With one of the San Antonio Spurs' stars out and another just returning from a four-game absence, the team's supporting cast became the guardian of the only perfect home record in the Western Conference on Saturday night.
They proved themselves equal to the task. Michael Finley and Fabricio Oberto each scored a season high 21 points to help the NBA champions beat the Denver Nuggets 102-91 and improve to 13-0 at home.
"Their role players beat us as much as anyone else," said Karl. "From [Brent] Barry to Finley to Oberto, they beat us as much as [Manu] Ginobili or [Tim] Duncan did."
Allen Iverson led the Nuggets with 30 points and Linas Kleiza had 16 points. Carmelo Anthony added 15 points and nine rebounds.
The Nuggets were without starter Kenyon Martin, who was suspended for one game after he was assessed a flagrant foul in the Nuggets' win Wednesday over New Orleans.
Oberto, who was 10-of-11 from the field, also had 13 rebounds for the Spurs.
"He had a great game, He usually doesn't go for numbers like that," said Marcus Camby, who had just four points and six rebounds for Denver. "We were so small with K-Mart being suspended, he [Oberto] was being played by a 6-7, 6-8 guy most of the night."
The Spurs, who had lost two in a row, saw the return of Duncan, who missed four games with a sprained right ankle.
"It was great to have him back," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "Just having him on the court is a confidence builder for everybody."
Duncan, who had eight points in his return, said he wasn't yet "100 percent, but pretty close."
But Tony Parker sat out his second straight game for the Spurs with a sprained left ankle.
The Nuggets were up by nine early, but started to lose their offensive rhythm in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Spurs were moving the ball and finding open shots.
"We were in the basketball game," said Iverson, who said Martin's absence was a huge factor. "So we had our opportunities. But it just fell apart."
Denver, down by double digits for most of the second half, almost got within single digits in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets went on a 19-6 run, and a turnover by Ginobili led to a 3-point play by Iverson that brought the Nuggets within 11 with 4:17 to play.
Denver got within 11 again, 100-89, when Anthony, on a fast break, tossed the ball over his shoulder on a no-look pass to Kleiza, who dunked. The Nuggets got within 11 once more, with 40 seconds to play, but it was too late to make a difference.
Brent Barry scored 14 points for San Antonio, Ginobili added 11 and Jacque Vaughn, who started at point guard in Parker's place, had 10.
"I didn't know what the night had in store for me," Finley said. "But the coaches and my teammates always tell me, 'Remain confident and shoot it when you have it.' That's what I did."
Anthony Carter scored 10 points for the Nuggets.
Denver went up 27-22 after one quarter as the Spurs couldn't get their rhythm on the court and missed 12 of 21 shots.
But the Spurs took advantage of seven second-quarter turnovers by Denver, and Oberto and Finley each contributed eight points to a 16-7 San Antonio burst that gave the Spurs a 54-48 lead with 1:08 to go in the half. Finley hit a bank jumper and followed with a 3 from the corner 23 seconds later after Bruce Bowen snagged the ball from Carter.
Finley's bank shot turned out to be the go-ahead basket for the Spurs -- it put them up 46-45 with 3:13 left in the half. The Spurs were ahead 56-50 at the break.
In the third it was the Nuggets who had trouble from the field, missing 11 of 19 shots. The Spurs scored twice as many points as Denver in the quarter, getting their biggest lead of the game to that point, 92-68, heading into the final period.
Finley and Oberto had continued success and Ginobili also got into the action, scoring all 11 of his points in the third quarter. And when Ginobili missed a jumper, it was Finley who got the rebound and tipped it in for a 15-point lead with 3:50 on the clock.
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