Amare Stoudemire had 31 points and one of the greatest blocks in NBA history to help the Suns stay alive for another game, defeating the Spurs by a final score of 111-106.

Joe Johnson had 26 points, shooting 10-15 from the floor, getting adjusted to his mask.

Manu Ginobili scored 28 points, but his flops near the end of the game did more harm than good.

Steve Nash had 17 points and 12 assists, including a key dime to Stoudemire as he was falling out of bounds in the final seconds of the game.

The series now shifts back to Phoenix for Game 5.

The Spurs have taken total control of their series against the Phoenix Suns by winning Game 3 by a final score of 102-92.  They now lead 3-0 and it will take a Boston Red Sox comeback for the Suns to advance to the Finals.

"We haven't found a way to stop them yet," said Phoenix's Steve Nash, whose streak of four straight games with 25 points and 10 assists came crashing down with 20 and three. He also committed six turnovers.

"There was a stretch there in the second quarter when we couldn't make any plays, couldn't get any momentum and we put our heads down. That made it impossible for us to come back in the second half."

Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 33 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.

Shawn Marion has been there for the Suns throughout the entire season and all the way up to the Western Conference Finals.  But, in the first two games of the series, Marion has only averaged 7.0 points and 10.5 rebounds.  This is down from his regular season average of 19.4 points and 11.3 rebounds.  Some say it is Bruce Bowen of the Spurs, known for his ?lock-down? defense that is keeping Marion?s scoring low.  Marion seems to believe his teammates are not getting him the ball enough.

"We?ve got to do something," he said. "I?ve got to be effective. If I can?t score and help this team, we?re not going anywhere."

"You can look at the game and see how we?re playing," Marion said Friday. "I can see if I went 5-for-25 or something like that. Then you could say he?s doing a good job. But other than that, it shouldn?t even be brought up."

Tonight?s game is most definitely a must win for the Suns.  If Phoenix goes down 0-3 to the Spurs they can kiss their title run goodbye.

Wearing a mask to protect his fractured left eye socket, Phoenix Suns guard Joe Johnson went through a full practice on Thursday and said he expects to play in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against San Antonio.

The Suns are down 0-2 and face a near improbable climb if Johnson is not in uniform.

"As of right now, I don't think there's anything that could keep me off the court," Johnson said of Saturday's game, "but I don't want to speak too soon because anything could happen."

The workout, which included a scrimmage, was his first complete practice since he was injured in a face-first crash to the floor in Game 2 of the conference semifinals against Dallas on May 11.

He still has to clear a doctor's evaluation on Friday before getting the official go-ahead, but he said he felt good after the practice.

Before his injury, Johnson had played in every game since being traded to the Suns in his rookie season, a span of 281 contests.

"It was tough. It was my first time," he said of having to watch the six games in street clothes. "I'm more nervous sitting over there watching than when I'm out there playing because I can't do anything."

It is widely known that the Phoenix Suns are reeling, down 0-2 to the San Antonio Spurs.  Both games have been lost in the 4th quarter as the Suns led 82-78 after three quarters in Game 1 and led 85-80 after three in game 2.

"They've won several championships (actually two) and have been to the Western Conference finals I don't know how many times," Amare Stoudemire said. "They know how important every possession is, that every stop is extremely important, they capitalize on turnovers, things like that.

"That's where experience kicks in."

The Suns will have a chance to reverse their 4th quarter woes on Friday in San Antonio.

Suns guard Joe Johnson practiced for the first time on Tuesday and expects to play in Saturday's Game 3 against the San Antonio Spurs.

In fact, Johnson says he has a "great chance" of playing.

"Just getting a second opinion gives me a lot more confidence," Johnson said. "It'll help me a lot."

Spurs forward Glenn Robinson is likely to return for Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals after missing the first two games due to the death of his mother.

His mother's funeral is Thursday and Game 3 is on Saturday so he might return then.

The Spurs hold a 2-0 lead over the Suns in the series after taking the first two games on Phoenix's home court.

Steve Nash became a trivia answer tonight, but he won?t care because his three point shot at the buzzer fell short, as did Phoenix?s chances at winning the series, losing to San Antonio 111-108.

Nash and Amare Stoudemire once again led the way for Phoenix, but it was not enough to close out the game against the Spurs, who got three 20 point games from their three main stars. Phoenix was unable to close the game out when they had the lead coming into the fourth quarter.

Stoudemire scored 37 points and eight rebounds, but had a costly technical foul called against him late in the game. Stoudemire shoved Spurs' forward Robert Horry to the ground after a foul call causing Horry to react with a minor flopp, enough to get the call against Stoudemire. He also committed a team-high five turnovers, as did Nash.

Nash became the first player in NBA history to score at least 25 points and collect 10 assists in four consecutive playoff games, finishing with 29 points, 15 assists and five rebounds. Quentin Richardson had his best game of the playoffs, scoring 18 points on 7 of 13 shooting. Shawn Marion recovered slightly from Game 1, getting his ninth double-double of the playoffs with 11 points and 12 rebounds. He also recorded two of Phoenix?s 9 blocks. Steven Hunter came off the bench to score seven points, grab four rebounds, two offensive, and block 3 shots. Jim Jackson scored just six points, grabbed three rebounds and blocked a team-high 4 shots. But it wasn?t enough to stop the power that is San Antonio.

Joe Johnson will not suit up for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday night.  This will give the Suns? guard four days to prepare for a possible return in Game 3 in San Antonio.  

"That's the whole thing. That's why we're not rushing him," D'Antoni said after the Suns practiced on Monday. "We've got to get him under the gun and see how he plays, because we can't just throw him out there and say `Oh my gosh, it's a disaster.' We have to, from practice, have an inkling of the way he is going to play."

The San Antonio Spurs scored 43 points in the 4th quarter to complete a come from behind charge and beat the Phoenix Suns 121-114 in Game 1 of the Wester Conference Finals.

"You got to score points to beat these guys because you are not going to hold them to 82," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.

The Spurs hit 16 of 22 shots in the 4th, their highest single quarter total of the season.

Tony Parker scored 29 and Tim Duncan had 28, while Brent Barry came off then bench to put in 21, including 13 in the 4th.

The Suns, who were led by Amare Stoudemire's 41 points and Steve Nash's 29, ran out of gas in the 4th.

"We kind of let fatigue affect us mentally," said Phoenix point guard Steve Nash. "We lost our fight for enough stretches to lose the game."