Murray emerging as fourth-quarter closer

To the untrained eye, what looked like a regulation NBA basketball went bouncing, loose and unclaimed, across the AT&T Center paint late in the fourth quarter Friday.

To Spurs guard Dejounte

Murray, the loose ball seemed something more precious than simply a hunk of orange leather with “Wilson” stamped on the side.

It was a crown jewel, the Holy Grail, the last available McRib sandwich of the season.

“That’s one thing I know that is really valuable in those crucial moments,” Murray said. “Go get the ball.”

With another game on the verge of getting away from the Spurs, Murray hit the deck, tying up Boston guard Marcus Smart for the loose ball.

Murray beat Smart on the

ensuing jump ball, setting the stage for Derrick White to make the go-ahead jumper with 1:21 to play.

It was one of a bevy of plays Murray made down the stretch to help the Spurs claim a 96-88 victory and halt a six-game losing streak, on a night they already had given away a 24-point lead.

“He made all the big plays for us to get us that lead and ice the game,” White said. “He hit big shots, got that loose ball, won the jump, got rebounds. He was special.”

Murray equaled a career-best with 29 points while also snagging 11 rebounds. He scored 13 points during a wild fourthquarter, including eight during the 15-0 run the Spurs used to close the game.

In doing so, Murray pushed the Spurs to accomplish something they had not all season: Win a game when trailing in the fourth quarter.

“I am thrilled for them to be able to enjoy this,” said coach Gregg Popovich, whose team won for the first time in two weeks to improve to 5-13. “They took a big hit. Boston did a great job coming back and taking a lead. We got a little discombob