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Saturday, Dec. 23 7:30pm ET
Wesley helps halt Spurs' win streak

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- David Wesley wouldn't mind some national recognition for the Charlotte Hornets -- but not at the expense of the team's recent success.

David Wesley
Charlotte guard David Wesley scored six clutch points in OT to help the Hornets nip the Spurs.

Wesley scored 21 points, six coming in overtime, as the Hornets beat the San Antonio Spurs 88-84 on Saturday night. It was the sixth win in a row for the Hornets (19-9), who continued to build on the best start in franchise history.

"It would be nice to turn some heads nationally -- I said nationally," said Wesley, who tied Jamal Mashburn for team scoring honors. "But I hate to start talking about the best start in franchise history. The last time we did that, we went on a five-game losing streak."

Baron Davis contributed 16 points for Charlotte, most in clutch situations. Tim Duncan paced the Spurs with 29 points and 16 rebounds. David Robinson and Derek Anderson scored 12 points each for San Antonio.

Wesley hit back-to-back jumpers to give Charlotte an 83-79 lead with 1:09 left in overtime. After Sean Elliott answered with a layup at the 1:05 mark, Davis hit a jumper from the top of the key with 47.1 seconds to play.

Despite a 3-pointer from Duncan with 16.9 seconds remaining, the Hornets preserved the win at the foul line with two free throws from Wesley and one from Elden Campbell.

"We had a few chances to come back, but we didn't take advantage of them," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "Wesley hit some shots down the stretch, so the game ended up being on the other side of the ledger.

"Wesley, Mashburn and Davis have many talents, and they can all score."

The Hornets used a 26-6 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to take a 70-57 lead on Lee Nailon's jumper with 10:28 to play in regulation.

But Steve Kerr scored eight points in a 12-2 San Antonio run that saw the Spurs close to 72-69 with 7:41 left. The Spurs eventually tied the game at 79 with a 3-pointer from Anderson.

The Spurs had several chances to win the game in regulation, but Duncan missed two free throws with 9.3 seconds to play, followed by a missed 3 from Elliott, a missed putback from Anderson and a missed jumper from Duncan.

"Turnovers hurt us in the third quarter, and that's the thing we need to work on," Elliott said. "Tonight we played a quality team, and we can't get away with turnovers against a quality team. Wesley hit some jump shots at the end that really killed us."

Duncan had 14 of San Antonio's 21 points in the first quarter and 18 at the half on 8-of-13 shooting, as the Spurs built a 5-point lead after two periods.

San Antonio led by seven four times in the second quarter and led 43-38 at the break. The Spurs extended their lead to 51-44 on Derek Anderson's jumper with 9:24 to play in the third quarter, but the Hornets pulled even at 53-53 with a 9-2 run capped by Wesley's turnaround jumper from the baseline with 6:46 in the period.

With two 3-pointers from Mashburn and one from Hersey Hawkins, Charlotte surged to a 66-57 lead after three quarters. The Spurs managed just four points in the final 7:29 of the third period.

"We're really confident right now," Davis said. "We believe we can play with the best, and we believe we are one of the best."

Game notes
The Hornets lead Cleveland by 2½ games in the Central Division, the largest such margin in franchise history. ... San Antonio's season-best four-game winning streak came to an end. ... For only the fourth time in 18 games this season, the Spurs lost while holding an opponent under 90 points. ... Duncan and Robinson combined to score 40 or more points for the fourth time this season.
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard

San Antonio Clubhouse

Charlotte Clubhouse


RECAPS
Atlanta 91
Indiana 87

Charlotte 88
San Antonio 84

Detroit 106
Chicago 93

Miami 86
New Jersey 80

Orlando 111
Cleveland 92

Utah 98
Minnesota 92

Golden State 95
Houston 87

Milwaukee 104
Boston 99

Phoenix 102
Denver 93

Portland 87
Washington 70

LA Clippers 92
Vancouver 90

Sacramento 97
Seattle 92

FROM
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