SAN ANTONIO – Chris Duhon scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, Chicago’s zone defense shut down San Antonio in the final minutes, and the Bulls broke a long winless streak against the Spurs with a 106-99 victory.
Tim Duncan tied the game at 85 on a hook shot with 8:13 remaining, but San Antonio made only four more baskets on 13 shots.
Chicago, meanwhile, went 9-for-14 down the stretch to beat the Spurs for the first time since December 2000. Duhon started the charge with a 17-footer and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to make it 90-85, and he capped the scoring with a pair of free throws with 9.5 seconds left.
The Bulls had lost nine straight to the Spurs, including an overtime game in Chicago earlier this month, and had not won in San Antonio since 1998.
Ben Gordon led Chicago with 19 points and Luol Deng added 17. Andres Nocioni had 13 points and Tyson Chandler, who defended Duncan effectively late in the game, had 12 rebounds.
Duncan finished with 24 points, 12 in the fourth, and 11 rebounds. Manu Ginobili added 16 points and Nick Van Exel had a season-high 15, all but two coming in the second period. Michael Finley scored 12 points for the Spurs, who lost at home for the first time this season.
A 3-pointer by Ginobili in the opening minutes gave San Antonio a 12-5 lead, but the Spurs missed 10 of their next 11 attempts.
Chicago tied it at 15 late in the first when Gordon found Othella Harrington for a dunk, then Gordon made a 17-footer to give the Bulls their first lead.
The Bulls’ advantage grew to 27-19 on a short jumper by Chandler, but Van Exel hit three straight 3-pointers and Finley made a jumper to cut Chicago’s lead to 34-32 with about five minutes left in the second period.
A layup by Darius Songaila restored the Bulls’ lead to seven points in the final minute of the half, but Duncan made a pair of free throws and Finley connected on a corner 3-pointer to make it 45-43 at the break. Van Exel scored 13 points in the second on 5-for-7 shooting.
Notes: The teams combined for 46 3-point attempts, 28 of them by the Spurs. … The teams together had 46 assists, 25 of them by Chicago. … The Spurs’ home court is still the SBC Center, even though SBC this week changed its name to AT&T Inc. The building’s name will eventually change, with AT&T Center and AT&T Arena among the possibilities.
AP-ES-11-25-05 2326EST
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