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Stoudemire, Suns stifle Spurs

Thu 10th, April 2008

San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - Amare Stoudemire scored 21 points to lead Phoenix, but it was the Suns' defense that shined in a stunning 96-79 victory over the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center.

The Suns held San Antonio to a mere 11 points in the fourth quarter, outscoring their conference rival 51-34 in the second half.

The Suns used a balanced attack on the offensive end with Shaquille O'Neal, who missed Tuesday's game with a bruised right hip, scoring 16 points and grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. Steve Nash recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists, and Leandro Barbosa and Raja Bell tallied 14 and 10 points, respectively.

"We just wanted to play through everything and suck it up in the fourth quarter," O'Neal said. "Amare along with myself were in foul trouble so the rest of the guys did a great job on playing defense and we were able to come in a hostile building and get a win."

The win brings the Suns within a half game of the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Lakers and the fifth-standing Houston Rockets.

San Antonio was led by Tim Duncan's 23 points and 10 rebounds, as the Spurs dropped to two games behind the New Orleans Hornets for the top spot in the Western Conference. Tony Parker chipped in 20 points, and Manu Ginobili was held to eight points on 3-of-12 shooting from the floor.

In a changing of roles, the usually high-octane Suns stepped up the defensive intensity in the deciding fourth quarter. San Antonio hit just two field goals in the opening eight minutes, and Phoenix took advantage of the cold streak.

With the Spurs focusing on the Suns' perimeter game, O'Neal received easy looks in the post and scored eight straight points. The O'Neal-led 13-0 run put the game out of reach, as Phoenix led, 92-73 with 3:52 left in the game.

Duncan went over 12 minutes in the second half without a single point, and the Spurs looked beaten well before the final whistle blew.

"Defense was solid enough, we just couldn't sustain miss after miss," Duncan said. "A lot of that falls on me. I got a lot of shots in the fourth quarter, what I felt were good looks and they just didn't go down for me."

The Suns came out cold and netted just 16 points in the first quarter. The away team shook off the rust in the second frame and the game was tied, 45-45 at intermission.

The Spurs came out of the break trading baskets with Phoenix. A 13-4 San Antonio run midway through the quarter gave the Spurs a 66-61 lead at the 3:53 mark of the third quarter.

It was the last time the Spurs looked cohesive offensively. Ginobili hit their only field goal in the final minutes of the third, and Phoenix finished the quarter on a 11-2 spurt to lead 72-68 heading into the final stanza.

Game Notes

Phoenix is 3-1 against the Spurs this season...The Suns had lost 12 of their last 14 games at San Antonio...Stoudemire shot 8-of-13 from the field...Grant Hill added eight points and six boards for the Suns...Phoenix shot 51.9 percent from the floor, compared to the Spurs' 42 percent efficiency...Michael Finley finished with 10 points for San Antonio, and Boris Diaw contributed 11 for Phoenix.

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