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Parker's career game has Spurs eyeing sweep of Suns

Sat 26th, April 2008

Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Tony Parker scored a career-high 41 points, and the Spurs moved to the brink of a sweep against Shaquille O'Neal and the Suns with an emphatic 115-99 Game 3 win in their Western Conference quarterfinal series.

Parker, who also had 12 assists, shot 17-of-26 from the field, and Tim Duncan contributed 23 points and 10 rebounds for the reigning NBA champions. Manu Ginobili added 20 points for San Antonio, which shot 56.1 percent from the field.

"We played very well as a team," Parker said. "Everybody was moving the ball. Everybody took great shots, wide open. We just played great basketball tonight."

Steve Nash was blanketed by Bruce Bowen and was limited to seven points and nine assists for the Suns, who were led by Amare Stoudemire's 28 points and 11 rebounds.

Phoenix acquired O'Neal from Miami during the season to bulk up against the larger playoff teams in the West, but now the Suns are on the verge of being taken out in dominating fashion.

"That's the best I've ever seen somebody play," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They played well. We didn't have answers for them, obviously."

The Suns, who never lost more than two in a row during the regular season, were never ahead in the game and left the court to a smattering of boos.

O'Neal had 19 points and Leandro Barbosa scored 20 in defeat.

Game 4 is set for Sunday in Phoenix, and the Suns have to overcome tremendous odds to win the series. Never before has a team won a best-of-seven playoff series when trailing 3-0.

"Somehow we just have to find a way to just weather some storms," D'Antoni said. "I understand they're going to have some runs and play well. We have to do a better job of just playing well and hanging in there. Tonight we just didn't. We put our head down a little bit."

The Spurs played from behind the first half in both Games 1 and 2, but raced out to a quick lead on Friday and made that stand up throughout the contest.

"We dug ourselves into a hole the first two games and we didn't want to do that, especially on their floor," Duncan said. "When you get in a hole like that, with their crowd behind them, you can't get back in the game."

Parker's jumper capped an early 12-2 run for an 18-8 difference midway through the first quarter, and his jumper pumped the advantage to 27-12 with 3:34 remaining in the period. He had 13 points in the quarter, and the Spurs were in front, 33-19, going into the second.

Barbosa's three-pointer brought Phoenix within 37-31 nearly four minutes into the second, but the Spurs responded with the next seven points.

It was a constant uphill battle for the Suns before a crowd that was obviously deflated by the strong start from the Spurs, who expanded the margin to 61-47 at the half with Parker finishing the stanza with a running jumper.

Ginobili's three-ball moved the Spurs to their largest lead at 79-56 with 5:22 remaining in the third and it was 91-72 moving to the fourth.

Phoenix did inject some life into the crowd with a small run, pulling within 13, the last time at 98-85 on a Raja Bell three-pointer with 7:39 left. However, Parker came back with a shot from beyond the arc, and Kurt Thomas followed with a jumper to stem the tide.

Duncan later blew by O'Neal for a layup and a 111-92 difference.

Game Notes

Boris Diaw had 10 points for the Suns, who went 17-of-29 at the foul line...The Suns lost despite dominating with a 48-28 margin of points in the paint and a 12-2 edge in fast break points.

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