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Stoudemire Scores 22 to Lead Phoenix Over San Antonio

Posted: Oct. 29, 2008

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Amare Stoudemire scored 22 points and four other Phoenix players scored in double figures to help the Suns beat the San Antonio Spurs 103-98 in the regular-season opener for both teams Wednesday night, giving Terry Porter a victory in his coaching debut.

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each scored 32 points for the Spurs, who were playing without guard Manu Ginobili who is out until December after ankle surgery.

Steve Nash added 13 points and 13 assists for the Suns. Leandro Barbosa had 18 points, Shaquille O'Neal 15, and Grant Hill 13.

San Antonio won a five-game series over the Suns in the first round of the playoffs last season, partly on a long three-pointer by Duncan late in Game 1. Duncan tried another three-pointer Wednesday that would have tied the game, but it bounced off the front of the rim with eight seconds left.

Barbosa added two free throws with three seconds to go.

Stoudemire broke a tie game with 2:53 to go with a three-point play. He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter on 5-of-5 shooting.

After Raja Bell stole the ball away from Duncan on the other end of the court, Stoudemire quickly scored on a fastbreak on an assist from Nash to give Phoenix a 99-94 lead with 2:31 remaining.

Phoenix led 101-98 with less than a minute remaining, but Parker missed a three-pointer with 39 seconds left before Duncan missed his try.

Once again the Spurs employed the Hack-a-Shaq that helped them last season in the playoffs. During the preseason, O'Neal called Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's liberal use of the Hack-a-Shaq during the first round last season "a coward move."

Popovich poked fun at O'Neal in the opening seconds of the ballgame when Michael Finley grabbed the big center away from the ball a scant five seconds into the game. O'Neal laughed when he looked over to the Spurs bench and saw Popovich smiling while giving two thumbs up.

It got more serious before halftime when the Spurs employed the Hack-a-Shack four times in the final 1:26 with Phoenix leading 46-40.

Even though O'Neal made 5-of-8, the Spurs were able to cut the Suns' lead to 49-46 at halftime.

Before the grabbing and pulling was done, O'Neal got tangled with Ime Udoka. Udoka was motioning to the official that he was going to foul O'Neal, and O'Neal raised his left arm toward Udoka and sent the Spurs defender flat onto the floor. Udoka was called for the foul and O'Neal made both shots.

Notes: Matt Barnes, signed by Phoenix after playing in Golden State last season, made his first shot — a three-pointer — 54 seconds into the game and missed six straight after that and finished 3-of-10. ... The Spurs announced before the game that they have exercised the team's third-year option on 2005 first-round pick Ian Mahinmi, a 22-year-old who's played in six NBA games. ... The Spurs expect C Fabricio Oberto to miss at least two games after the atrial fibrillation condition in his heart was diagnosed and treated Tuesday.

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