SAN ANTONIO, May 9 (AP) -- The high-scoring Phoenix Suns found an unusual way for evening their playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs - defense.
Kurt Thomas was given a surprise start and made it tougher for the Spurs' Tim Duncan as the Suns beat the Spurs 101-81 Tuesday to tie their second-round Western Conference playoff series 1-1.
"I think Tim is going to get the better of almost everybody, but when you can throw a guy like Kurt down there, make it more difficult on him, you don't have to double-team every time,'' Suns point guard Steve Nash said. "It really makes the game a lot easier for us. It's amazing to have that sort of weapon where a guy can hold his own down there.''
Duncan finished with a team-best 29 points and 11 rebounds, but while the Suns are known for their league-leading offense, their defensive effort Tuesday keyed the win.
Game 3 is Saturday in San Antonio.
"I thought we were supposed to be the defensive team jumping into the playoffs against Phoenix, but they made us look like novices,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Game 2.
Suns Turn Up Defense Against Spurs
05-11-2007, 03:22 PM
Linear Mode
