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NBA Scores: San Antonio Hangs on to Beat Phoenix, Pulls to Closer to Suns in Playoff Hunt
Tony Parker scored 35 points, Tim Duncan added 22 and 10 boards and Michael Finley added 19 pints and 10 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs (54-21) held on to beat the Phoenix Suns (56-19) 92-85 and pull within two of second place in the Western Conference playoff picture.
The Spurs had led by as many as 14 in the fourth quarter but the Suns used a late 9-0 run to pull within four before San Antonio could put the game away with free-throws from Parker and Finley.
Both teams struggled to find a rhythm in the first half as buckets were hard to find. Phoenix, who averages an NBA high 110.7 points per game, were held to just 37 over the first two quarters. Despite the low point total the Suns still held a one point advantage over the Spurs who managed just 36 points after two periods.
San Antonio hit their stride in the third as Parker dropped 15 and Finley added 9 on three three-pointers to give the Spurs a 71-59 lead heading into the fourth.
Finley bumped the Spurs lead to 81-67 with 6:43 remaining in the game but Phoenix used a 14-4 run over the next four and a half minutes to get within four, 85-81. Parker, who scored another ten in the quarter, pushed the lead back to seven with a free-throw and a jumper. After Amare Stoudemire got the Suns within five Finley hit a pair of free-throws with 17 seconds to seal the win for San Antonio.
