• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Duncan, Spurs look to close out series vs. Nuggets

May 2, 2007 - 3:23 PM Denver at San Antonio 8:00 pm EDT Western Conference First Round Game Five

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- Once again, Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs are on the brink of advancing in the NBA playoffs.

Duncan and the Spurs aim to win a first-round series for the eighth straight season when they face the Denver Nuggets here on Wednesday.

San Antonio took a 3-1 lead over the Nuggets with a 96-89 victory on Monday. Duncan had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Manu Ginobili added 18 points off the bench for the Spurs.

The Spurs received a clutch 3-pointer from veteran Robert Horry with 30 seconds left to seal the win.

Two years ago, the Spurs lost the first game of an opening round series against Denver before winning the next four. They can replicate that on Wednesday.

The winner of this series will face either the second-seeded Phoenix Suns or seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns lead the series, 3-1, with Game Five in Phoenix on Wednesday.

The Nuggets, who are facing the possibility of being eliminated from the first round for the fourth straight year, have to get All-Star guard Allen Iverson on track. After scoring just 20 points on 7-of-20 from the field in Saturday's loss, Iverson continued to struggle from the floor Monday, making just 9-of-25 shots.

Denver has trailed 3-1 in a series eight times in its history, losing each time. Three times it won Game Five, and only once - vs. the Utah Jazz in 1994 - did it recover to force a Game Seven.