SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Tim Duncan had 27 points and nine rebounds Friday night to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 106-93 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, their eighth straight home triumph.
The Spurs never trailed but could not put away the Hawks until the fourth quarter. Atlanta stayed relatively close most of the way but could not recover after San Antonio scored seven points in the first minute of the final period.
Steve Kerr hit a three-pointer with 11:11 left that gave San Antonio a 78-62 lead. Duncan made two free throws 23 seconds later to cap a 9-0 run.
San Antonio's lead grew to 20 points in the final period, enough of a cushion to hold off Atlanta down the stretch. The Hawks closed within nine in the final two minutes.
Tony Parker added 19 points for San Antonio, which avenged a loss at Atlanta on Dec. 27. That was in the debut of Hawks Coach Terry Stotts, who has lost nine of 11 games since.
Jason Terry scored 21 points and Shareef Abdur-Rahim added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta.
