This time, would the shot fall?

It did. And much later the San Antonio Spurs’ star big man hit an even bigger one.

Duncan made his first 3-point basket of the season with 3.0 seconds left, sending his team into double overtime against the revenge-minded Phoenix Suns.

Then it was Manu Ginobili’s turn, and his layup with 1.8 seconds left pushed the defending NBA champions past the Suns 117-115 Saturday in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Now the teams have two days to rest from their marathon opener before meeting for Game 2 of the best-of-seven series Tuesday.

“I got a wide-open shot. Wound it up. Threw it up there and hoped for the best,” said a clearly tired Duncan, who had 40 points and 15 rebounds.

This year’s rematch of what many dubbed last year’s real NBA Finals - a tense and testy second-round series between the teams that the Spurs won in six games on their way to the title - got off to a wild start and more than met expectations.

“It feels like a Finals game,” Duncan said. “It’s the first game of the first series, and we’re going to have to muster energy back up.”

Early on, Game 1 did not look like it would turn into a thriller. The Suns controlled play for the first three quarters, leading by as many as 16 points despite early foul trouble for center Shaquille O’Neal. The Suns held a six-point lead with a quarter left.

The Spurs took their first lead late in the fourth quarter but were down 93-90 with 1:10 to go after Leandro Barbosa’s fast-break layup. With 15 seconds left, Michael Finley tied it at 93 for the Spurs to send it to overtime.

“We had the game won a few times and just weren’t tough enough or disciplined enough to make every single play when it counted,” said Steve Nash, who had 25 points and 13 assists.

Duncan made the big shot in the first overtime. With his team down 104-101, Duncan found himself all alone at the 3-point line.

After only a slight hesitation, he fired the ball and made it with 3.0 seconds to play. It was Duncan’s first 3 of the season. He was 0-for-4 previously.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen, honestly,” he said. “Manu turned the corner, Shaq just totally leaves me and stayed with Manu.”

In the second overtime, O’Neal’s dunk tied it at 112 with 1:33 to play. Ginobili’s layup put the Spurs ahead.

Nash missed a 3 with less than a minute to play. After risky, cross-court inbounds pass to the Spurs’ Brent Barry, he was fouled and made one of two free throws.

With 15 seconds left, the Suns went to sharpshooter Nash. Nearly falling out of bounds in the corner, he hit a 3 that made it 115-all.

Then Ginobili drove the lane against Raja Bell and got to the hoop, as he often does almost at will, and his short shot off the glass fell.

“What I knew, before taking it to the rim, is that Shaq and Amare (Stoudemire) were not there,” Ginobili said. “So, I knew if I had the opportunity to go get in there, get some legs into the shot, I had an opportunity to finish.”

Tony Parker had 26 points for the Spurs and Ginobili 24.

“We had a lot of opportunities to win,” O’Neal said. “You can’t make mistakes against a team like that, especially here in this building.”

Stoudemire, who fouled out with 12 seconds left in the first OT, led the Suns with 33 points. O’Neal had 11.

“They know we let them have one,” said O’Neal, who played his high school basketball at San Antonio Cole. “All we need is one in this building.”

Phoenix acquired O’Neal in a blockbuster midseason trade for a series such as this one to give the run-and-gun Suns a defensive boost.

O’Neal played just under four minutes in the first quarter after picking up two quick fouls. He was on the court for just 24 seconds in the second before picking up his third foul and sitting out the rest of the half.

Even though Phoenix got O’Neal to help its half-court game, the Suns, who still like to play quick, had only nine fast-break points.

The Spurs had a 72-46 advantage in the paint.

“They’re just not going to fold up their tent and go home,” Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said. “They’re going to make runs. This is their home court. You’re going to have to beat them."