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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
PHOENIX (AP) -- Two years ago, Todd Day was waived by Miami five games into the season and wound up playing in Italy. Last year, he was with the La Crosse Bobcats of the Continental Basketball
Association.
|  | | Hardaway's line: 17 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists. |
On Saturday, he was back in the big time, his soft shooting
touch and all-around hustle driving the defending NBA champion San
Antonio Spurs to the brink of first-round playoff elimination.
Day, once an NBA lottery pick but now usually a bit player off
the bench, scored all 16 of his points in the fourth quarter and
Penny Hardaway had his first playoff triple double as the Phoenix
Suns, down by 10 points after three periods, rallied to beat the
Spurs 101-94.
"Todd Day hit the big 3s," San Antonio's Terry Porter said.
"He was the X-factor. We didn't expect him to do that."
San Antonio's Tim Duncan, still unable to play because of torn
cartilage in his left knee, watched again in street clothes as the
Suns took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. Phoenix can
advance to the second round for the first time in five years with a
homecourt victory on Tuesday.
"We got really lucky," Hardaway said. "They basically let us
back in. They were up 10 points going into the fourth quarter and I
know they're kicking themselves right now saying `We should have
finished it."'
Day said he's never felt appreciated by the Suns this season.
"I may have done some nice things while I'm here, but I never
felt I received the compliments I deserved for helping us win, not
for being a superstar or anything like that, but contributing,"
Day said. "I just hope the next game my name gets called a little
earlier and I can do the same thing."
David Robinson almost singlehandedly kept the Spurs alive with
37 points, three short of his career playoff high, and 13 rebounds,
but he scored only four points in the fourth quarter against the
tough defense of the much smaller Cliff Robinson.
Hardaway, who had been bothered by a sore knee in practice, had
17 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds -- only his fourth career
triple-double while playing all but one minute of the game. In the
fourth quarter, with Kevin Johnson on the bench, Hardaway played point guard. His penetrations to the basket cleared the way for
Day's open 3-pointers.
"That's what they need from me," Hardaway said. "They need me
to play almost 48 minutes, and it didn't feel like it."
Day, who played 13 minutes and scored six points in the first
two games, was 4-for-9 from the field in the fourth quarter,
including 3-of-6 3-pointers, and was 5-of-6 from the free throw
line with four rebounds, three offensive.
Six Suns scored in double figures. Shawn Marion had 16 points
and 14 rebounds, while Rodney Rogers scored 15 points, Cliff
Robinson 14 and Kevin Johnson 10.
San Antonio scored the last 13 points of the third quarter to
lead 79-69.
"Up by 10 you think you've got the game pretty well in hand,"
David Robinson said. "To have your team fall apart like that is
very disappointing."
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich pointed to Phoenix's 13 offensive
rebounds in the second half, and the Suns' 25 points off turnovers.
"The 13 offensive rebounds they got in the second half
fundamentally was the killer for us," Popovich said.
Day's tip-in cut it to 87-86, then he hit the first of two free
throws to tie it at 87 with 4:26 to play. The second free throw
misfired, but Cliff Robinson tipped the ball back out to Day, who
hit a 3-pointer to put Phoenix ahead 90-87 with 3:16 remaining.
"Whether we're up 20 or down 20, if I'm open I feel like I'm
going to take the shot," Day said. "They brought me on the team
for my scoring ability. That's what I'm here for."
Mario Elie's 3-pointer with 1:36 to go tied it one last time at
94-94. But Day hit his third 3-pointer with 1:19 to go to make it
97-94. Cliff Robinson added an inside basket to make it 99-94, then
blocked Samaki Walker's inside shot and the Suns clinched it at the
free throw line.
"Even when we win, it's not particularly pretty," Suns coach
Scott Skiles said. "I thought we had great efforts from a lot of
guys, across the board really, other than the first four or five
minutes of the game."
Duncan has had limited workouts this week but Popovich said he
wasn't healthy enough to play in a game. Duncan, the MVP of last
year's NBA Finals, missed the last four games of the regular season
and all three playoff games.
The Spurs, down to 10 players with the loss of Jerome Kersey
with a dislocated foot, scored the first 11 points of the game and
were up 23-11 on Porter's third 3-pointer with 2:47 left in the
quarter.
But Johnson came off the bench to replace Randy Livingston at
point guard, and the Suns took off on a 22-8 run. Rogers' tip-in
just before the buzzer put Phoenix up 50-49 at halftime.
Game notes
Malik Rose went to the locker room for treatment after he had some teeth knocked loose with 1:51 left in the first quarter, then returned shortly thereafter. The Spurs' team doctor said
Rose's braces kept the teeth in. ... After missing their first
seven shots of the game, the Suns were 21-for-34 the rest of the
first half. ... The last playoff triple-double for Phoenix was by
Charles Barkley, who had 32 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds against Chicago in the 1993 NBA Finals. ... The Suns had scored 72 and 70 in the first two games, their lowest-scoring playoff games
ever.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
San Antonio Clubhouse
Phoenix Clubhouse
Spurs' Duncan misses Game 2
RECAPS
Miami 91
Detroit 72
Phoenix 101
San Antonio 94
Seattle 89
Utah 78
Indiana 109
Milwaukee 96
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Scott Skiles knew it would be a battle against the Spurs.
wav: 217 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Penny Hardaway put it all out on the line.
wav: 99 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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