The Spurs pivotal 111–107 Game 5 win over the Clippers Tuesday night in Los Angeles allowed Gregg Popovich’s squad to steal back homecourt advantage in the much-anticipated series, as the defending champs head back to San Antonio for a very crucial Game 6 Thursday.
The win was the second straight by the visiting team and third time in the five games overall that the home team has lost.
It also marked the best contest in what has been shaping up to be an all-time classic series—and it’s only the opening round.
In case you didn’t stay up for the action (the game ended just before 2 a.m. EST) the back-and-forth battle featured a third quarter that remained exciting despite 35 combined free throws, another turn-back-the-clock performance from Tim Duncan (21 points, 11 rebounds, and one crucial block), and was finally clinched when LA’s DeAndre Jordan committed offensive basket interference with 4.9 seconds remaining and the Clippers down a point.
The fact that this opening round matchup has the intensity of an NBA finals series is no surprise though. Both teams have title-winning aspirations—though on opposite sides of the spectrum.
The veteran-laiden Spurs are led by five-time champion Tim Duncan along with four-time champions Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Everyone else on the squad “only” has his one title from last year.
