BRYN Forbes scored a season-high 24 points and pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds to lead a balanced San Antonio attack as the Spurs strolled past the visiting Phoenix Suns 111-86 on Tuesday.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich earned his 1,211th career win, moving him past Pat Riley for fourth place on the all-time NBA coaching victories list. Ahead of him are Don Nelson (1,335), Lenny Wilkens (1,332) and Jerry Sloan (1,221).
With a third consecutive victory, San Antonio moved to 14-14 on the season.
The Spurs led by 13 at the half and were never challenged through the third and fourth quarters, with San Antonio’s starters spending the final 12 minutes on the bench. The Spurs were up 88-64 heading into the fourth quarter and enjoyed a game-high 25-point advantage early in the fourth and again at game’s end.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points for San Antonio. Dante Cunningham hit for 14 points (helped by a 4-for-4 showing from beyond the 3-point arc), Rudy Gay scored 13 points and Marco Belinelli rang up 11 points. Jakob Poeltl took 11 rebounds for the Spurs.
T.J. Warren paced the Suns with 23 points. De’Anthony Melton scored 17, and Deandre Ayton notched 12 points and 11 rebounds for Phoenix, which has lost 10 straight and has the worst record in the NBA at 4-24.
San Antonio earned a 59-46 advantage at halftime despite an impressive first half by Warren. He poured in 17 points over the first 24 minutes in his second game back from an ankle injury after missing five contests.
Forbes matched his season points-per-game average with 14 points in the first half, when he also grabbed six rebounds. Aldridge had 14 points as well by halftime for the Spurs.
The Spurs continue their six-game homestand on Thursday when they host the Los Angeles Clippers. Phoenix heads back to the Valley of the Sun to square off with the Dallas Mavericks, also on Thursday. — Reuters
