Spurs extend victory streak to 10 with win over Rockets

Not even MVP candidates can beat Tim Duncan.

Duncan served up a cold block on James Harden late in the game to help San Antonio hold on to a 104-103 lead as the clock ran out against the Houston Rockets and earn the Spurs their 10th consecutive win.  

Duncan proved that 38 is the new 21, outscoring every player in the game. The power forward posted 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting, and rounded out his stat line with 10 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal. Kawhi Leonard helped his team with 18 points, including 4-of-4 from the line, and nine rebounds. 

The Rockets had the Spurs chasing them for most of the game until a monster 24-foot 3-pointer from Patty Mills with 39 seconds left in the third quarter pushed San Antonio into a lead Houston failed to regain. Mills finished the game with 14 points, sinking all three shots he took from beyond the arc and all four shots from the field.    

Houston's Josh Smith led his team with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists, but only sank 12 free throws despite stepping to the line 26 times. 

Those 26 attempts all came in the second half, and set an NBA record for free throw attempts in a half - held by Michael Jordan. It was straight strategy by Gregg Popovich, and it appears to have paid off with Smith's 46.2 success rate.

Harden showed why he's an MVP candidate, bringing the Rockets within one point of the Spurs with a 3-pointer from 25 feet out with less than 28 seconds left in the game. 

San Antonio is now a half-game ahead of the Rockets in the Southwest Division, with the Memphis Grizzlies leading the division.