NBA

Suns-Spurs intensifies on ‘nice hip check’

Horry's cheap shot on Nash starts scuffle in Phoenix’s Game 4 win

Lm Otero / AP

Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash goes after San Antonio's Robert Horry after Horry knocked Nash into the scorer's table late in Monday's game. Horry was ejected from the game.

“I was just doing what the coach told me. He told me to check in,” Stoudemire said. “I just got to say my prayers tonight.”

The Spurs led by as many as 11 points. They missed nine of their last 10 shots, including the last six during Phoenix’ closing run.

“We’ve been in this situation before. We did a good job to get the lead. Late in the game we didn’t do a good job,” Spurs guard Bruce Bowen said. “We have to do a better job of tightening up more than anything else.”

Stoudemire led the Suns with 26 points, while Nash had 24 points and 15 assists.

“Today we did it. We have to do it two more times,” Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Tonight, we played a little bit better and a little more desperate. We got over the hump. They’re a great team.”

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 23 points and Tim Duncan had 21 points and 11 rebounds.

The Spurs entered the fourth quarter leading 80-72.

Marion’s dunk with 1:31 to go brought the Suns within one, and Stoudemire’s first layup put the Suns up 98-97. It was their first lead since 3:38 left in the second quarter, when they were up 38-37.

Marion was largely absent offensively early on, scoring just three points heading into the final quarter. His 3 with 8:33 to go, followed by another basket, brought the Suns within 85-80 with 7:51 to play. Marion finished with 12 points, nine in the fourth, and 12 rebounds. Kurt Thomas had 14 points, Bell had 12 and Leandro Barbosa added 10.

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“The guy was all over the place,” D’Antoni said of Marion. “He came up with some good buckets. Didn’t score a lot, but got 12 rebounds. He was just everywhere, everywhere.”

Stoudemire, who sat much of the second half of Saturday’s Game 3 with foul trouble, picked up his fourth and fifth fouls just four seconds apart in the fourth quarter. He went to the bench with 6:54 left in the game.

Notes: Many Spurs fans were wearing a dab of black under their left eyes in support of Ginobili. The display mimicked Game 2, when a local radio station passed out bandages for Suns fans to wear over their noses in support of Nash after his injury. ... The Spurs’ bench outscored the Suns’ reserves 28-16.

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