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Shaq Goes Off As Suns Crush Spurs
Shaq scored 16 points and hauled in nine rebounds as the Suns handled the Spurs in San Antonio. (AP Images)
If this was a taste of what the Phoenix Suns have to offer for the playoffs, the Western Conference best beware.
In a dominant performance that proved they can play a grind-it-out kind of affair, the Suns took care of one of their biggest rivals with a 96-79 win over the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night.
Shaquille O'Neal scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter - and ended up as one of six Phoenix players in double-digits - after missing the last game due to injury. All told, O'Neal ended up with 16 and nine in a game that the Suns will remember for quite some time. Amare Stoudemire went for 21 points as well, re-confirming that he and O'Neal are the premier big-man combo in the NBA.
The Spurs were led with strong performances by Tim Duncan (23 points, 10 boards) and Tony Parker (20 points) but had few answers for the Suns in the second half. Phoenix outscored San Antonio 51-34 over the final 24 minutes and have now won two straight against the team that sent them packing from last year's playoffs.
The Suns still sit in 6th place in the West while San Antonio remained in 2nd. There is still a strong possiblity the two could meet in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs, which will be a great treat for fans.
Phoenix came into this contest as a +7-point road underdog and covered the spread with ease, making bettors who threw down on them (+240 on the moneyline) extremely happy. The game went under the 196 point total posted in the Bodog Sportsbook.