NBA Game Summary - San Antonio at Cleveland

02.28.2005

Cleveland, OH (Basketball News) - Tim Duncan made up for a costly goaltending foul and buried the game-winning shot as time expired in regulation, lifting San Antonio to an exciting 94-92 win over Cleveland at Gund Arena.

Duncan finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who have won the last three meetings with Cleveland, including both matchups this season. San Antonio has won three of its last four overall. Tony Parker had 19 points and 10 assists, while Manu Ginobili netted 17 points in the win.

Cleveland was led by Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who recorded a game-high 26 points and pulled down eight boards. LeBron James had 20 points and Jeff McInnis added 14 as the Cavs dropped their third straight game. Cleveland also had a three-game win streak at home come to an end.

The fourth quarter was a see-saw battle until the Spurs grabbed some breathing room at 87-83 courtesy of Bruce Bowen’s wide-open three from the left baseline with two minutes on the clock.

The Cavs later pulled within 92-90 with 20 seconds to go when Duncan was called for goaltending after tipping in McInnis’ three-point shot. Ginobili was then fouled with 19.2 seconds remaining and missed both shots as the Gund Arena cheers raised a few decibels.

Cleveland got the ball back and James found a wide-open Ilgauskas, whose layup tied the game at 92-92 with 14.2 seconds left. Duncan then redeemed himself by knocking down a wide-open, 15-foot jumper as time expired for the game-winner.

The Cavaliers took control of the first quarter and led 25-20 after 12 minutes of play. San Antonio, however, outscored the Cavs by a 19-15 margin in the second period and pulled within 40-39 at halftime. Ilgauskas led all scorers at the break with 13 points, while Parker paced the Spurs with 10 points.

San Antonio took back the lead in the second half, but a pair of James free throws with 6:16 to go in the third quarter gave the Cavs a 52-51 edge. Cleveland was in front the rest of the period and carried a 70-64 lead into the final quarter.

Prior to the game, the Cavs placed forward/center Scott Williams on the injured list and activated forward/center Anderson Varejao off the IL...The Spurs are 7-0 this season versus the Central Division...San Antonio improved to 11-2 this season following a loss...Cleveland is in the midst of its first three-game skid since the start of the season.

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