June 1 (Bloomberg) -- Tim Duncan had 31 points and 15 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns 101-95 to reach the National Basketball Association Finals for the third time in seven seasons.

Manu Ginobili added 19 points and Tony Parker had 18 for the Spurs, who were 3-0 on the road in winning the Western Conference finals four games to one. San Antonio, which won NBA titles in 1999 and 2003, will play either the defending champion Detroit Pistons or the Miami Heat, who are tied 2-2 in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Suns, who were trying to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993, had the best record in the league this season, but couldn't overcome a 3-0 deficit in the series.

Robert Horry and Duncan each made a layup while getting fouled and sank the free throw to put the Spurs ahead 84-72 with 10:45 remaining in Phoenix.

``Tim Duncan was a possessed individual,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told a televised news conference. ``You would never know it by looking at him or talking to him. What he did tonight, he's done many, many times. It's just who he is, and that's what makes him so special.''

The Suns then used an 18-9 run to climb within 93-90 with 2:45 remaining, as Amare Stoudemire made four consecutive baskets and Jim Jackson sank a 3-pointer.

Duncan tipped in a missed shot on the next possession to give the Spurs a five-point edge. The Suns then came up empty on their next two possessions, as Horry stole a pass and Stoudemire missed a difficult layup. Parker then made a layup to give San Antonio a 97-90 lead with 50 seconds left.

3-Point Shooting

Duncan shot 14-of-24 and had three blocks to lead San Antonio, while Ginobili added eight rebounds and six assists. Horry added seven points and 11 rebounds, and Bruce Bowen scored nine points. San Antonio was 9-of-21 from 3-point range.

Stoudemire had 42 points and 16 rebounds for the Suns, while Steve Nash had 21 points and 10 assists, Joe Johnson added 14 points and Shawn Marion had eight points and 10 rebounds.

Stoudemire scored 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting in the first half to give the Suns a 50-49 lead at halftime. Nash added 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, but the Suns were only 1-of-7 from 3- point range. Duncan scored 18 points in the first half for San Antonio.

The Spurs started the third quarter on a 20-6 run to go ahead 69-56 with 4:26 left in the period. Parker scored eight consecutive points for San Antonio, making a running shot in the lane and two 3-pointers.

Phoenix started the quarter with seven consecutive missed shots from the field and three turnovers. Jackson made two 3- pointers late in the period and Johnson added another to help Phoenix close to within 78-70 heading into the final quarter.

``We just didn't play great in the third quarter,'' said Nash, the league's Most Valuable Player. ``They just outplayed us there and went on a couple of little runs. I didn't really play well enough in the second half for us to win.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Nick Fortuna in Princeton at nfortuna@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 2, 2005 00:22 EDT