TJ Warren poured in 27 points to lead five teammates in double-figure scoring as the hapless Phoenix Suns took out a month's worth of frustration with a resounding 116-96 win over the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
Phoenix led by just two points midway through the third quarter, but then reeled off a 17-6 run capped by a Warren 3-pointer with 1:27 to play in the period to take charge of the game for good.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Suns, who have now won three of 14 games this season. It was a huge bounce back in two ways for Phoenix: The Suns lost at home to San Antonio by 30 points on Oct. 31 and were defeated by 17 points at Oklahoma City on Monday.
Isaiah Canaan scored 19 points for Phoenix, while Deandre Ayton added 17 points and 10 rebounds, Josh Jackson contributed 14 points, Devin Booker tallied 13 points and dished out 12 assists, and Jamal Crawford totaled 11 points for the Suns.
DeMar DeRozan's 24 points led San Antonio, which has lost four of its past five games. Derrick White added 16 points, Bryn Forbes scored 13 and Marco Belinelli pumped in 10 points for the Spurs, who also got 12 rebounds (but just six points in 29 minutes) from LaMarcus Aldridge.
Phoenix roared out of the gate, using an 11-0 run midway through the first quarter to assume an 18-5 lead. The Suns built that advantage to 19 points, at 32-13, on a 3-pointer by Canaan with 2:06 to play in the quarter; Canaan had 11 points in the period as Phoenix led 34-19.
San Antonio played much better in the second quarter, climbing within two points twice before the Suns secured a 52-48 lead at halftime.
Warren paced all scorers with 16 points over the first two quarters, with Jackson adding 14 and Canaan 11 for Phoenix. DeRozan led the Spurs in the first half with 14 points while Forbes added 13.
DeRozan's jumper with 6:51 to play in the third quarter brought the Spurs within 62-60, but the rest of the period, and the game, belonged to the Suns.
San Antonio plays the second game of a road back-to-back on Thursday against the Clippers in Los Angeles. Next up for the Suns is a home game on Saturday against Oklahoma City.
--Field Level Media
San Antonio | Phoenix | |
DeMar DeRozan 24 | Scoring | T.J. Warren 27 |
DeMar DeRozan 4 | Assists | Devin Booker 12 |
LaMarcus Aldridge 12 | Rebounds | Deandre Ayton 10 |
DeMar DeRozan 10 | Free Throws Made | T.J. Warren 4 |
Patty Mills 3 | Steals | T.J. Warren 3 |
Jakob Poeltl 2 | Blocks | Ryan Anderson 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
San Antonio | 96 | 42.2 | 7-23 | 19-24 | 16 | 43 | 4 | 7 | 18 |
Phoenix | 116 | 56.0 | 15-31 | 7-8 | 27 | 38 | 4 | 9 | 16 |