An ageless wonder, Tim Duncan is.
The soon-to-be 39-year-old sealed a 104-103 victory for the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, blocking James Harden’s potential game-winning layup with 3.4 seconds remaining on the clock.
Duncan finished his outstanding night with 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting from the field, adding 10 rebounds and three blocks. The 7-footer also connected on pair of free throws with 1:04 left that gave the Spurs a 104-100 edge, helping the team earn a one-point win.
San Antonio improved to 54-26 on the season, hopping the Rockets and idle Los Angeles Clippers for the third seed in the Western Conference.
After spending much of the 2014-15 campaign battling through injuries to Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills, the defending champions finally claimed a position that includes home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. Duncan carried the Spurs during those sometimes-overlapping stretches, and Friday night, he provided the exclamation point to their rise.
San Antonio ends its regular season against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, April 12, and New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, April 15.
Photo: USA Today Images