Spurs hold off Warriors to advance

OAKLAND, California (AFP) –

Manu Ginobli of the San Antonio Spurs shoots over Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors in Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2013 NBA Playoffs on May 16, 2013 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The Spurs won 94-82 to take the series 4-2.

The San Antonio Spurs booked a return trip to the NBA Western Conference finals on Thursday, holding off the Golden State Warriors 94-82 to win their second-round playoff series.

San Antonio’s Tony Parker endured a difficult night of 3-of-13 shooting, but two of those baskets were crucial three-pointers in the final four minutes to help the Spurs fend off the determined young Warriors team.

The Spurs won the best-of-seven series four games to two and will face the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference finals for a place in the league’s championship series.

San Antonio will host the Grizzlies in game one on Sunday. Two years ago, the Grizzlies shocked the Spurs in the first round. The Spurs returned to the Western Conference finals last season, but fell to Oklahoma City.

Tim Duncan scored 19 points to lead the Spurs. Parker and Manu Ginobili both struggled with their shooting but combined for 19 assists.

Ginobili scored five points on 1-of-6 shooting — his only basket of the night a driving layup to stretch the Spurs lead back to five points after Golden State’s Klay Thompson had drained a three-pointer to trim the deficit to three points with 10 minutes remaining.

Back-to-back jump shots by Thompson and Stephen Curry cut the Warriors’ deficit to 77-75 with 4:52 to play.

A Spurs turnover then gave Golden State a chance to tie, but Curry was off-target with two attempts.

A three-pointer by Parker saw the Spurs regain some breathing room.

Kawhi Leonard also made a big three-pointer for San Antonio in the waning minutes, while Golden State’s Thompson and Curry both saw three-point attempts rattle around the rim and fail to fall.

Parker, meanwhile, drained another three-pointer to put the Spurs up 88-79 with 1:15 to play.

Andrew Bogut of the Golden State Warriors fights for position against Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs in Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2013 NBA Playoffs on May 16, 2013 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The Spurs booked a return trip to the NBA Western Conference finals, holding off the Warriors 94-82

“As we’ve said a lot in the playoffs, sometimes in the end it comes down to making shots. Down the stretch we made a couple of threes … we did make some shots down the stretch and they didn’t,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

Parker scored 10 of his 13 points in the final four minutes.

“I was just tired, obviously,” Parker said of his shooting woes. “I think all the minutes caught up with me. Tonight I just didn’t have it.

“But I just kept believing in me. My teammates were behind me, kept telling me: ‘Keep shooting, they’ll go in.’

“I made the two big threes at the end of the game, so thank you to all my teammates believing in me and Coach Pop leaving me on the court.”

Leonard finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who got 14 points from Tiago Splitter and 11 from Danny Green.

Curry led the Warriors with 22 points on 10-of-25 shooting but only scored six points in the second half.

Jarrett Jack added 15 points for the Warriors, who were without forward Harrison Barnes in the fourth quarter after his frightening fall near the end of the first half.

Barnes came down hard on his right side, his head hitting the court. He needed six stitches in a cut over his right eye, returned to the game in the third quarter but then departed complaining of a headache.

“Sometimes one of the best statements you can make is fighting,” said Warriors coach Mark Jackson. “Guys battled. Guys gave me everything they had. And we fought. I could not be prouder of any group.”