Spurs 112, Suns 79
SAN ANTONIO -- Forward LaMarcus Aldridge scored 21 points and pulled down 12 rebounds despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter, and the San Antonio Spurs took charge early and rolled past the Phoenix Suns 112-79 Wednesday to remain unbeaten at home.
The double-double was Aldridge's 10th of the season and marked the 28th time in the 32 games he has played this season that he scored in double figures. He led the Spurs in scoring for the ninth time in 2015-16.
Forward Kawhi Leonard added 19 points for San Antonio (28-6), which has the second-best record in the NBA and is off to its best start since the 2010-11 season.
The victory, which was never in doubt after a runaway first quarter, was the 19th straight at home this season for San Antonio, allowing the Spurs to expand their best home start ever. They extended their winning streak in the AT&T Center to 28 games dating back to the final nine home contests of 2014-15.
San Antonio is just the third Western Conference team in history to open a season 19-0 at home, joining Portland (which won its first 26 games in 1977-78) and Houston (20, 1985-86). The Golden State Warriors are 15-0 at home this season.
The Spurs also got 13 points from reserve forward Boris Diaw and 12 from guard Tony Parker. Twelve of the 13 Spurs who saw action scored.
San Antonio forward Tim Duncan did not play Monday because of soreness in his right knee. It was the third consecutive game Duncan missed, once for rest and twice with the injury.
Phoenix (12-22) lost a sixth consecutive game and the second since the starting point guard Eric Bledsoe went down with a season-ending left knee injury on Dec. 26. The Suns were led by guard Brandon Knight, center Tyson Chandler and reserve forward T.J. Warren with 11 points apiece.
The Suns' 79 points were a season low, supplanting the 84 Phoenix scored against San Antonio the first time the teams played on Nov. 23.
San Antonio turned the Suns' quick-shooting strategy against the visitors in the first quarter, roaring out to a 32-12 lead after the opening 12 minutes. The Spurs shot 57 percent in the quarter, forced nine Phoenix turnovers while committing none themselves and got scoring from eight players -- nearly running the Suns out of the building before some of the sold-out crowd found its seats.
The Spurs kept their collective foot on the accelerator through a dominating second quarter, pushing their advantage to 31 points before settling for a 61-33 lead at halftime. Phoenix's 33 points were its fewest in a half this season and its 13 turnovers through the first two quarters resulted in 18 points for San Antonio, which really didn't need any help.
The Suns didn't go the free throw line in the first half as San Antonio was whistled for just four fouls.
Phoenix played better for the first half of the third quarter, cutting the Spurs' lead to 72-50 on a driving layup by Morris. However, San Antonio had the last run of the period, finishing with a 12-6 surge that re-established a 28-point advantage, 84-56, by the end of the period and sent the Spurs' starters to the bench for the rest of the game.
NOTES: San Antonio had 18 steals in its first meeting of the against the Suns, a 98-84 Spurs win. The Spurs finished with 13 steals Wednesday.. ...The Spurs' non-starters began the day ranked first in the NBA in total assists (375), assists per game (an average of 11.4) and field-goal percentage (.486) and tied for first in total steals (119). ...San Antonio F Kawhi Leonard was ranked third in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (.480) and fifth in steals. ... Through Tuesday, the Suns ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring (103.5 points per game) second in 3-point shooting (38.1 percent) and third with a pace of 101.3 possessions per game. ... Jeff Hornacek has 99 wins as an NBA head coach, all with Phoenix. He is on the verge of becoming the eighth coach in Suns history to reach the century mark.