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SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- David Robinson played the first half as if he didn't expect any help. His San Antonio Spurs teammates finally arrived in the second half. Robinson set the tone with a huge first half and finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds as the defending NBA champion Spurs thwarted the Phoenix Suns, 85-70, to even their first-round Western Conference series at one game apiece. The Spurs are without injured All-Star forward Tim Duncan, the Most Valuable Player of the 1999 NBA Finals. That has put the pressure on fellow 7-footer Robinson, who is facing the double-teams normally reserved for Duncan. "It's kind of a distraction because we don't know his status," Robinson said. "We know that it's a problem with his knee and that it gets swollen when he does something. If that's the case, then we don't want him on the floor." "I don't know right now," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Each day we hope for improvement. As the series continues, we'll see. If he's medically able to go, he'll go. He's dying right now, but it's not smart to play him." After being bottled up in San Antonio's 72-70 loss in Game One, Robinson bounced back and dominated from the opening tip. As Duncan celebrated his 24th birthday by watching from the bench, Robinson scored the first two baskets of the game and collected 21 points and 13 rebounds in the first half as the Spurs jumped to a 51-37 lead. "Our offense did a better job," Robinson said. "We had more movement instead of being stationary. We made them play defense. I got the ball more with opportunities I liked." "He gave us everything he has," Popovich said. "His body's been feeling good. His knees felt good. He rebounded, scored points. We are an inside-oriented team and a big part of that is gone. David doing what he did was good." Robinson missed all eight of his shots in the second half but did not let up on the defensive end, helping harass Cliff Robinson into 3-of-17 shooting. Despite a club record-low nine-point third quarter, the Spurs never trailed in the second half as a trio of teammates picked up the slack for David Robinson. Sean Elliott had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Avery Johnson and backcourt mate Antonio Daniels combined for 19 points in the fourth quarter, with Johnson scoring 12 of his 21 and Daniels seven of his 10 in the final period. "I wanted to come out in the fourth and make some adjustments and make some plays that I didn't in the third quarter," Johnson said. "I thought of some ways to get to the basket and it worked out good for us." "I tried to change the complexion of the ballgame," Daniels said. "I didn't feel good about what I brought to the last game. Tonight I wanted it to be a different story." Samaki Walker again started for Duncan -- who has torn cartilage in his left knee -- and had another solid inside game with nine rebounds and eight blocks. The Spurs held the Suns to their franchise playoff low in points and just 32.6 percent (28-of-86) from the field. Penny Hardaway scored 19 points and Rodney Rogers added 18 and 10 rebounds for Phoenix, which hosts Games Three and Four on Saturday and Tuesday. "We had an opportunity to put a lot of pressure on the world champions," Suns coach Scott Skiles said. "Yeah, we won one game. I'm happy and we have home court." "We're still not in the best situation," David Robinson said. "Losing the first game set us back. We still have a lot of work ahead of us. We've been playing better on the road than at home. I hope we can continue that pace." It took Robinson nearly three quarters to score from the field in Game One. Tonight it took him just 13 seconds as he sank a 20-foot jumper and he followed with a thunderous dunk to let the Suns know things would be different. However, Phoenix trailed just 24-20 after one quarter and took the lead as Rogers opened the second period with consecutive 3-pointers. David Robinson made a jumper to snap a 34-34 tie and trigger a 17-3 run that was spurred by a technical foul against Popovich and closed the first half. Robinson had seven points, five rebounds and two blocks during the burst. Popovich argued to no avail that Robinson was fouled inside. Just over a minute later, Robinson took a behind-the-back pass from Terry Porter, dunked and was fouled in transition. In the final minute, he had a jumper and swatted shots by Hardaway and Oliver Miller, giving San Antonio a 14-point halftime bulge. "They set cross screens for David to prevent us from fronting," Skiles said. "In the first half we were soft and let him catch the ball where he wanted it. We made it more difficult for him in the third." The third quarter was the worst in NBA playoff history. The teams combined for just 23 points, breaking the record set by Atlanta (11) and New York (14) on May 23. The Spurs had just one basket in the period until Daniels made a 3-pointer with 1:08 remaining. Meanwhile, the Suns could get no closer than four points. "It's like the WWF out there," Spurs guard Mario Elie said. Robinson's final points were a pair of free throws that ended the third quarter and gave San Antonio a 60-51 lead. Johnson, Daniels and Elliott made sure Phoenix got no closer than seven points in the final period, accounting for all of the Spurs' 25 points. "I have to give a lot of credit to AJ. He played great," Elie said. "Sean played great and ... Antonio played great tonight and he has been playing well all season. "This is what this team is about. Different guys step up on different nights." The Spurs shot less than 36 percent (29-of-81) but made 24-of-26 free throws after shooting 12-of-21 from the line in Game One. Cliff Robinson was limited to 11 points and Corie Blount added eight and 11 rebounds for the Suns, who were just 3-of-18 from 3-point range. "There was not one shot I took tonight that I did not feel good about," Robinson said. "I feel them going in and coming out. It's like somebody is sticking their hand in there and pushing them out."
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