MILWAUKEE -- After a 69-point outburst in the first half, it would have been easy for the San Antonio Spurs to believe they were going to capture their seventh consecutive win with little resistance. Instead, the Spurs had to withstand a pair of second half rallies from the Milwaukee Bucks to hang on for a 117-110 victory Wednesday night. "We knew they were going to make a run at some point," said San Antonio forward Tim Duncan, who had 28 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. "They made a run there at the end. They are very good in this building and we knew that. Theyve come back on a lot of people here." Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he, too, expected the Bucks to make a run, even though the Spurs jumped out to a 17-point halftime edge. "They never die. Thats one thing about these guys," Popovich said. "Theyve done it to a lot of teams. They did it again tonight. They put their heads down and started driving and they got themselves back into the game." The Bucks used a 13-3 run over the last 2:57 of the third quarter to cut San Antonios lead to 93-81. The Bucks eventually cut the lead to 94-85 early in the fourth quarter before Popovich reinserted his starters and the Spurs began to pull away again. However, a 10-2 Bucks rally in the waning seconds of the game, which included a dunk by rookie John Henson, cut the Spurs lead five points with 20 seconds remaining. A pair of free throws by Patty Mills with 12 seconds left sealed the victory for the Spurs. "We were in a good groove but in the second half (Milwaukee) played hard," said Tony Parker, who added 23 points and 11 assists for the Spurs, who shot 52 per cent from the field for the game. "They played with a lot of energy and came back on us. They played very physical." Brandon Jennings paced Milwaukee with 31 points. Henson scored a career-high 20 points and added nine rebounds. Mike Dunleavy had 19 points. Popovich said he had hoped San Antonio would have been able to maintain the wide margin it held prior to the Bucks third-quarter rally so he could get his veteran players some much-needed rest in preparation for a Thursday night game in New York against the Knicks. "I was hoping I could get some guys a little more rest but (Milwaukee) didnt allow that," Popovich said. The Spurs were fined by NBA Commissioner David Stern earlier this season after Popovich sent Duncan, Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green home for a national television game against the Miami Heat, which followed a game the previous night against the Orlando Magic. Duncan, who played 34 minutes, said he wasnt concerned about rest. "We were prepared to play it horn to horn," he said. Despite having to fight off a challenge from the Bucks, San Antonio ran its record to 19-1 this season when leading after three quarters. Duncan scored 12 points in the first quarter as the Spurs built a 33-22 lead while shooting 58.3 per cent and outscoring the Bucks 11-0 on fast-break points. Duncan opened the game by hitting three consecutive mid-range jump shots. "As his career has gone on, he has become a much better jump shooter. He can beat you a lot of different ways," Dunleavy said. The Spurs extended the advantage to 69-52 at halftime behind 20 points from Duncan. The 69 points were the most given up by the Bucks in a half this season, topping the 58 points allowed by the team in the second half against the Spurs in a 110-99 loss in San Antonio on Dec. 9. Henson had 10 second-quarter points for the Bucks, who won six of eight games at home during December before running into the streaking Spurs in Milwaukees first game of the new year. Duncan had high praise for Hensons performance. "He had a great game tonight. I honestly didnt know much about him but it looked like he had a great skill set out there," Duncan said. Henson has "upped his work ethic" over the past month, Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "He deserved a look," Skiles said. "John is a skilled offensive player. He made some plays out there that stand out. He made some NBA plays. It was a good step forward for him against a good team." The early deficit faced by the Bucks turned out to be too much to overcome in the end. "Very few teams are just going to quit but you have to do a lot of things well to be in the game with that team and compete against that team," Skiles said. Notes: The first-half output by San Antonio matched the 69 points the team scored in the opening two quarters against Houston on Dec. 28. The Spurs scored 73 second-half points against Charlotte on Dec. 8. ... Spurs guard Gary Neal returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing four consecutive games with a strained right calf. "Hes a dangerous player. Im really happy for him because he finally has an NBA career," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said of Neal, who played four seasons overseas before joining the Spurs in 2010. .Bucks guard Beno Udrih was inactive for the game after what Skiles described as a "flare-up" of an ankle injury that kept him out of 12 games earlier this season. Udrih, who didnt practice Tuesday, played 17 minutes but didnt score in Milwaukees previous game against Detroit on Sunday. ...Duncan registered a blocked shot for the 20th consecutive game, the longest active streak in the NBA. Milwaukee forward Larry Sanders, whom Duncan was matched up against, blocked a shot for the 17th game in a row, tying him with Oklahoma Citys Serge Ibaka for the second-longest active streak. cheap jerseys . 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The top-ranked McMaster Marauders defeated the No. 6 University of Western Ontario Mustangs 33-27 on Saturday in Canadian university football action.CALGARY -- Canadas short track speedskating team is keeping a closer eye on their skates during competition. The Canadians insist theyre not paranoid, but recent revelations that teammate Olivier Jeans skate was sabotaged by a competitor has opened the uncomfortable possibility of tampering in their world. "We ensure the locker room is always secured," Canadian short track director Yves Hamelin said Wednesday. "We dont have to get too crazy about it, but we keep an eye out to ensure nothing like that would happen in a critical moment like at a world championship." At the season-opening World Cup that starts Friday in Calgary, the Canadians have a private room at the Olympic Oval to store their skates and equipment. They share space with competitors, however, at other stops on the circuit. "Now that we know sabotage can happen, we dont want that to slow us down in the direction of Sochi," Jean said of the 2014 Winter Olympics. "We make sure our technician is always looking after our skates in the (locker) room or in between races." American skater Simon Cho revealed at a news conference earlier this month hed tampered with Jeans skates during the 2011 World Team Championships in Poland. Cho claimed he did it under orders from a coach. Damaging a blade on Jeans skates prevented the Canadian team from racing for a gold or silver medal. They finished third. Cho apologized to Jean via telephone before that news conference. Jean graciously accepted Chos apology, but the incident made waves throughout the international short track community, particularly on the U.S. team. Cho will not compete in Calgary because he was not named to the American squad. Jae Su Chun, the coach Cho accused of pressuring him into the act, has denied the allegations. An investigation by the U.S. Speedskating Association did not find evidence Chun ordered Cho to tamper with the Canadians skates. Chun was also accused by some U.S. skaters of abusing them. He and an assistant coach were suspended and both resigned last week. Former Canadian coach Stephen Gough of Fredericton is one of the interim coaches of the Americans. The Canadian skaters believe the sabotage was an isolated incident, but wont take any chances. Theyve asked skate technician Laurent Daignault to be their equipment watchman. "For me, I will not overprotect my stuff," double Olympic gold medallist Charles Hameliin said.dddddddddddd "We just dont want to think about our skates all the time. "We know now we have to have someone looking after our skates in the room and make sure we dont put them on the floor. Put them in a safe place and to have someone in the room is perfect for us." The Canadians get an extended run on home ice to start the 2012-13 season. The second World Cup event is scheduled for Oct. 26-28 in Montreal. Hamelin of Sainte-Julie, Que., his brother Francois, Michael Gilday of Yellowknife, Guillaume Bastille of Riviere-du-Loup, Que., Liam McFarlane of Medicine Hat, Alta., and Jean, from Lachenaie, Que., make up a deep Canadian mens team. Jean won the overall 500-metre crown last season with Charles Hamelin ranked second. Hamelin, 28, was Canadas only double gold medallist at the 2010 Winter Olympics with a win in the 500 metres as well as the mens relay. Charles Hamelin, Jean, McFarlane and Bastille won relay gold in this years world championship. Marianne St. Gelais of Saint-Felicien, Que., was twice a silver medallist in 2010. She leads a womens squad rounded out by Marie-Eve Drolet of Laterriere, Que., Edmontons Jessica Gregg, Jessica Hewitt of Kamloops, B.C., Valerie Maltais of La Baie, Que., and Caroline Truchon of Chicoutimi, Que. "Our objective for the first World Cup will be really to read where everyone is at in terms of performance, in terms of readiness," said Yves Hamelin, also the father of Charles and Francois. "Obviously, being at home, we expect as usual our athletes making finals as often as they can and then translate that into podiums." Canadas short track team held trials at the Olympic Oval last month, but this is the first short track World Cup in Calgary since 2003. Twenty-nine countries are participating. Heats are scheduled for Friday and the finals are both Saturday and Sunday. Gilday recalled seeing Jeans skate blade in Poland and how shocked he felt at the realization someone intentionally bent it. "You dont touch somebody elses skates," Gilday said. "Thats sort of an unwritten rule so for that to happen was really a surprise. "I want to be able to get off the ice, sharpen my skates, put them down and continue to work on my cooldown and warm up for my next race. Im sure the Canadian team will learn from experience and Im sure well pay close attention to all our equipment in the future." ' ' '