Spurs at Suns
The San Antonio Spurs began their championship defense with a tight win over the Dallas Mavericks despite finals MVP Kawhi Leonard sitting out. The Spurs will have Leonard in the lineup when they visit the Phoenix Suns on Friday. The Suns got off to a nice start by pounding the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday and seamlessly integrated point guard Isaiah Thomas into their up-tempo attack.
Thomas came off the bench to score a team-high 23 points and gives Phoenix a third scoring point guard to go along with Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic as well as another 3-point shooter. Thomas and Marcus Morris each knocked down five 3-pointers in the opener and Bledsoe added three more on four attempts as Phoenix knocked down 16 from beyond the arc, one more than its high from last season. The Spurs had a little trouble defending the 3-point line down the stretch against Dallas but came up with enough of their own from beyond the arc in the 101-100 triumph.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, KENS (San Antonio), FSN Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE SPURS (1-0): Leonard (eye infection) was cleared to play on Tuesday but the team decided to give him some extra time away to make sure the rest of the team avoided any infection. The reigning NBA Finals MVP who averaged 13.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in helping San Antonio take three of four from Phoenix in 2013-14, was missed as a defender on the wing in the opener. Tony Parker helped pick up the slack on the other end by going 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. “(Parker) is a guy who energizes us, and we need to ride him a little bit to keep our heads above water, especially with all of the injuries right now,” coach Gregg Popovich told reporters.
ABOUT THE SUNS (1-0): Phoenix missed the playoffs despite winning 48 games last season and made some subtle changes to the lineup for 2014-15, pushing Marcus and Markieff Morris into the starting five while adding Thomas to the bench. Both Dragic and Bledsoe missed time due to injury last season, and Thomas’ presence not only takes pressure off the two starters but provides some insurance against either going down. The Suns shot 54.9 percent from the field against the Lakers on Wednesday, led by Thomas’ 9-of-11 effort.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Spurs C Tiago Splitter (calf) is not expected to play.
2. Suns F P.J. Tucker will serve the second of a three-game suspension resulting from a DUI charge in the offseason.
3. Phoenix is 17-0 when Dragic and Bledsoe each score 16 or more points.