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SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs didnt dwell on nearly blowing a 24-point lead in the second half. Custom Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys . They won, and thats all that mattered to the veteran club. Tim Duncan had 29 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, and San Antonio overcame a fourth-quarter collapse to beat the Denver Nuggets 108-103 Wednesday night for its 15th straight victory. Tiago Splitter, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili had 10 points apiece for the Spurs (55-16), who have the leagues best record. „They made it competitive,“ Parker said. „They played with a lot of energy. We missed a lot of little stuff; easy layups that we always make and they got back in the game. It happens sometimes. Were not going to beat everybody by 20.“ It just seemed like they were after overwhelming the Nuggets in the first half. Danny Greens 3-pointer at the buzzer was his fifth of the half, giving San Antonio its largest lead of opening 24 minutes at 63-43. Green scored 16 points, all in the first half, before leaving with a foot injury early in the second. His status is unknown, but he wore a walking boot as a precaution after the game and will have an MRI on Thursday morning. „All of a sudden he couldnt walk,“ San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. „The bottom of the foot, there is something. They are going to X-ray it. I am just guessing it is plantar fasciitis or something like that.“ San Antonio had 19 assists while going 24 for 42 from the field and forcing nine turnovers in the first half. „We were getting embarrassed in the first half,“ Denver forward Darrell Arthur said. „I was upset. I had words with some of the guys in the locker room.“ Aaron Brooks scored 25 points and Kenneth Faried had 24 points, including 15 points in a frenzied final quarter for the Nuggets. Denver went on a 34-20 run in the final 11 minutes. „We played a good half, we played a bad half,“ Popovich said. „The NBA is a 48-minute game and youve got to keep playing.“ After leading by as many as 24 points and by 20 midway through the third quarter, San Antonio needed Duncans late heroics to preserve its win streak. Duncan scored all but one of the Spurs final 11 points, capping his performance with an off-balance jumper off the glass for a 107-99 lead with 30 seconds remaining. The heavily contested shot sealed the win and led Nuggets coach Brian Shaw to turn and smile at Popovich, who shook his head as well. „(Duncan) played a great all-around game,“ Popovich said. „Probably nobody noticed, but it was assists, boards, scoring — he was the guy that kept it together.“ Duncan finished the game 12 for 20, including going 4 for 5 in the final five minutes on a series of layups and jumpers. It seemed like it was going to be an early night for Duncan and San Antonios veterans after the team rolled to a sizeable early lead. The Nuggets opened at a frenetic pace and the Spurs were more than willing to play along. The teams combined for 24 shots in the opening six minutes. Green and Kawhi Leonard benefited the most from the fast start, going a combined 4 for 5 on 3-pointers. Leonard got the Spurs started by swatting Farieds jumper from behind off the opening tip and then hitting a 3-pointer and 19-footer to give San Antonio a 7-4 lead. Green then hit three consecutive 3-pointers to extend the advantage to 16-10 with 8 minutes remaining in the first quarter. Green ended the run by draining a closely contested 3 on Randy Foye after screaming for the ball as Duncan brought it up court off a rebound. „We fell asleep,“ Brooks said. „They got a lot of backdoors in the first half. We fell asleep on a lot of plays and allowed them to run their offence, and I think in the second half we pressured a little bit more.“ NOTES: Spurs F Austin Daye has become an overnight fan favourite, receiving an ovation second only to Ginobilis upon entering with 29.5 seconds remaining in the first quarter. After averaging just 2.3 minutes in four games since being acquired from Toronto, Daye scored a game-high 22 points in 29 minutes in a 113-91 victory over Philadelphia on Monday. … Spurs F Matt Bonner (right calf strain) missed his second straight game and his ninth due to injury this season. Wholesale Hurricanes Jerseys . Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley. Carolina Hurricanes Store . The move will give Hentgen the „time needed to support his family and his fathers current health issues,“ the Blue Jays said in a release. Hentgen spent 10 of his 14 big-league seasons with the Blue Jays, winning a Cy Young Award in 1996.LAS VEGAS — Canelo Alvarez chased Erislandy Lara far too long Saturday night to pay much attention afterward to Laras complaint that he won their fight. „You dont win by running, you win by hitting,“ Alvarez said. „You dont win a fight like that.“ Lara thought he had done just that, but when the decision came down it was Alvarez whose hand was held aloft. He escaped with a split decision win for his second straight victory since losing last year to Floyd Mayweather Jr. It was a frustrating night for Alvarez, and a tense one for his fans, who filled the MGM Grand arena to watch as Alvarez chased after Lara for 12 rounds before winning the decision. „I wanted to leave a good taste in the mouth of my fans. I came to fight,“ Alvarez said. „He came to run.“ Alvarez had all he could handle against Lara, whose constant movement frustrated the Mexican fighter and often caused him to miss wildly with right hands. In the end, Alvarez won on two scorecards, 115-113 and 117-111, to pull out a narrow decision. The third judge had Lara ahead 115-113, while The Associated Press scored the fight 114-114. „Everyone knows i won the fight, no matter what they say,“ Lara said. „I didnt respect him before the fight and that hasnt changed. I dont respect him now.“ Alvarez was favoured against Lara, who left his native Cuba to come to the U.S. and fight as a pro. But Lara provided a stiff test in a fight that was up for grabs in the late rounds. Lara raised his hands in victory as the final bell sounded, certain he had done enough to win. A few minutes later, he leaned on the ropes, staring out in disbelief as the decision was announced. Punch stats reflected how close the fight was, and how few punches were actually landed. Alvarez was credited with landing 97 of 415 punches, while Lara landed 107 of 386. „It was a difficult, tough fight, the way everybody expected it to be,“ said Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes Alvarez. „Youre always worried about a boxer who was literally running, literally runningg. Carolina Hurricanes Pro Shop. “ Alvarez acknowledged before the bout that fighting someone with a style like Laras was risky. Alvarez could not find Mayweather when he moved in their fight last year, and he had almost as much trouble cornering Lara in a fight where no title was at stake but one that was dangerous for both competitors. Lara was a moving target from the opening bell, going sideways and backward, content to let Alvarez chase him. The strategy worked early on as Alvarez had trouble cutting off the ring and often threw wild right hands that caught nothing but air. By the fourth round, Alvarez (44-1-1) began to have more success finding his elusive opponent. He was relentless in pressuring Lara, who was content to move about the ring, stopping occasionally to throw a right hand followed by a left. The heavily pro-Alvarez crowd of 14,239 at the MGM Grand began growing frustrated with the action midway through the fight, booing Lara for refusing to stand and trade punches with the Mexican favourite. Lara was cut on the right eye in the seventh round by a left uppercut, and spent much of the later rounds wiping blood from his eye. He kept moving, though, and Alvarez kept chasing him, drawing huge roars from the crowd on the few occasions he managed to trap him on the ropes. Lara (19-2-2) kept frustrating Alvarez through the end of the fight, winning some late rounds as he landed counter left hands after first making Alvarez miss with his right. Lara, who fled Cuba to begin a pro career, came into the fight with only one loss — and it was a disputed one. Most in boxing considered him the equal of Alvarez, though he is relatively unknown compared to the Mexican star who fought Mayweather last year in boxings richest fight ever. Lara got the fight after calling Alvarez out, despite worries by promoter Oscar De La Hoya that the Cubans southpaw style would be difficult for Alvarez, who struggled against Mayweather in his only loss. Lara holds a piece of the 154-pound title, though it was not at stake in the fight, which was fought at 155 pounds. ‚ ‚ ‚