Suns beat Spurs! Does it mean Shaq fit in with Suns?
PHOENIX (AP) -Shaquille O'Neal had 14 points and 16 rebounds, and Steve Nash 19 points and 14 assists, helping the Phoenix Suns to a rugged 94-87 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
Grant Hill scored 18, including a crucial baseline 20-footer with 1:15 to go, as the Suns showed why they thought they needed O'Neal to compete with the rugged Spurs in the West.
Phoenix outscored the Spurs 14-2 in the final 3:40 to improve to 4-6 since O'Neal joined the team.
Manu Ginobili scored 22 but missed several down the stretch for the Spurs, who lost their second in a row after an 11-game winning streak. Tony Parker added 21 points. Tim Duncan had 17 points and 10 rebounds but was just 6-of-19 shooting.
Amare Stoudemire scored five of his 16 points in the last three minutes for Phoenix, which had lost its previous three in a row at home. Stoudemire played the final 6:51 and O'Neal the last 5:55 with five fouls.
O'Neal's two blocked shots made him the third player in NBA history to have 26,000 points, 11,500 rebounds and 2,500 blocks. The others are Kareem-Abdul Jabaar and Hakeem Olajuwon .
The intense victory stemmed Phoenix's slide in the standings, pulling them a game ahead of Dallas for the No. 6 spot in the West.
Former Sun Kurt Thomas made an 18-footer to put the Spurs ahead 85-80 with 5:12 to play. A frustrated Suns coach Mike D'Antoni drew a technical moments later, but Ginobili missed the free throw in a sign of things too come.
Nash's 3-pointer cut it to 85-83 with 3:40 to play. A 24-second clock violation by San Antonio led to Stoudemire's driving shot over Duncan that tied it at 85 with 2:58 left. Stoudemire made one of two free throws with 1:57 to put Phoenix ahead for good, then added two more with 1:57 left San Antonio with an 88-85 lead.
Ginobili's 8-foot floater over both Phoenix big men cut it to 88-87. That set up Hill's shot from the corner that boosted the lead to 90-87. Ginobili missed three in a row, then Raja Bell and Nash put the game away with free throws.
Neither team led by more than six points in the first half or eight in the second. The Spurs shot just 38 percent.
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