Rose Is a Thorn in Side of Warriors

Another game without injured Tim Duncan, another big game for his replacements.

Malik Rose, starting in place of Duncan, scored 17 points and Kevin Willis, the NBA’s oldest player at 41, added 16 in 19 minutes as the San Antonio Spurs defeated Golden State, 99-74, Friday night at San Antonio.

“He’s really been under control and playing with confidence,” Spur Coach Gregg Popovich said of Rose, who has averaged 14.9 points in the seven games Duncan has missed since hurting his left leg in Dallas on Feb. 26.

Five other Spurs finished in double figures. Manu Ginobili scored 16 and Tony Parker had 13 points and 12 assists. Robert Horry added 13 points and Bruce Bowen and Hedo Turkoglu each scored 10.

Ginobili said he’s not sure if the Spurs are as good without Duncan as their 5-2 record suggests.

“But I know we’re playing better than many people expected,” he said. “Other players start to step up. They know they have to do everything better.”

Popovich said Duncan on Friday had an MRI exam and a CAT scan of his inflamed patellofemoral joint, where the thigh bone connects to the knee bone. The scans were negative, but he is listed as day to day. The Spurs want him to strengthen his leg more before returning to the lineup.

“Our first priority is him, the second is how it affects the team,” Popovich said, adding that Duncan may not play in Sunday’s game at Western Conference leader Sacramento. “Our record or standing means nothing.”

Duncan played 15 minutes in Wednesday’s victory over the Clippers, scoring nine points.

The Warriors, after trailing by 14 at the half, tried to make a game of it in the third quarter.

A three-point basket by Clifford Robinson cut the Spurs’ lead to 57-51, but Rasho Nesterovic’s short jump shot and a 21-foot shot by Rose keyed a 12-3 run by San Antonio.

A layup by Ginobili with 5:48 left gave the Spurs an 86-65 lead.

Robinson paced all scorers with 19. Mike Dunleavy had 15 points and Troy Murphy scored 13.

The loss was the eighth in a row for the Warriors, their longest losing streak of the season.

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Indiana 99, Boston 81 -- Reggie Miller scored 18 points and Al Harrington added 16 at Boston to help the Pacers to their seventh consecutive victory.

Paul Pierce had 21 points for Boston, reaching 10,000 points faster than anyone in Celtic history -- in his 431st game. Larry Bird reached the plateau in his 436th game.

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New Jersey 88, Chicago 76 -- Jason Kidd had his 59th career triple-double -- 13 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds -- to tie Larry Bird for fourth-most in NBA history, and the Nets cruised past the Bulls in East Rutherford, N.J.

Richard Jefferson added 27 points as the Nets had to play the second half without All-Star power forward Kenyon Martin, who sprained his left ankle in the first quarter.

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Miami 82, Seattle 74 -- Eddie Jones scored 19 points and Rafer Alston made two crucial three-point baskets in the final two minutes at Miami to help the Heat defeat the SuperSonics.

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Philadelphia 99, New York 94 -- Kenny Thomas made a three-point basket with 0.4 seconds left in regulation, then made a tying layup with 0.2 seconds left in the first overtime at Philadelphia, and the 76ers held off the Knicks in two overtimes.

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Denver 117, Milwaukee 111 -- Rookie Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points and had a career-high nine assists to lead the Nuggets to victory at Milwaukee.

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Utah 99, Phoenix 90 -- Gordan Giricek scored a career-high 33 points at Phoenix and the Jazz continued its drive for a postseason berth.

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Portland 83, Sacramento 81 -- Theo Ratliff had 11 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocked shots at Portland, Ore., in the Trail Blazers’ second consecutive victory after losing five of their previous six.