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Rockets need extra time, but hand Spurs sixth straight loss

Apr 2, 2011 - 5:09 AM Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Kevin Martin scored nine of his 33 points in overtime and the Houston Rockets pulled away for a 119-114 victory over San Antonio, handing the Spurs their sixth straight loss.

Kyle Lowry knocked down a step-back jumper with 3.9 seconds left in regulation to tie the game for Houston, while Manu Ginobili took too much time on a drive at the other end for slumping San Antonio.

The Spurs also wasted precious seconds instead of fouling to stop the clock late in overtime, but they remain the NBA's top team and still lead the Lakers for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

LA trimmed its deficit to 1 1/2 games with a win Friday night against Utah.

Not even Tim Duncan, back for his second game since missing four with a sprained left ankle, has been able to stop San Antonio's slide.

He scored 23 points with 13 rebounds against the Rockets and hit Tony Parker with an over-the-shoulder pass for a layup that gave the Spurs a three-point lead with 1:03 left in regulation.

But, after Courtney Lee converted his steal at mid-court into a layup for Houston, Duncan missed 1-of-2 at the foul line to leave the door open for Lowry's game-tying shot.

Parker led the Spurs with 31 points, while Ginobili scored 23 and Gary Neal had 10 off the bench.

Luis Scola had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets, who have won seven of their last nine and remain three games behind Memphis for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

In a well-balanced attack, Houston got 14 points from Lowry, 12 apiece from Lee, Chase Budinger and Patrick Patterson and 10 points and 12 boards from Charles Hayes.

But Martin did most of the damage by himself in overtime, including hitting all six of his foul shots and a three-pointer.

Hayes scored the only other Rockets points in an 11-6 frame -- their first points, in fact, on a layup that tied the game at 110-110. Martin later buried a three to give Houston the lead for good at 115-114.

Ginobili was called for an offensive foul at the other end -- Scola took a charge in the lane -- and Martin made two of his free throws for a 117-114 lead.

Parker missed a three-point attempt with 27.9 seconds remaining. But the Spurs didn't foul Martin to stop the clock until there was 7.5 ticks left, despite head coach Gregg Popovich yelling at them from the sideline.

Martin made both free throws to seal the win, snapping Houston's five-game losing streak to the Spurs.

The Rockets led 31-27 after the first quarter and went ahead by as many as 10 in the second, carrying a 64-56 advantage into halftime. It was 87-85 Houston after three quarters and 108-108 at the end of regulation.

Game Notes

The Spurs have lost four in a row on the road and will play half of their remaining six games away from San Antonio...Houston also has six games remaining, including four at home...The Spurs lost despite out-shooting the Rockets 51-45 percent.