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Friday, Mar. 9 10:30pm ET
Duncan, Robinson clear path for Spurs' win

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

LOS ANGELES (AP) – In a match of two Western Conference contenders, San Antonio's Tim Duncan, David Robinson and a strong supporting cast outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

Tim Duncan
The Spurs' Tim Duncan, right, kicks the ball out to escape a double-team by Shaquille O'Neal and Horace Grant.
With Duncan scoring 29 points and grabbing 12 rebounds and Robinson reaching the 19,000-point plateau, the Spurs defeated the two-dimensional Lakers 93-89 in overtime Friday night for their sixth straight win.

"I thought both teams worked really hard, really got after each other in a playoff-type atmosphere," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Every game now is huge for every team."

Bryant, who skipped the morning shootaround because of nausea, scored 29 of his 38 points after halftime and had all the Lakers' points in overtime as the Spurs outscored them 10-6.

O'Neal had 33 points and 16 rebounds, but had only 13 points after halftime and missed the only shot he took in overtime.

He and Bryant combined for all but 18 of the Lakers' points.

"Their role players didn't take a lot of shots," Robinson said. "Their role players are important to them. When they come in and hit some shots, it's a key for them."

For the Spurs, Derek Anderson had 21 points, Robinson 11 and Avery Johnson had four of his 10 in overtime.

Bryant missed a long jumper with less than two seconds left in the extra period. San Antonio's Danny Ferry rebounded, was fouled and made a free throw for the final margin.

Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson thought Bryant, who took five of the Lakers' six shots in overtime and made three, might have been trying too hard to do everything himself.

"We got a bit erratic there," Jackson said. "We started playing a little too much one-on-one instead of staying with what was working for us throughout the game."

Said Bryant: "Normally we have a well-rounded attack, but tonight the shots just weren't falling for us."

San Antonio's Anderson had his long jumper at the buzzer of regulation bounce off the back of the rim to send the game into overtime tied at 83.

Bryant, fouled by Duncan as he tried to get off a jumper, made both free throws to tie it at 83 with 17 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Robinson had given San Antonio the lead 16 seconds earlier by making two from the line.

The Spurs led 80-75 with three minutes left, but didn't score again until Duncan made a free throw with 1:09 remaining in regulation.

Earlier, it took Robinson just 1:07 to reach the career scoring plateau, as he made an 8-foot hook for San Antonio's first points of the game. His slam dunk four minutes later tied him with one-time Spurs player Dale Ellis at No. 35 on the league's career scoring list at 19,004. Then, Robinson made that spot his own with a tip-in five minutes before halftime.

"It's nice to get there, even though my role has changed, not scoring so much now. My job now is mostly to play solid defense," said the Spurs' captain, who now has 19,009 points in his 12-year NBA career.

He drew his fourth foul and sat down with five minutes remaining in the third quarter, then stayed on the sidelines until coming back in with 7:58 to play and the Spurs ahead 72-70.

Bryant, who had a cold-shooting first half, went 6-for-9 and scored 13 points in the third quarter and the game was tied at 66 after three. He finished the game 16-for-33.

After falling behind 44-29 in the second quarter, Los Angeles rallied with a 13-0 streak over the final four minutes before halftime, including outscoring the Spurs 8-0 after Robinson drew his third foul and went to the bench.

Game notes
Robinson already was No. 35 on the NBA career rebounding list. ... Jackson said Isaiah Rider, who missed Friday's game as the first of a five-game suspension for failing to comply with the league's anti-drug policy, can still make a contribution to the team when he returns. Jackson said Rider definitely would dress for the first game after his suspension ends, March 16 at Washington. "He has to be on the floor; that's part of the contract. But I don't know whether he will play or not, that's something we'll see that night." Rider maintains he's never tested positive for drugs. ... Popovich still considers the Lakers the team to beat in the postseason: "They're the champions. You bet they're the team to beat."

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RECAPS
Indiana 99
Cleveland 84

Philadelphia 108
Atlanta 103

Boston 104
Washington 72

Miami 86
Minnesota 79

New Jersey 96
New York 83

Detroit 108
Chicago 75

Dallas 102
Golden State 73

Utah 107
Phoenix 95

Toronto 110
Seattle 99

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Portland 85

San Antonio 93
LA Lakers 89

Sacramento 110
Denver 104

AUDIO/VIDEO
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 Shaquille O'Neal follows his own missed free throw with a hoop.
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