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Duncan fuels Spurs to OT win over Clippers

Apr 23, 2015 - 6:04 AM Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Spurs haven't trailed 0-2 in a first-round playoff series since 1999.

Tim Duncan made sure it stayed that way.

Duncan posted 28 points, 11 rebounds and four assists and San Antonio picked up a crucial 111-107 overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers to even their first-round playoff series at one game apiece.

Duncan was forced to play 44 minutes, more than he logged in any of San Antonio's 23 playoff games last season, but the 38-year-old still found a way to produce when it mattered most.

"He continues to amaze me," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of his star big man.

It was tied at 101-101 with less than two minutes to play in OT when Duncan hit an off-balance runner over the NBA's leading shot blocker, DeAndre Jordan. Patty Mills and Kawhi Leonard put in layups on the next two trips to make it 107-101.

The Clippers wouldn't go down without a fight. Chris Paul hit a 3-pointer on their next trip and after Mills made it a five-point game with a pair of free throws, J.J. Redick potted a 3 to make it 109-107.

Mills, who forced overtime with two foul shots late in regulation, stepped up to the line once again and put the game away with two more. He finished with a playoff career-high 18 points off the bench, while Leonard tallied 23 points and nine boards for the reigning champs.

Blake Griffin posted a triple-double in the loss with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Paul scored 21 points and Jordan tallied 20 points an 15 boards.

"We made a lot of mistakes," said Clippers coach Doc Rivers. "I don't know if we played our best game tonight, I think that was pretty obvious, yet we still had a chance."

The Spurs will host Game 3 on Friday.

The Clippers put Game 1 away with a dominant third quarter, but the Spurs were up to the task in Game 2. San Antonio's didn't let the Clippers go on a run, as their lead hovered between one and 10 throughout the period until Redick's free throws with 46 seconds left made it a one-point game the other way. Mills hit a pair of 3-pointers on the next two Spurs trips, however, to restore a three-point lead after three.

Danny Green hit from deep early in the fourth, highlighting an 11-4 run that extended the margin to eight. Leonard put a spin move on Redick and hit a fadeaway jumper at 6:41 to make it 88-78.

Controversy arose over the next few minutes. The Spurs held eight when Duncan tried to foul Jordan intentionally, but the refs ignored the intentional foul and Redick hit an off-balance 3-pointer moments later.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was assessed a technical foul for arguing during the ensuing timeout, but Redick's free throw rimmed out to keep the margin at five.

Jordan did just enough from the stripe as the Spurs continued to foul him intentionally over the next few minutes. He finished the stanza 6-for-17 from the stripe but went 3-for-6 over his next three trips to get the Clippers within two.

Redick sank a pair of free throws with 2:03 remaining to tie the game at 90. After Marco Belinelli hit a baseline jumper over Jordan, the Clippers scored four straight to go in front.

Griffin had a chance to put the game away with a late isolation and his team holding two, but he lost the ball to Boris Diaw. The play resulted in Paul fouling a streaking Mills, who was pure on two free throws with 8.6 ticks left.

Paul's jumper over Duncan hit back iron at the end of regulation.

"I tried to get back on Mills and contest without fouling," said Paul. "Then I missed a shot I should have made."

Paul and Griffin did all they could over the first 24 minutes to help the Clippers keep pace. The duo scored or assisted on 41 of their 47 points.

But Duncan had 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting, San Antonio's bench chipped in 20 and the Spurs owned a 52-47 halftime advantage.

Game Notes

Spurs guard Tony Parker experienced pain in his right achilles in the fourth quarter and did not return. He finished 0-for-6 from the field ... Duncan became the fifth player in NBA postseason history to score at least 5,000 points. This was his 100th career playoff game with 20 points and 10 rebounds ... Diaw gave 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists off the bench for the Spurs, while Redick scored 16 points for the Clippers ... There were 10 ties and nine lead changes.