Spurs escape with victory in Milwaukee

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-03-03 09:06

NEW YORK - The San Antonio Spurs won their eighth straight game on Saturday, Manu Ginobili scoring 30 points and Tony Parker 26 in a narrow 96-94 road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.


The San Antonio Spurs' Kurt Thomas (40) is fouled by the Milwaukee Bucks' Yi Jianlian during their NBA game on Saturday in Milwaukee. Yi played only five minutes with no points and no rebounds during the Bucks' 96-94 loss to the Spurs. [Agencies] 

"We're certainly very fortunate to get the win," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

The NBA champion Spurs are now the top seed in the Western Conference and hold a one-game lead over the New Orleans Hornets in the Southwest Division.

After a late Milwaukee surge, Ginobili hit a shot with 13.2 seconds remaining to give San Antonio a 95-94 lead and it was 96-94 when Milwaukee's Michael Redd was fouled with one second left. He missed the first shot and deliberately failed with the second before Andrew Bogut got the rebound and missed at the final buzzer.

Parker was 11-for-16 from the field in the best of the five games he has played since returning from a foot injury on February 21.

"That was the best game since he came back off the injury," Popovich said. "He looked really confident. He looked more like the Tony that we're used to."

San Antonio's Tim Duncan was held to nine points and seven rebounds.

Redd had 25 points and Bogut added 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Bucks, whose three-game home winning streak was snapped. Milwaukee lost point guard Mo Williams in the third quarter when he was ejected for arguing with officials with his team leading 58-51.

In Phoenix, the Philadelphia 76ers won for the ninth time in 12 games and tasted victory in Phoenix for the first time in six years by posting a 119-114 win over the Suns. Phoenix fell to 2-4 since Shaquille O'Neal became active after being acquired from the Miami Heat. Andre Iguodola scored 32 points and Andre Miller had 25 points and 12 assists for Philadelphia.



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