SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The lucky bounce went to the Sacramento Kings this time — and what a bounce it was!
Kevin Martin tossed in an improbable, twisting fast-break layup over Tim Duncan as time expired, and the Kings got back into their first-round playoff series against San Antonio with a 94-93 victory in Game 3 Friday night, cutting the Spurs' lead to 2-1.
The Spurs won an overtime thriller in Game 2, with Brent Barry's game-tying regulation 3-pointer bouncing twice on the rim and backboard before falling through. The Kings got the luck back home in front of a
crazed crowd — and Martin delivered the biggest shot of his short NBA career.
Michael Finley hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 41.1 seconds left for San Antonio, and Ron Artest turned the ball over with 27 seconds left in his return from a one-game suspension. The Spurs ran down the clock until the final seconds — but Manu Ginobili capped a terrible game by losing the ball on a drive for his seventh turnover.
Mike Bibby, who had 25 points, rushed the ball to midcourt and fed Martin, the Kings' second-year shooting guard. He drove the lane and somehow lofted a shot over Duncan, who blocked six shots in a dominant performance also featuring 29 points and 12 rebounds.
The ball bounced delicately on the rim before falling through as the buzzer sounded, setting off pandemonium in Arco Arena.
Game 4 is Sunday night in Sacramento, with Game 5 back in San Antonio on Tuesday.
Artest had 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Kings, while Bibby had 25 points and eight assists. Bonzi Wells had 19 points — eight in the fourth quarter — and 14 rebounds in another inspired effort as the Kings survived a physical final period in a game featuring 48 fouls and 56 free throws.
Martin finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
Artest also turned in a defensive gem on Ginobili after sitting out Game 2 for elbowing the Argentine forward in the head in Game 1, a 34-point Spurs victory.
Duncan made a solid recovery from two sub-par efforts for the Spurs, but Ginobili and Tony Parker managed just 20 points on 7-of-21 shooting for the defending NBA champions. Finley scored 17 points, hitting four 3-pointers in the Spurs' latest outstanding performance by a reserve from their loaded bench.
Finley's third 3-pointer put San Antonio up 72-70 with 9:48 to play — the Spurs' first lead since the first quarter, capping a 24-8 surge. The game stayed tight to the end, with neither team leading by more than four points in the fourth quarter.
Artest couldn't conceal his excitement about being back in uniform for his first home playoff game with the Kings: He grabbed the opening tip and drove straight to the hoop for a layup attempt, drawing a foul from Parker. He scored Sacramento's first six points and finished the first half with 13 points and eight rebounds.
The Kings led by 12 points late in the half, but San Antonio closed the halftime deficit to 47-41 on six quick points from Beno Udrih, the backup point guard who has struggled mightily in previous playoffs.
Sacramento led by 14 points in the third quarter before a 16-5 San Antonio run.