New Orleans' Chris Paul, left, collides with San Antonio's Robert Horry. The Spurs defeated the Hornets, 99-80, on Thursday night in San Antonio to even the series, 3-3.

San Antonio ? Must-win situations are not a familiar place for the San Antonio Spurs.

They survived one Thursday night, earning the chance to play in another.

The defending champions beat the New Orleans Hornets, 99-80, in Game 6, staying alive and forcing a winner-take-all Game 7 on Monday in New Orleans.

“That’s what you want to have, an opportunity,” said Spurs point guard Tony Parker. “That’s why Game 6 was huge. We won the game, and now we have an opportunity to win a game on the road.”

Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Parker added 15 points to tie the Western Conference semifinals.

The Spurs cruised through last year’s playoffs and to their fourth title in nine seasons without ever facing the threat of elimination.

Before Thursday, the last time San Antonio faced a must-win game was 2006, when it was down 1-3 to the Dallas Mavericks, then came back to force a Game 7 and lost in overtime.

“We know what we’re facing. We’re facing elimination,” Duncan said. “And we know we have to put a good game together there. … We’re going to take it in there, and it’s do-or-die.”

Chris Paul led the Hornets with 21 points and eight assists, and Tyson Chandler scored 14 points. David West had 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter after aggravating a back injury.

“It’s sore right now. Good thing we have two or three days here to get rest and treatment. It’s the way it happens sometimes,” West said.

The aging defending champions and the injured Hornets now get three days off before the deciding game in New Orleans, where the Hornets have won three blowouts.

“Thank God we get to go back to New Orleans for Game 7,” Paul said.

Home teams are 20-1 in the second round of the playoffs.

The Hornets are the No. 2 seed and the Spurs the third. The teams had the same regular-season record, were tied in their head-to-head matchup and had the same division record. The Hornets won the Southwest Division and got the higher seed because they had the better conference record.