Spurs-Suns Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Mar 26 2012 4:27PM

Despite the absences of some of their best players, the San Antonio Spurs didn't miss a beat during their first back-to-back-to-back stretch of the season.

A difficult back-to-back road set, however, lies immediately ahead.

Playing for the fourth time in five days, the Southwest Division-leading Spurs try to extend their winning streak to five Tuesday night against the red-hot Phoenix Suns.

One night after Tony Parker missed Friday's 104-87 win over Dallas due to injury, Manu Ginobili rested during an 89-86 win at New Orleans. San Antonio then played without a resting Tim Duncan as it concluded its grueling stretch with a 93-76 rout of Philadelphia on Sunday.

The Spurs (33-14) were also without Gary Neal for the last two games and Tiago Splitter for the last three. While Neal and Splitter are uncertain for Tuesday, Parker, Ginobili and Duncan should be available.

"They show a lot of toughness, a lot of character to do that three nights in a row with different combinations and different players playing on each night," coach Gregg Popovich said of his team. "What's really great is that they appreciate or are happy with the success of their teammates.

"Whoever's not playing isn't hoping something bad happens so he can get in the game or anything like. They really pull for each other."

Things aren't about to get any easier for San Antonio, which has won seven of eight - including four in a row by an average of 13.2 points. The Spurs have dropped three of four at US Airways Center and on Wednesday, visit a Sacramento team that defeated them at the AT&T Center on Jan. 20.

"We will play two tough teams," said DeJuan Blair, who's scored a combined 42 points in the last two games. "We just need to go out there and play Spurs basketball. We need to go out there and play tough."

While the Spurs have struggled a bit at Phoenix of late, they've taken four off five in the series overall, winning the most recent meeting 102-91 on Jan. 15.

The Suns (25-24), however, have posted the league's second-best record since the All-Star break at 11-4 and just closed out a four-game road trip with two straight wins. Phoenix beat Indiana 113-111 on Friday and blew out Cleveland 108-83 two days later.

"We owed it to ourselves to have a better performance," said point guard Steve Nash, who had 13 assists Sunday - four fewer than the Cavaliers. " ... We've clawed back into the playoff picture and we had to try and get one here."

Despite his lack of scoring, the 10th-place Suns continue to rely on Nash to lead the way. The eight-time All-Star, tops in the league with 11.2 assists per contest, is averaging 13.0 points - his lowest mark since scoring 8.6 per game in 1999-2000 with Dallas.

"I think the goal is for our team to be able to read and react to how people play," said Nash, who scored four points Sunday. "Some nights if they're making me a scorer, I have to be aggressive and score. Other nights when they're trying to get the ball out of my hands, we have to make them pay other ways."

Averaging 96.9 points on the season, Phoenix has scored 103.1 per game in going 10-2 in its last 12 at home. The two losses during that stretch have come by a combined five points.

Parker, Duncan send Spurs to 5th straight win

By BOB BAUM
Posted Mar 28 2012 1:24AM

PHOENIX (AP) Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili have been beating the Phoenix Suns for a long time. No one should be surprised they were the main protagonists in yet another San Antonio victory Tuesday night.

Parker scored eight points in a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter, and the Spurs went on to win their fifth in a row and eighth in nine games with a 107-100 victory over the Suns.

Duncan scored 17 of his 26 points in the first half and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Spurs, winners of 12 of their last 14 road games. Parker scored half of his 24 in the fourth quarter.

Kawhi Leonard added 14 points, Ginobili had 13 and Matt Bonner 10 for San Antonio.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Parker, Duncan and Ginobili know that if they stick with what they know works, victories more often than not will come.

"I think they play within the system and trust each other enough it comes out pretty good for them," Popovich said, "most of the time."

Shannon Brown, starting because Grant Hill was a late scratch with right knee inflammation, scored a career-high 32 for Phoenix. Marcin Gortat added 21 points and 14 rebounds in just the second home loss for the Suns in 10 games since the All-Star break. Steve Nash had 16 points and eight assists.

"We got close," Nash said. "We kept ourselves in the game for a long time and couldn't ever really get more than that five- or six-point lead and they came flying back and then the start of the fourth there they kind of got up by nine and we couldn't close back the distance."

Brown, who signed with the Suns as a free agent before the season, matched his career best with five 3-pointers, in 10 tries.

"I didn't know I was going to start until we were doing our pregame (meeting) and they said Grant wasn't going to go," Brown said, "so I had to prepare myself mentally. I just wanted to come out, play hard, play within the flow of what's going on and I wish we could have come out with a win."

Phoenix shot 51.5 percent through three quarters but made just 33 percent (7 of 21) in the fourth.

"Shannon Brown was making crazy shots so we felt like if we could hang in there things were going to turn and they're going to miss at some point," Parker said, "and they started missing and we played better defense."

The Spurs led by as many as nine in the first half and were up 62-57 at the break behind Duncan's 17 points and eight rebounds. Duncan was 8 of 9 from the field.

Phoenix started the second half with a 12-2 run to go up 69-64 on Gortat's 6-footer. Brown's fifth and final 3-pointer of the night put the Suns ahead 79-74 with 4:50 left in the third quarter, but San Antonio scored the next six, the last four by Ginobili, to take an 80-79 lead. The Spurs were up 84-83 entering the fourth.

After Robin Lopez's reverse layup cut San Antonio's lead to 88-87 with 10:08 to play, Parker started the decisive run with a layup on a pass from Ginobili. Parker followed with a 13-footer, then made a 20-footer. Boris Diaw sank a 20-footer, then Parker capped the outburst with a 10-foot jumper after Phoenix's second straight turnover, and the Spurs led 98-87 with 5:59 to go.

Nash's 18-footer cut it to 98-89, but Leonard made a 3 from the corner to put San Antonio ahead 101-89 with 5:29 to go.

Brown was fouled by Leonard on a 3-point attempt and made all three from the line to slice the lead to 103-94 with 3:15 to go, then Jared Dudley's tip-in, his lone basket of the night, cut it to 103-96 with 1:22 to play. Brown's driving layup made it 103-98 but with just 33.9 seconds left, Phoenix ran out of time.

Parker sealed the victory with four straight from the foul line.

"We let them get a little separation there and we had a couple crucial turnovers and crucial offensive rebounds," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said, "and that's kind of what they do to people."

Notes: Phoenix shot 56 percent in the first half, San Antonio 55 percent. ... The teams meet three times in the final 29 days of the season, twice in the final 11. ... Phoenix fell two games behind idle Utah and Denver for the No. 8 playoff spot in the West.

Notebook: Spurs 107, Suns 100

Posted Wednesday March 28, 2012 1:18AM

By Mike Tulumello, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The San Antonio Spurs are trying to integrate some new players. Already, those new players are acquiring the Spurs' old habits: They win.

The visiting Spurs (34-14) pulled away from the Phoenix Suns in the fourth quarter and won their fifth straight, 107-100.

Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 26 points and 11 boards. Tony Parker had 24 points, seven assists, four rebounds and just two turnovers.

The Suns (25-25) suffered a crushing loss in their run for a playoff berth. They are now two games behind Utah and Denver (27-23), who are Nos. 7 and 8 in the West.

They were led by Shannon Brown's career-high 32 points. Marcin Gortat added 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Recent acquisitions Boris Diaw (3-for-4 for six points, plus four assists and two steals in 18 minutes) and Patty Mills (scoreless in four minutes) made their Spurs' debuts. Stephen Jackson, another new Spur, rested.

"We're trying to work in two or three guys and figure out who should be playing," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

QUOTABLE: "Tony is probably playing like an MVP more than at any time since he's been in the league. People should start talking about him more for the MVP."
-- Suns coach Alvin Gentry on Parker

THE STAT: The Spurs' bench outscored the Suns' reserves 34-22. The Suns' bench lacked Brown, who started in place of the Suns' defensive specialist, Grant Hill, who sat out with a sore knee.

TURNING POINT: The Spurs, using a mix of starters and reserves, were too much for the Suns' bench early in the fourth quarter. They stretched an 84-83 lead heading into the final quarter to 96-87. Then, coming out of a timeout, Steve Nash and Channing Frye turned it over, Parker hit a 10-footer, then Kawhi Leonard nailed a 3-pointer to seal it.

QUOTABLE II: "There's going to be a very robust discussion about goaltending."
-- NBA commissioner David Stern, suggesting increased use of instant replay, at a pre-game news conference. Deputy commissioner Adam Silver said of the likely heavier use of replay, "Over time, it's inevitable, given the advances in technology."

HOT: The Suns' Brown had a career night: He shot 11-for-18, including 5-for-10 on 3-pointers, for 32 points.

NOT: The Suns' Jared Dudley, who had been enjoying the highest scoring month of his career (15.7 points) took only four shots and finished with only two points.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: In his last two games, the Brown has averaged 24.0 points.

ROOKIE WATCH: For the Spurs, Leonard had 14 points and seven rebounds. For the Suns, Markieff Morris failed to score in seven minutes.

NOTABLE: The Spurs are 12-2 in their last 14 road games after a 2-8 start away from home.

UP NEXT: For the Spurs, Wednesday @ Sacramento, Saturday vs. Indiana and Tuesday @ Cleveland. For the Suns, Wednesday @ L.A. Clippers, Sunday vs. New Orleans and Tuesday @ Sacramento.

• Spurs: Joseph, Splitter
• Suns: --

• Spurs: --
• Suns: --

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Officials: #57 Greg Willard, #45 Brian Forte, #36 David Jones
• Attendance: 16573
• Duration: 1:58