Duncan's tip stuns Bulls
RECAP | BOXSCORE
11-23-2005
Tim Duncan's last second tip slam left the Bulls in shock
A sellout United Center crowd stood in stunned silence after Tim Duncan rebounded a missed shot by teammate Manu Ginobili and slammed it home with just one-tenth of a second remaining, giving the Spurs a 93-92 win.
The Bulls and Spurs exchanged baskets in the final minutes of the game as the lead changed hands on nearly every possession. Ben Gordon scored on an impressive slam dunk to give the Bulls a 92-91 lead with 10.8 seconds to play.
The Spurs set up a shot for Ginobili, who missed from 20 feet. Tim Duncan soared over Antonio Davis, grabbed the ball with both hands and dunked it in one spectacular motion.
"You could practically hear a pin drop after that play," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
Duncan's last second heroics ruined what was an otherwise solid game against the NBA champs. Neither team led by more than five points at any point.
After trailing at the end of the first and second quarters, the Bulls led 68-65 after three quarters as Eddy Curry and Luol Deng combined for 15 of the Bulls' 25 points.
Reserves Brent Barry and Beno Udrih helped get the Spurs back into the game in the fourth. Barry hit a three-pointer to give the Spurs a 85-84 lead with less than two minutes to play. The two teams battled back and forth until Duncan scored the decicive basket.
Curry had a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls while Deng added 18 points. Antonio Davis had a vintage game off the bench putting up 12 points and grabbing 14 boards.
Ginobili led the Spurs with 22 points on 10-for-18 shooting. Brent Barry had 16 off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting, including 10 points in the fourth quarter.