SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- The San Antonio Spurs aren't picking up any style points during their winning streak.
The Spurs won their eighth straight game, holding on for an ugly 73-70 victory over the Toronto Raptors behind 30 points and 13 rebounds from Tim Duncan.
"It was an ugly win," said Spurs guard Tony Parker, who scored 16 points.
San Antonio won despite shooting under 40 percent (28-of-71) from the field, missing 12 3-pointers and 12 free throws. The Spurs scored just three fast-break points.
"Our defense got us through this one, because obviously we didn't shoot very well from the field or from the line, which put a lot of pressure on our defense," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "But the guys kept pushing and it helped us get a win. We'll take it."
In the fourth quarter, the teams combined for just 22 points, tying the second-worst final period in NBA history. The Spurs share the record as they combined with Cleveland for just 21 fourth-quarter points on March 25, 1997.
San Antonio (17-10) has averaged just 77 points in its last four games. Nonetheless, the defending NBA champions have climbed to the top of the Midwest Division.
"If we play good defense, we can definitely squeak out a few extra wins," Parker said. "Tonight was a great example."
Donyell Marshall had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost a season-high four straight games. Marshall missed a potential tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
"When it left my hand, it felt good," Marshall said. "I thought it was good. It just hit the back of the iron."
Toronto superstar Vince Carter scored 16 points on 7-of-20 shooting as he was shadowed by Spurs forward Bruce Bowen. Both players received technical fouls with 1:21 to play.
"Bowen takes a lot of pride in his defensive skills and Carter takes a lot of pride in being just a great player," Popovich said. "They went after each other. Sometimes Bruce won the battle and sometimes Vince won."
Working over Toronto rookie Chris Bosh, Duncan scored 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting in the first half as San Antonio opened a 41-28 lead. Toronto awoke with 32 points in the third quarter, making it a one-point game.
"That's definitely their weakness (Bosh), so we tried to get the ball to Timmy and it hurt them," Parker said. "If we kept passing the ball to him, he could have scored 50 points."
Duncan, who made just 6-of-14 foul shots, opened the fourth quarter with a free throw and basket before Ron Mercer's hoop made it 66-60. The teams scratched and clawed until Parker split a pair from the line with 7.9 seconds left.
