DENVER-
Robert Horry wouldn’t even rank this among his best.
But his rainbow 3-pointer with 30 seconds left saved the San Antonio Spurs, whose 96-89 win over Denver on Monday night gave them a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“It doesn’t even make the top five or top 10,” Horry said of his shot. “There was too much time on the clock.”
To Denver, Horry’s shot may have just been the series breaker. Tony Parker drove through the lane and kicked it out to Horry all alone in the right corner. Horry swished the shot as Marcus Camby, the league’s defensive player of the year, ran at him.
“That’s what he does,” Nuggets guard Allen Iverson said. “He makes big shots for them. When they needed a big shot, he delivered. That one hurt us.”
Horry also helped the Spurs win Game 3 when he stole an inbounds pass and hit a 3-pointer.
“I hate him, but I love him,” Manu Ginobili said jokingly. “He makes those shots all the time when they count. We’re so glad to have him.”
However, the Spurs were confident they could work their way back into the game after falling behind by as many as 10 points in the second half.
“It wasn’t a lead we couldn’t overcome,” said Ginobili, who finished with 18 points. “We stuck together. We were really tired, but the last couple of minutes we got it.”
The Spurs hid their fatigue well. The Nuggets didn’t, especially in the fourth quarter.
“We maybe ran out of gas at the end,” George Karl said. “Playing a shorter rotation I think caught up to us a little bit.”
Then again, it may have just been the Spurs’ experience at crunch time.
“We don’t seem to get rattled,” Tim Duncan said. “We fight through whatever is happening. That’s just the M.O. of the team. That’s a great thing to have.”
The Nuggets may not have the Spurs’ playoff swagger yet, but a series like this is helping them develop an identity.
“The energy, the intensity, the understanding how hard it is to win a playoff game—all that has been good for us,” Karl said. “It doesn’t feel good now. In time, it will be good for us.”
Steve Blake knocked down a jumper with 38.4 seconds remaining that would’ve tied the game had his right sneaker not been on the 3-point line. Instead, it pulled the Nuggets to within one, 90-89, setting up Horry’s game-sealing shot.
“We make good plays to get back to try to win it, and Horry, of course, breaks your heart with the 3,” Karl said.
Duncan shrugged off officiating calls that weren’t going his way and a sluggish first half to finish with 22 points and 11 boards. After Camby swatted away one of his shots, Duncan stared down official Bill Kennedy as Kennedy just ignored him.
Asked after the game if he was frustrated by the lack of calls, Duncan simply answered, “Yeah.”
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich thought Duncan did a good job adjusting his game in the second half to the way it was being called. Duncan scored 10 of his 22 points in the third quarter.
“I thought he maintained his composure, focused really well,” Popovich said.
Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 29 points and Iverson had 22. Camby added 10 points and 17 rebounds.
The Nuggets weren’t the same team after Anthony went to the bench after picking up his fourth offensive foul late in the third quarter and the team leading 71-62. San Antonio quickly worked its way back into the game.
“We never got a rhythm after that foul,” Karl said.
Anthony was disappointed with all the calls that went against him.
“I thought they could go either way,” he said. “I don’t think that’s what determined the game. We still had a chance to win the game.”
Although the Nuggets are trailing the series 3-1, they’re conceding nothing.
“Game 5 is a game of heart and guts,” Karl said. “It’s like being on the playground—if you lose, you’re out. You can’t think of winning anything but one.”
Notes:@ Parker finished with 15 points and four assists. … The Nuggets dropped to 2-6 at the Pepsi Center in their last four playoff appearances. … Nene tied a career high with 18 points.
