San Antonio Spurs rally to beat Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime
The San Antonio Spurs’ 11-game winning streak was about to be snapped, but Argentinean guard Manu Ginobili erupted in the final period to give the Spurs a come-from-behind win over the Minnesota
Timberwolves, 113-109, in overtime on Wednesday 24 November.
Ginobili erupted for 14 of his 26-point total in the final period to help the Spurs erase a 21-point deficit to force an overtime, where the Spurs buckled down with their defence to escape
with their 13th win in their first 14 games this season.
“I thought there was no chance we were going to win it,” said Ginobili, whose team have won their last 12 games. “We were down 20, nothing was falling, and 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.”
Richard Jefferson also had a big night for the Spurs as he finished the game with 19 points; starting point guard Tony Parker added 18 points and six assists, while Tim Duncan racked up nine
points and 13 rebounds. San Antonio were about to absorb their second loss of the season, but they managed to survive to stay on top of the standings.
With the Spurs down by three points, 106-103, with only 16.2 seconds left in regulation time, rookie guard Gary Neal drew a foul from beyond-the-arc and he calmly sank all three free throws
to force an extra five minutes. The Spurs then leaned on their championship experience, and took the lead for the first time, 111-109, with 49.7 seconds left in the game and they clamped down on the Timberwolves in the ensuing possessions to escape with the
hard-earned win.
“I thought our guys showed really good perseverance and that it's a 48-minute game,” said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. “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.”
Kevin Love led the Timberwolves with his game-highs 32 points and 22 rebounds; Darko Milicic had 22 points and eight rebounds, while guard rookie Wesley Johnson added 15 points on 5-for-7
shooting, but their efforts were not enough to protect their 21-point lead in the final quarter that led to their 12th defeat of the season.
“The few games that we lost, it kind of got in our heads,” said Milicic, who shot 10-for-17 from the field. “We're thinking too much. We are just not enjoying playing basketball in the fourth
quarter. It's kind of like we're scared to win. I don't know why.”
The Timberwolves, who have now lost 13 in a row against the Spurs, will try to end their three-game losing skid when they host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday 27 November.
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