San Antonio Spurs take a cutting edge eight point lead over the Phoenix Suns 118-110
Gary Neal scored 22 points as the Spurs dished out their 24th victory of the season. Tim Duncan added 20 and Tony Parker netted 19 baskets for the Spurs. Duncan added 15 rebounds and dished out six assists as the Spurs
led the Phoenix Suns at the AT & T Center, San Antonio, TX.
The Spurs took nine team rebounds and the Suns also reconciled to grab nine.
Phoenix Suns saw Jared Dudley scoring 27 points and Grant Hill added 19 and Steve Nash seemed satisfied with his 17 points and 10 assists. Robin Lopez added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Suns.
Three of the Suns’ new comers could not make it to the game and missed the second straight game because they had to appear for physical exams at Phoenix. After Saturday’s trade between Orlando Magic and the Suns, three players,
Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus were traded to Orlando for Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson and Earl Clark.
The Spurs achieved their ninth straight victory as all the starters of the team scored in double figures and Neal scored a career high 22 points off the bench.
Later on, the Spurs coach marveled at his team’s play and praised Duncan for his performance in the third quarter. He even said that it was Gary Neal’s contribution that made it possible for the Spurs to win the game.
Although San Antonio won the game, they could not maintain their shooting streak off the last four games and went 48 percent, failing to shoot 51 percent from the floor. The Spurs could not limit the Suns to a shooting percent
of 51 as they had limited their previous opponents as well, and the Suns liberated a 53.5 clip.
What appears to be a very good reason for their loss, is that the Suns were very open hearted about the turnovers. It seemed like they didn’t mind turning the game over to the Spurs themselves.
Turning point
Duncan stole an inbound pass that was made by Jared Dudley with just 1:15 left in the third quarter and gave the Spurs a 57-56 lead. Manu Ginobili grabbed the ball passed by Duncan and quickly went past the 3 point line. Ginobili
pinned the shot right then and there and away went the Spurs after that. The third quarter totally belonged to the Spurs as they savored 25 of the first 30 points. They scored 40 points that came out as their highest scoring quarter of the season.
Quote it
"I was very happy with the way we played shorthanded. I think Gortat, Pietrus and Vince (Carter) will help. We've just got to keep trying to survive and figure out what we have here." Said the Suns coach, Alvin Gentry.
Hottest player
Dudley (Suns) fought a battle for the struggling Suns. He scored 27, as he shot 10 out of his first 12 shots but came to a faltering end as he missed all his final four attempts.
Worst player
Channing Frye was one of the worst players to place foot on the court last night. He missed all eight of his three pointers and finished the game with a 1 off 10 shooting.
Conclusion
The game before and after the second half was totally different. The Spurs did not let the Suns lead after the second half started and spurt a final spray of joy as they clinched their ninth straight win 118-110.
More to watch
For the Suns, Thursday vs. Miami, Sunday @ Clippers, Wednesday vs. Philadelphia.
For the Spurs, Wednesday vs. Denver, Thursday @ Orlando, Sunday vs. Washington.
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