Tim Duncan scores 24 as San Antonio Spurs beat Phoenix Suns 102-91 - NBA Recap (Part 1)
South-western division giants San Antonio Spurs were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by Memphis Grizzlies last season. The team was visibly hurt and looks to be out for vengeance, attacking all with full intensity early on in this compressed
season.
They are already off to a good start and just few hours back, they improved their record further by downing Phoenix Suns 102-91at their home arena, AT&T Centre.
Veteran Tim Duncan, the backbone of the team for more than a decade now, was phenomenal yet again and marshalled the team with a game high 24 points including 10-for-14 from the field and 11 rebounds. His only weakness throughout his career has been his
jump shots, but the extra hours he spent on augmenting the jumper in the extended offseason seems to have worked out well for him, as he scored most of his points from a reasonable distance tonight.
"Especially this summer, I worked on it a lot trying to extend my range a little bit," Duncan said. "Be a little more consistent. It's been up and down so far but great tonight."
His team mates supported him pretty well too.
Tony parker had 17 points on 8-for-20 from inside the arc and 9 assists while DeJuan Blair accumulated 14 points. Rookie Kawhi Leonard barely missed a double-double and finished with 12 points on 4 for 8 from the floor and 8 boards.
Spurs have always been known for their defence and tonight they displayed rock solid tenacity. Duncan, although pleased with the effort, added his team needs to be consistent with their defence still.
“It's been up and down. We're not at the consistency where we need to be at. All in all we're getting there. It's a work in progress. We know it's a long season. We use the season to get where we want to be. But defensively we have to be a lot better."
Spurs out-rebounded the Suns 48-41 and held the upper hand in the assists as well (27-20). Their shooting was mighty accurate too as they shot almost at 50% from the floor.
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