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Warriors Beat Spurs 97-87 in OT to Level Series 2-2

Harrison Barnes had 26 points and 10 rebounds, Stephen Curry scored 22 on an injured left ankle and the Golden State Warriors rallied past the San Antonio Spurs 97-87 in overtime Sunday to even the Western Conference semifinal at two games apiece.

Jarrett Jack added 24 points in reserve and Andrew Bogut grabbed 18 rebounds to help the Warriors overcome an eight-point deficit in the final five minutes of regulation. Golden State scored the first nine points of overtime to whip the yellow-shirt wearing crowd of 19,596 into a frenzy and give this topsy-turvy series another twist.

Manu Ginobili had 21 points and Tim Duncan added 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Spurs, who were outshot 35.5 to 38 percent in what was an ugly offensive game most of the afternoon. The Warriors outrebounded San Antonio 65 to 51.

Game 5 is Tuesday in San Antonio.

The Spurs seized control of a sloppy, slugfest at the start and went cold shooting when it mattered most. Tony Parker, wearing a black sleeve around his bruised left calf, poured in 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting but never broke free the way he did by scoring 32 points the previous contest.

Ginobili hit a mid-range jumper and a 3-pointer, and Kawhi Leonard put back a rebound for an easy layup to out the Spurs ahead 80-72 with 4:49 remaining in the fourth quarter. The home sellout crowd sat down and fell silent for one of the few times in the fourth quarter all postseason with the series slipping away.

Jack hit a pair of difficult pull-up jumpers before Klay Thompson's fadeaway beat the shot clock, and Jack followed with another shot to tie the game in the final minute.

Parker provided another big shot on the other end. He used a screen from Duncan to break free of the dribble, sinking a 15-footer from the wing to put the Spurs ahead 84-82 with 39.2 seconds left.

The Warriors called timeout, and had Thompson inbound. He got the ball back and dribbled to his left, banking a running shot over Leonard to even the score again.

Ginobili, whose 3-pointer capped San Antonio's double-overtime comeback in Game 1, shook Barnes to the floor but missed an open 3-pointer near his own bench. Jack corralled the ball in a scrum under the basket and called timeout, then Parker pressured him into a contested shot just inside the top of the arc to send the game to overtime.

Source: Associated Press


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