NBA: Ginobili sparks Spurs past Pelicans in over-time
San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills, left, of Australia, chases the loose ball against New Orleans Pelicans guard Jimmer Fredette in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014, in San Antonio. AP
SAN ANTONIO, United States – Manu Ginobili sank the last of his 26 points on a layup with 24 seconds remaining in over-time Wednesday to give San Antonio a 95-93 victory over New Orleans.
The reigning NBA champion Spurs had lost seven of their prior nine games, including a defeat at the hands of the Pelicans last Friday. San Antonio improved to 20-14 while the Pelicans fell to 16-16.
New Orleans took an 84-82 lead on a slam dunk by Anthony Davis with 0.7 of a second remaining in the fourth quarter.
But when Boris Diaw launched an inbounds pass to Spurs star Tim Duncan near the rim, the Pelicans’ Omer Asik inadvertently tipped the ball into his own team’s basket at the buzzer to send the game into over-time.
Duncan scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Spurs, while Argentina’s Ginobili came off the bench to spark the victory.
Davis had 21 points, 12 boards and four steals to lead the Pelicans. Ryan Anderson added 18 points and 11 rebounds for New Orleans while Jrue Holiday contributed 13 points and nine assists in a losing cause.
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