96
99
On the second night of a back-to-back, the Phoenix Suns took the reigning Western Conference Champions down to the final seconds in a 99-96 loss against
the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night.
Now at 3-2 on the season – with their two losses coming against Western Conference powerhouses in the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs – it’s
clear that this Suns team isn’t afraid of anyone.
The Suns fell behind by double-digits early on, but fought back to take a 96-95 lead with one minute remaining. Phoenix had an opportunity to extend the
lead following a miss by Duncan, but Manu Ginobili drew a charge on Gerald Green.
Tony Parker followed with a short jumper to give San Antonio the lead for good. Gerald Green missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the
game.
Markieff Morris tied a career high with 23 points and also had 11 rebounds for Phoenix. Morris' twin brother, Marcus, added 11 points and Gerald Green and
Miles Plumlee each had 15 points.
Tony Parker scored 15 of San Antonio’s final 16 points to help the Spurs withstand a hectic finish.
“Our guys fought hard,” Jeff Hornacek said after the game. “It was a close game and the little things really made the difference. We were up one and then
turned the ball over. We still were able to have another chance down one but Eric [Bledsoe] slipped when he shot it. Our guys played hard.
“Getting down early against a team like that is tough but we clawed back and had a chance at the end.”
On the plus side, the Suns shot nearly 50 percent from the floor (not an easy thing to do against a good defensive team like the Spurs) and out-rebounded
San Antonio 43-39.
“They’re not going to quit,” Hornacek added about the Suns’ impressive start through five games. “That’s the big thing. We have a lot of guys who can give
us a lift. The key is to play for all 48 minutes.
“We’re a young team and we’re going to learn a lot from this.”