Tim who? Manu lifts Spurs over Nuggets

DENVER -- The San Antonio Spurs spent most of the regular season trying to take some of the pressure off Tim Duncan.

It's working to their benefit in the playoffs.

Manu Ginobili provided a spark off the bench for the second straight game and Robert Horry hit two big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, helping the Spurs beat the Denver Nuggets 86-78 on Saturday night for a 2-1 series lead.

San Antonio has tried to turn each game into a halfcourt grind and take Denver out of its running game. Except for Game 1, which Denver won in San Antonio, the Spurs have been successful.

The Spurs held the Nuggets to two points in transition in Game 2 and stuck to their grind-it-out style in Game 3 to take home court advantage back from Denver.

Ginobili had 32 points, and Horry finished with 13.

The Nuggets got a boost from returning home and more than 19,000 thunderstick-clapping fans, but it only lasted so long.

Denver's aggressiveness was offset by poor free throw shooting -- 17-of-30 -- and the offense was mostly stagnant, turning into the kind of stand-around isolation game that helped get coach Jeff Bzdelik fired during the season.

Carmelo Anthony had 19 points for Denver before being ejected for a flagrant foul on Ginobili late in the game. Kenyon Martin added 18 points for the Nuggets.

The Spurs did it without much help from Duncan.

The two-time league MVP had just four points in 5 first-half minutes because of foul trouble and couldn't get anything going when he returned in the second half. Duncan missed all eight of his shots in the third quarter and finished with 11 points on 5-of-19 shooting.

Horry and Ginobili made up for Duncan's troubles.

Ginobili came off the bench and had an immediate impact -- again.

The Argentinean All-Star picked up the slack after Duncan went out with his second foul in first quarter, scoring 11 points in the final seven minutes, and added eight more after Duncan picked up his third foul with 8 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter. Ginobili had 17 points in 18 minutes in Game 2.

Horry did most of his damage in the fourth quarter.

Denver cut San Antonio's lead to 67-65 on Andre Miller's driving layup, then Bruce Bowen answered with a long jumper. Horry stole the inbound pass and stepped back to swish a 3-pointer, then added another from straightaway to deflate the crowd and put San Antonio up 75-65 with 7 minutes left.

Denver kept fighting back, getting within three twice, but San Antonio answered each time to close it out.

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