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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
PHOENIX (AP) -- For one night at least, the San Antonio Spurs
lived up their own high expectations.
David Robinson had 24 points and nine rebounds and Tim Duncan
had 19 points and 15 boards Friday night as the Spurs routed the
Phoenix Suns 102-83.
|  | | David Robinson and the Spurs towered over the competition Friday. Robinson had 24 points and nine rebounds. |
"I can't even remember a game this year, maybe one early in the
season, where we played this good from start to finish," San
Antonio's Avery Johnson said.
The defending NBA champions, who had lost two in a row and five
of eight to fall out of first in the Midwest Division, built a
22-point lead in a dominanting third quarter and coasted in the
fourth.
"We needed this one. We needed it bad," Duncan said.
"Everybody knew it. We knew it coming in here. We wanted to go out
there and play a very good game to get our groove back, get our
feel back. We haven't been playing well on the road. We haven't
been playing well against good teams. To get this under our belt,
hopefully it will snowball and we'll really take off."
The Spurs were 13-for-13 at the foul line in the third quarter,
while the Suns were 0-for-2.
Cliff Robinson scored 22 points for the Suns, who have lost
three of four. Jason Kidd struggled through a 2-for-14 shooting
night for four points, tying his season-low. Kidd also had 13
assists for Phoenix, which shot 37 percent from the field.
"Avery Johnson was stupendous on Jason tonight," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "He stayed in front of him in
transition and played him tough on the glass. Antonio Daniels came
in the game and continued on what Avery did, and that was a key,
because Jason is the head of the snake."
Tom Gugliotta, in his second game back after a life-threatening seizure sidelined him for seven games, scored 14 -- but only four in the second half.
It was the Suns' worst loss in 11 games with Scott Skiles as
head coach.
"Every little play went their way because they made it go their
way," Skiles said, "and they made the shots at the end of it. We
missed a lot of shots at the basket, and once that ball starts
rolling, it's hard to get it back."
The Spurs outscored Phoenix 30-16 in the third quarter and led
82-62 entering the final quarter.
"They outworked us. That's the bottom line," Cliff Robinson
said. "We can't win consistently doing some of the things we're
doing."
After leading 52-46 at the half, San Antonio scored eight
consecutive points to go up 68-53 on Robinson's two free throws
with 5:16 left in the third.
The Spurs' run hit 18-5 on consecutive baskets by Johnson to put
San Antonio ahead 78-58 with 1:09 left in the quarter. Antonio
Daniels' two free throws gave the Spurs their biggest lead of the
quarter, 82-60, with 11.1 seconds to go.
By halftime, David Robinson had 20 points and seven rebounds. He took
15 shots in the first half and made eight of them as the Spurs led
52-46 at the break. Robinson finished 9-for-19 from the field.
"We're a special team when David plays and contributes like he
did tonight," Popovich said.
Robinson, who had a soaring one-handed stuff on a lob from Mario Elie in the second quarter, said he knew he needed to step up his offense.
"It was a flashback. It felt like one of those nights I could
go out there and get 50," he said.
Duncan had nine points and six rebounds in the first half.
Game notes
With Corie Blount not quite ready to come off the injured list, the Suns signed forward Ben Davis to a 10-day contract two
days after waiving him. ... The Spurs are 2-1 against Phoenix this season. ... The Suns are 16-4 at home. ... Phoenix's Oliver Miller left the game in the second quarter with an injured right tricep. ... The game was the first of three in a row against Western Conference contenders for the Suns, who are at Portland on Saturday and at Seattle on Tuesday.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
San Antonio Clubhouse
Phoenix Clubhouse
Penny's thoughts on return, not injury-prone reputation
RECAPS
Boston 101
Sacramento 93
Chicago 110
Washington 103
Atlanta 105
Toronto 97
Vancouver 101
New Jersey 91
New York 94
Orlando 86
LA Lakers 87
Charlotte 83
San Antonio 102
Phoenix 83
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