Spurs down Clippers 100-99 in preseason game in Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Gary Neal sank a three-pointer with 1.5 seconds left to complete the San Antonio Spurs' comeback from an 18-point deficit to down the Los Angeles Clippers 100-99 in an exhbition game in Mexico City on Tuesday. DeJuan Blair led San Antonio (2-1, preseason) with 21 points, and Tim Duncan added 17. Eric Gordon was the leading scorer for the Clippers (1-3) with 23, and Rasual Butler added 20. The Clippers jumped out to an early lead and were up 51-33 in the second quarter. But the Spurs outscored them 27-18 in the third, and the comeback continued in the fourth as Duncan's three-point play tied the score at 83 with about nine minutes to go. From there it was tight til the finish. A Chris Kaman putback and a Ryan Gomes free throw gave the Clippers a one-point lead, and the Spurs inbounded the ball with the shot clock off and trailing 98-97. Neal sank his long shot from in front of the Clippers bench for his only points of the game. Kaman had a chance at the buzzer, but pump-faked as the clock ran out. Los Angeles' former No. 1 draft pick Blake Griffin started his fourth straight preseason game and scored 13 points after missing all last year with a left knee injury. Nearly 19,000 people were in the crowd at Mexico City's Palacio de los Deportes. The Spurs swept the Clippers 4-0 last season. San Antonio's Brazilian forward Tiago Splitter sat out the game with a strained calf muscle. Vinny Del Negro faced off against the Spurs, where he played from 1992 to 1998, for the first time as head coach of the Clippers. Though the Clippers were officially designated the "home" team, many of the biggest cheers were for San Antonio which is home to many Mexicans. — AP