the last Nuggets play.

"What I think and what they called is two different things," he said.

The home Pepsi Center fans saw the Nuggets lead by as many as 10 points in the first quarter and as many as 12 in the second on the way to a 60-57 advantage at the half.

San Antonio shot 55 percent in the third quarter and got 10 points from Duncan to carry an 85-84 lead into the fourth.

Game Notes

San Antonio's previous best 25-game start was a 20-5 record during the 2004-05 and 2001-02 seasons...Denver is 2-4 since a seven-game winning streak...The Spurs shot 52 percent in the game, while the Nuggets shot 48 percent.