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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Even on an off-night, the San Antonio
Spurs pull out a victory.
Tim Duncan had 28 points and nine rebounds Sunday night for the
Spurs, who didn't play well yet still turned in their fourth
consecutive victory, holding off the Golden State Warriors 84-76.
The Spurs, who have won nine of their last 11, played without David
Robinson, who was out with tightness in his lower back. He is
expected to play Tuesday night when the Spurs play host to the
Dallas Mavericks.
The Spurs own the NBA's best record at 55-22 with five games
remaining. Against Golden State, they committed 17 turnovers, made
just three of 12 3-point attempts and were outrebounded 52-41.
"We're just thrilled to get out of here with a win," Spurs
coach Gregg Popovich said. "Golden State played loose and they
played aggressive. But we got the win, and that's the important
thing."
San Antonio outscored the Warriors 22-18 in the fourth quarter
as Duncan had 10 points in the period, including two free throws
and a basket in the lane, putting the Spurs ahead 80-71 with 2:33
remaining.
But it wasn't the same playing without Robinson, who missed his
first game of the season. The Warriors had 22 offensive rebounds. A
36 percent shooting percentage was a big part of Golden State's
undoing.
"It is so difficult without David in there, he is such a big
asset for us," Duncan said. "The Warriors played tough, they were
real aggressive. We really missed David out there and all that he
brings to the table."
Antonio Daniels made six of eight shots and finished with 19 points
for the Spurs. Danny Ferry added 10.
The Spurs closed out a three-game road trip, winning all three.
They have important homes games this week against Dallas,
Sacramento and Denver over a five-day stretch.
"We would be crazy to say we don't care about having the best
record. Obviously we would love to have it," Popovich said.
"Philadelphia, Sacramento and several other teams are trying to
get us. If it happens, it happens."
Warriors coach Dave Cowens said he believes the Spurs are the NBA's best
team right now, so he took the defeat with a grain of reality.
"This is arguably the best team in the NBA and I know we got
them on a back-to-back, but we held them to 84 points and that's
pretty good," Cowens said. "We did a good job in the post and we
decided not to give them any 3-pointers. We played Duncan open and
we caused some turnovers. I think we played better defensively than
we have in quite some time."
Vonteego Cummings had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists
for the struggling Warriors, who have lost seven in a row and 18 of
their last 19. Injury-plagued Golden State, which suited up just
nine players, has compiled a 4-32 record since Jan. 21.
Antawn Jamison added 13 points for Golden State, Chris Porter
had 12 points and Corie Blount 10 points and 14 rebounds.
"We didn't want another game like Portland when everybody booed
us," Cummings said. "We still came up short, so we're not
satisfied."
The Spurs led 45-39 at the half and 62-58 going into the final
period.
Game notes
Daniels made a running 3-pointer just past midcourt to
conclude the first half. ... The Spurs improved to 21-1 when they
hold a team less than 80 points. ... Ferry leads the NBA in 3-point
shooting and entered the game making 28 of his last 48 attempts.
... Jamison missed all three shots and had zero points at the half
and finished 4-for-18.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
San Antonio Clubhouse
Golden State Clubhouse
RECAPS
Miami 81
New York 76
Indiana 108
New Jersey 83
Sacramento 98
Portland 89
Toronto 100
Chicago 88
LA Lakers 104
Minnesota 99
San Antonio 84
Golden State 76
Seattle 101
Milwaukee 88
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