NEW YORK — The San Antonio Spurs marched
into the second round of the Western Conference playoffs with
a 92-87 home win over the Phoenix Suns in NBA action on
Tuesday.
Tony Parker scored 31 points and Tim Duncan
added 29 points and 17 rebounds as the NBA champions wrapped
up the first-round series 4-1 to set up a showdown against the
New Orleans Hornets, who eliminated the Dallas Mavericks.
The Spurs led by nine points at the half
but were outscored 27-15 in the third quarter before rallying
in the final quarter against the Suns, who have lost to the
Spurs in four of their last five playoff appearances.
"We were struggling, we had a very bad
third quarter," Parker said. "But we treated it like a Game 7.
"We just stayed focused and came back
strong in the fourth quarter and did what we had to do. Now we
need to get some rest, we have some old guys on this team."
It was another postseason disappointment
for the Suns, who posted their fifth straight 50-win regular
season, only to lose again to the Spurs, who eliminated them
in a six games in the conference semifinals last season.
The Spurs shot just 39 percent but their
tenacious defense held the Suns to just 15 points in the final
quarter, forcing Phoenix into several crucial turnovers in the
final two minutes.
Boris Diaw led the Suns with 22 points and
Amare Stoudemire had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
However, Shaquille O’Neal was held to just
13 points and Steve Nash only managed 11 points and made five
turnovers, two of them late in the game.
The Hornets advanced to the second round
with a 99-94 win over the Mavericks, taking the series 4-1.
Chris Paul had a triple double for the
Hornets – 24 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds – as the team
recorded its first playoff series win since moving to New
Orleans.
The Hornets never trailed in the game in
handing the Mavericks their second consecutive first round
playoff loss.
Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points for the
Mavericks, who got to within three points late in the game
after trailing by as many as 17.
In Detroit, the Pistons took the series
lead for the first time with a 98-81 win over the Philadelphia
76ers.
Chauncey Billups scored 21 points, Richard Hamilton had 20
and Rasheed Wallace added 19 for the Pistons, who lead the
best-of-seven series 3-2.
