MINNEAPOLIS — Tony Parker scored a career-high 55 points, including a 20-footer at the buzzer to force a second overtime, as the Spurs defeated the Timberwolves 129-125 on Wednesday night.
The Spurs avoided an 0-4 start for the first time since 1973, when they played in the ABA.
“I just wanted to win so bad. I was going to try to do everything I can,” said Parker, whose previous best was a 38-point effort in January 2006 at Miami. “It’s just one of those games. Everything you do, it works.”
After Al Jefferson backed down Tim Duncan and sank a turnaround hook to put Minnesota up 116-114 with 2 1/2 seconds left in the first overtime, Parker took the inbounds pass, dribbled right, pump-faked once and let the ball fly.
Swish.
Jefferson, who had 30 points and 14 rebounds, paused to sit on the scorer’s table before play resumed and just shook his head as if to say: “What more can we do?”
Mike Miller had 12 of his 25 points in the first quarter for Minnesota, which held a nine-point lead twice but lost its edge late in the third while the Spurs closed with a 26-14 run.
Parker scored six of his team’s first eight points in the second overtime to stretch the lead to four, though Randy Foye made a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the lead to one. The Spurs were in perfect position to rebound two missed jumpers, before Parker finally went to the line with 19 seconds left and made it 128-125.
