"I like what Terry Porter is doing," he said. "He's slowed them down a little bit and is using his skill players. Then down at the end there, we saw the old Phoenix Suns using the pick and roll, putting the ball in Steve and Amare's hands."

--Coach Terry Porter said he'd have plenty of technical fouls this season and picked up his first before halftime, arguing a blocking foul called on Steve Nash.

--The Suns have now won three straight regular season games in San Antonio, just the second time a foe has managed that since their arena it opened in 2002. Dallas also won three straight from 2005-07. No one has won four straight.

-- With Shaquille O'Neal's preseason "coward" comment still ringing in the ears of Spurs fans before Wednesday's game, a reporter asked San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich if he would consider a mock "Hack-a-Shaq" on the first possession of the game to jokingly prove that wasn't backing down from his strategy in last year's playoffs.

Popovich stopped. He ran his fingers through his new white beard. And then he started to grin.

"You know, that's not a bad idea, now that I think about it. It's a better suggestion than any of our (assistant) coaches have had all summer," Popovich said. "I could get a couple of guys in front of me and act like they were holding me back... a typical NBA fight."

Funny guy. He was just kidding, of course. Right?

Sure enough, the Suns won the tip and ex-Sun Michael Finley wrapped his arms around O'Neal to stop play five seconds into the game -- a non-shooting foul. O'Neal quickly looked over at Popovich, who gave him two thumbs-up and the two shared a laugh.

"Classic Pop," Steve Nash said. "I loved it."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It was good coming out and getting a win against our nemesis, especially the way we did it. We kind of out San Antonio-ed San Antonio." -- F Grant Hill, who had 13 points in 19 minutes off the bench including a 30-foot, three-point banker to end the third quarter.