RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Derek Anderson is the perfect complement to San Antonio big men David Robinson and Tim Duncan.
|  | | Cherokee Parks finds himself in a bad spot, right between Spurs defenders Tim Duncan, left, and Malik Rose. |
Anderson scored seven of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Spurs rallied to beat Washington 99-95 on Thursday night.
Anderson keyed San Antonio's 11-2 run late in the fourth quarter
as the Spurs kept the Wizards winless at home.
"He's better than what I expected because I didn't know he
could pass the basketball," Spurs coach Greg Popovich said.
"We knew he could slash, make shots and break down defenses.
But I didn't know he was so willing to hit the open man and he
really did that well."
Robinson led the Spurs with 21 points and 14 rebounds, and
Duncan had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Antonio Daniels added 14
points in 23 minutes as San Antonio won its third straight.
Anderson is aware his offensive contribution is crucial to the
Spurs' success.
"They (Robinson and Duncan) get doubled so much, you have to be
able to hit those shots to keep pressure on the defense," Anderson
said. "I used to go 1-on-1 and put pressure on people, but here
I'm just filling in a role and that helps them out.
"When they get doubled, they feel confident that when they throw it out, they are going to get a result."
Rod Strickland led Washington with 24 points, nine assists and
four rebounds. Reserve guard Richard Hamilton had 19 points in 38
minutes for the Wizards, who lost their fifth straight game.
"We got beat by a team that played a little bit better at the
end of the game," Washington coach Leonard Hamilton said. "Both
the teams got the same shot opportunities, but the difference in
the game was theirs fell, and ours didn't."
Mitch Richmond's 3-pointer gave the Wizards an 87-82 lead with
5:51 left in the game.
Sean Elliott hit two free throws for a 90-89 lead with 3:05 remaining, giving the Spurs their first lead since early in the
fourth quarter. Anderson's 3-pointer with two minutes left sealed the win.
The Wizards took a 45-36 lead with 7:43 remaining in the second
quarter on Gerard King's jumper. Daniels scored 12 points in the
period to keep the Spurs close.
Duncan scored six points and assisted Robinson for an alley-slam
during San Antonio's 10-0 run that gave the Spurs a 55-51 lead with
1:40 left in the first half. The Wizards countered with a 6-0 run
for a 57-55 lead at halftime.
The Wizards erased a seven-point deficit and led 31-27 after one
quarter, only the second time this season they've won the opening
period. For the second consecutive game, the Wizards had their
highest point total of the season in the first half.
"We've been in every game, I think that we have just got to keep going," Richard Hamilton said. "We can't get frustrated with ourselves, especially with our teammates. It is going to come around."
Game notes
The Spurs survived a scare with 1:55 left in the third
quarter when Washington's Cherokee Parks stepped on Duncan's neck.
After being checked by trainer Will Sevening, Duncan remained in
the game. ... Wizards reserve center Calvin Booth, a second-year
player from Penn State, blocked two shots and got a piece of
another he wasn't credited for as the first-half clock wound down.
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NBA Scoreboard
San Antonio Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
RECAPS
Portland 86
Toronto 80
San Antonio 99
Washington 95
LA Lakers 112
Sacramento 110
Houston 84
Charlotte 80
Denver 89
Chicago 85
Utah 99
Orlando 84
LA Clippers 76
Vancouver 72
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