By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Even Manu Ginobili thought the San Antonio Spurs' incredible winning streak was over.
Nothing was falling and the Minnesota Timberwolves were dominating them
down low like few others have. But the veteran Spurs didn't give in
even when it appeared to be over, dealing the young Wolves another
painful lesson in the process.
Ginobili
scored 14 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Spurs
from 21 points down for their 12th straight victory, 113-109 in
overtime on Wednesday night.
Richard
Jefferson added 19 points and Tony Parker had 18 points and six assists
for the Spurs, who didn't lead until there were 49 seconds to play in
overtime, but still improved to an NBA-best 13-1.
"I thought there was no chance we were going to win it," Ginobili said.
"We were down 20, nothing was falling, we're not playing with the kind
of aggressiveness and energy that you need to overcome a deficit like
that. I thought it was going to be a loss. Then slowly, very slowly, we
started to recover."
Kevin Love had 32
points and 22 rebounds, and Darko Milicic had 22 points, eight rebounds
and five blocks for the Timberwolves, who blew a fourth-quarter lead
for the third time this season.
"The few
games that we lost, it kind of got in our heads," Milicic said. "We're
thinking too much. We're just not enjoying playing basketball in the
fourth quarter. It's kind of like we're scared to win. I don't know
why. We're up 20, just keep playing."
After
a horrid shooting start to the game, the Spurs hit 6-of-10 3s in the
fourth. Gary Neal was fouled on a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in
regulation and hit all three free throws to tie it at 106.
The Spurs missed 17 of their first 19 3-pointers, but Matt Bonner's 3
from the elbow gave them their first lead of the game with 49 seconds
to go in overtime.
"I thought our guys
showed really good perseverance and that it's a 48-minute game," Spurs
coach Gregg Popovich said. "If you just keep chugging, something can
happen for you and it worked for us. We're thrilled with the victory
because I thought they played very, very well."
Once again, the youngest team in the league couldn't find out a way to
close a game. The Wolves' offense grew stagnant in the fourth quarter
as the Spurs made their run, and you could feel them tighten up as the
score got closer and closer.
Tim Duncan had nine points and 13 rebounds, but was thoroughly outplayed by Love and Milicic down low for most of the game.
Wolves coach Kurt Rambis called it his team's best performance of the
season. The youngsters were devastated in the locker room after the
game, but the coach is doing his best to keep their heads up as they
simply wait to get more experience.
"It's
all part of it," Rambis said. "It's being able to be in those situation
multiple times over many years. ... Guys just didn't have the poise and
confidence to be able to make the right decisions at the right times in
crucial junctures of the ballgame."
The
Spurs rolled into Target Center with the best record in the league,
having won every game since a 99-90 loss to New Orleans on Oct. 30, the
second game of the season.
Perhaps taking
the Wolves a little too lightly early, the Spurs slumped through a
listless first three quarters. They shot just 32.6 percent in the first
half and missed 12 of their 13 3-pointers, an uncharacteristically poor
shooting start for the team that led the NBA in 3-point shooting at 44
percent coming into the night.
Love and
Milicic owned Duncan, DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter down low,
combining for 29 points and 18 rebounds in the first half as the Wolves
built an 18-point lead.
The breathing room
didn't help the young Wolves, who have struggled to hold leads all
season. They settled for too many quick jump shots early in possessions
during a particularly stagnant stretch in the third quarter that
allowed the veteran Spurs to creep back into it.
Michael Beasley had an off night with 11 points and nine boards on
5-for-12 shooting and he committed three costly turnovers in the fourth
quarter and overtime.
"I don't even notice
it," Popovich said of the streak. "Every game is a game and we don't
even think about it. We'll lose our share, it will end like every other
streak."
NOTES:
San Antonio has won 13 in a row over the Wolves. ... Milicic had seven
turnovers. ... Timberwolves TV analyst Jim Petersen had a mild heart
attack on Wednesday and missed the game. The team said he is resting
comfortably at a local hospital. ... The Spurs signed G Ime Udoka and
he played 3 minutes.
