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Extra session Short-handed Suns take Spurs to overtime but lose 91-90
Posted: Wednesday December 22, 1999 01:59 AM
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- After being down for much of the second half, the San Antonio Spurs stole one, literally, from the Phoenix Suns. A steal by Mario Elie led to his game-deciding free throw with 3.1 seconds remaining in overtime that gave the Spurs a 91-90 victory over Suns on Tuesday night. "We played the kind of defense we haven't been playing for a while," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "Tonight we played a great team in Phoenix who's been real hot lately. We just kept playing and kept playing; we didn't get down. That's this team's personality." Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 25 points and 16 rebounds, while David Robinson contributed 21 points and 15 rebounds. "We fought hard tonight; we were just trying to make plays down the stretch," said Duncan, who was 9-for-15 from the field. "We kept our composure and our heads in the game. We gave ourselves a chance to win." Despite fouling out late in the fourth quarter, Clifford Robinson led Phoenix with 26 points, while Rex Chapman added 19. Suns guard Jason Kidd had his third triple-double in four games, scoring 15 points with 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Elie came up with his steal after Avery Johnson's miss was rebounded by Rex Chapman near the free throw line. As Chapman turned upcourt, Elie swiped the ball away and was fouled. He made his first free throw and missed the second, but Johnson came up with the offensive rebound and ran out the clock. "I just went to the line and wanted to hit the free throw,"' said Elie, who added 10 points for the Spurs. "I am proud of our team. We hung in there. We didn't want two overtimes."
The loss broke a four-game winning streak for Phoenix and was the first for Scott Skiles since being named the Suns' head coach on Dec. 13. "It's probably my fault; I should have taken timeout with 25 seconds left," Skiles said of Phoenix' last possession. "In that situation, we need to run a high pick and roll for Jason Kidd, which is basically what they ended up running anyway." Phoenix connected on only 34 of 92 field goal attempts against San Antonio's tough defense. "We just didn't make shots," Kidd said. "We had great looks; it just didn't go in for us. That's the name of the game, to put the ball in the basket. We're not down because we played a tough team in the Western Conference and gave them a run for their money." San Antonio opened the overtime with a 6-0 run to lead 86-80 on two free throws by Johnson with 3:54 to play. Two free throws by Kidd capped a 7-1 Phoenix run, which tied the score 87-87 with 2:07 to play. After a free throw by Robinson, Phoenix took a 90-88 lead with 1:03 remaining as Chapman converted a three-point play. Robinson tied the game at 90-90 with a tip-in with 43.2 seconds to play. After trailing since the middle of the third quarter, San Antonio used a 6-0 run to lead 78-77 on Elie's 22-foot set shot with 31 seconds remaining in regulation. After a Phoenix turnover, Terry Porter added two free throws with 12.8 seconds to play, giving San Antonio an 80-77 lead. Kidd sent the game to overtime with a 3-point field goal from the top of the key with 6.8 seconds to play. After trailing 55-48 early in the third quarter, Phoenix went on a 16-1 run to lead 64-56 on two free throws by Robinson with 1:34 remaining. Robinson had 12 third-quarter points for Phoenix, which led 66-60 going to the fourth quarter. Robinson and Duncan combined for 25 first-half points, pushing San Antonio to a 48-41 halftime lead. Robinson had five of his 13 first-half points in the second quarter as San Antonio outscored Phoenix 24-18.
Notes: Phoenix placed guard Penny Hardaway on the injured list on Tuesday, suffering from plantar fasciatis in his right foot, and activated and the waived guard Gerald Brown . . . Duncan has now scored in double figures 152 times in 158 games during his two-plus years in the NBA . . . San Antonio has shown the ability to bounce back, going 12-2 in 14 games following a loss.
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