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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PHOENIX (AP) -- Shawn Marion figures it's about time the Phoenix
Suns were recognized as a legitimate contender in the West.
|  | | Shawn Marion, right, battles Derek Anderson of the Spurs for one of his 16 rebounds. Anderson had three boards and 26 points. |
"We're good, man," he said. "Everybody keeps overlooking us.
Some of us can play four positions. Everybody keeps on overlooking
us, 'Oh the Phoenix Suns, they're soft.' We win games. Everybody's
seeing that. We're having fun, too."
Marion, emerging as a star in his second season, had 17 points
and 16 rebounds Wednesday night as the Suns never trailed in a
103-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Jason Kidd had 17 points and nine assists and Cliff Robinson added 15 points as the Suns won their third in a row and fifth in
six games.
Rodney Rogers scored 12 of his 14 in the first half and fouled
out with 3:46 to play. Chris Dudley had a strong game against the
Spurs' Twin Towers. Dudley made all four of his shots and grabbed
six rebounds in 21 minutes.
Mario Elie, who had been starting at guard for Phoenix while
Penny Hardaway recovers from a knee injury, broke his left hand in
a collision with Marion while going for a rebound with 54 seconds
to play in the first half. He will be out 3-to-4 weeks.
"That's a huge loss for us, especially on the defensive end,"
Kidd said. "He's all out on the defensive end and he knocks down
some big shots for us. He's one of our defensive specialist. This
gives some guys a chance to step up."
At 15-6, the Suns have the third-best record in the NBA.
"It was a good game, but I still feel like we're just
scratching the surface," Phoenix coach Scott Skiles said. "We
need to play with this type of effort every night, and it will be
fun. Good things will happen."
Tim Duncan's participation was a game-time decision after he
hyperextended his left knee in San Antonio's 91-83 victory at Utah
on Monday night. Duncan finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds in
34 minutes but was just 4-for-12 from the field.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich thought Duncan looked tentative, and
he didn't like his team's first-half effort, especially coming on
the heels of the big victory at Utah.
"We didn't play until the third quarter, and you can't dig a
hole that deep against a good team," Popovich said. "When we
decide we're going to play for 48 minutes, then we'll have a hell
of a team. Until then, we're so-so."
Derek Anderson scored 26 for the Spurs, including 14 of 16 free
throws. David Robinson had 18 points. San Antonio made 18 of its
first 19 free throws and wound up 33-for-43 at the line.
Marion shot 6-for-16 for the game, but was 5-for-10 and scored
13 in the second half.
The Spurs were without Avery Johnson, who missed the game
because of a bruised left thigh.
Phoenix shot out to an 18-8 lead, led by as many as 14 in the
second quarter and was up by 18 in the third.
Anderson sank a 3-pointer and David Robinson had a rebound stuff to cap a 9-0 run that cut the lead to 85-80 with 9:22 to play.
But Cliff Robinson sank a pair of jumpers around a fast-break
stuff by Marion to boost the lead back to 91-80 with 6:51
remaining. San Antonio never got closer than nine again.
The Suns shot 57 percent from the field in the first half, their
second-best mark of the season, in building a 60-44 lead at the
break.
Game notes
The Suns are 2-0 against San Antonio this season and have
won five of the last six meetings, counting last season's playoffs.
... The Spurs activated Samaki Walker (sprained left ankle) and
placed Shawnelle Scott on the injured list (left patella
tendinitis). ... Phoenix moved into first place in the Pacific
Division. ... Point guard Elliott Perry, who played with Phoenix
from 1993 to 1996, was re-signed by the Suns last Friday. He had
two steals, converting them both to layups, in the second quarter
and hit a 3-pointer in the third. ... Referee Blane Reichelt left
the game with a pulled groin in the third quarter.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
San Antonio Clubhouse
Phoenix Clubhouse
Suns' Hardaway faces misdemeanor threatening charge
RECAPS
Chicago 104
Boston 86
Indiana 97
Dallas 92
Philadelphia 102
Washington 82
Charlotte 101
Sacramento 90
Detroit 92
Atlanta 69
Phoenix 103
San Antonio 93
Milwaukee 111
Utah 102
Seattle 94
Vancouver 93
Miami 94
LA Clippers 88
Portland 96
LA Lakers 86
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