ReutersNene’s dunk off a pass from the driving Iverson made it 80-77. Anthony’s 3 and a basket by Iverson were followed by another Iverson-to-Nene combination to close an 11-0 Denver run and give the Nuggets a 10-point lead — their biggest of the game — with 3:27 left.
After Denver failed to get the ball over the half court line in time with under a minute to play, Parker hit a layup for the Spurs to bring them within 91-87 with 43.9 left.
Iverson missed his next shot, and Parker’s under the basket pass to Duncan for a dunk made it 91-89 Nuggets with 17.9 to go.
But Anthony and Nene hit two free throws a piece after each was fouled by Duncan to extend the lead to 95-89 with 11.6 seconds left and seal the game for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets had the lead for most of the first half as Duncan, Parker and Ginobili struggled from the field. They combined for 15 points and shot 7-of-33 from the field in the first half, one fewer than Anthony scored for Denver as he went 7-of-9. Iverson missed his first six shots, then hit four straight.
It was Finley who kept the Spurs within striking distance of Denver. He hit two of the Spurs’ first-half 3 pointers.
Anthony’s fast-break dunk off a long pass from Camby with 4.9 seconds on the clock gave Denver a 44-42 lead heading into the third quarter.
Iverson’s 11 points in the third, including a 3 with 2:39 left in the quarter, gave the Nuggets a slight edge going into the fourth.
Notes: Denver had 18 turnovers, leading to 27 points for San Antonio. The Spurs’ 15 turnovers cost them only 15 points. ... The Spurs went to the line just 10 times and made seven shots, and the Nuggets hit 21 of 25 foul shots (84 percent). ... The Nuggets outrebounded the Spurs 28-19 in the first half and 44-35 in the game. ... Parker’s fiancee, Eva Longoria, missed her own TV show, “Desperate Housewives,” to attend the game.
CSN: It's going to be a close one, but signs indicate the Celtics will beat the 76ers in Game 7 on Saturday. John Gonzalez breaks down the evidence.
ProBasketballTalk tweets |
|
Source: Twitter. For more, follow @basketballtalk. |
Video: NBA from NBC Sports |
Slideshow |
Celebs shine at NBA playoffs A look at the many celebrities who made appearances during this year's NBA playoffs. NBCSports.com |
Slideshow |
NBCSports.com |
Slideshow |
more photos |