The San Antonio Spurs levelled their first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers with an overtime win at the Staples Center.

The defending NBA champions twice let 10-point leads slip in the second half to allow the hosts to take the game to overtime, with Tim Duncan missing four of his five shots in the fourth quarter.

LA also struggled with their shooting as the Western Conference's fourth seeds missed 17 free throws, while also committing 11 turnovers throughout the game, with DeAndre Jordan making just four of his 12 efforts from the line in the fourth quarter.

Duncan made amends for his earlier misses in overtime though, putting the visitors ahead with a run of four straight points, before Kawhi Leonard opened up a lead to put the win beyond doubt.

The sides meet again in San Antonio on Friday.