RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
PHOENIX (AP) -- On a night when the rest of the Suns seemed short
on energy, Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion kept going and going, and
Phoenix won its fifth in a row.
|  | | Jason Kidd recorded his second triple-double of the season Thursday night. |
Kidd had his second triple-double of the season, and Marion
added 24 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots Thursday night
as the Suns beat the winless Atlanta Hawks 88-79.
Kidd had 19 points, 12 assists and 13 rebounds.
"He's not a statistics guy," Phoenix coach Scott Skiles said.
"He could have had a triple-double the other night and he didn't
want it. He was one rebound shy and I asked him if he wanted to
stay in and get it and he said no."
"He's a guy that wants the team to win, and I think he could
feel at certain points of the game that it was a struggle tonight
and that he had to do something about it -- and he did."
Dikembe Mutombo, playing for the first time this season after
recovering from malaria, had 15 points and 17 rebounds in 34
minutes for the Hawks, whose 0-6 start is their worst ever.
"Offensively, he had some awfully good plays," Atlanta coach
Lon Kruger said. "His conditioning looked pretty good. He got
tired a couple of times but I think he was outstanding."
Mutombo's return bolsters the Hawks' chances of finally winning
one.
"The team was playing with a different tempo while I was out,"
Mutombo said. "Now I'm back, and they're trying to get used to
playing with me again."
It was Kidd's 33rd career triple-double, most among active
players and sixth all-time. Kidd also had a triple-double in the
season-opener at Golden State, which was Phoenix's only loss of the
season.
"I made some layups," Kidd said. "Probably the hardest part
of me getting a triple-double is the points. For me, a
triple-double is secondary to getting the win and playing good
basketball."
In his second season, Marion is using his speed and incredible
leaping ability to mesh with Kidd's all-around playmaking skill.
"He's fast at pushing the ball, and I'm fast at running,"
Marion said, "so that goes together. He's going to pass it to me
and I'm going to finish."
Kidd said Marion is just beginning to show his potential.
"Shawn is coming into his own. He's a very talented guy," Kidd
said. "The coaching staff believes in him and we believe in him.
If we can get him to play defense, he's going to be the total
package."
Cliff Robinson scored 15 and Rodney Rogers added 14 for the
Suns.
Jim Jackson scored 17 and Alan Henderson 11 for Atlanta.
Phoenix, which shot just 41 percent from the field and was
12-of-21 at the free throw line, led throughout the second half,
but never opened a big lead.
Two free throws by Marion, and Robinson's stuff on a pass from
Kidd put the Suns up 82-69 with 3:32 to play.
Jason Terry's 3-pointer cut the lead to 82-74 with 1:36
remaining, but Kidd's driving layup boosted the lead back to 10.
"We just have to win a game," Jackson said, "against anyone,
anywhere. We just need to win a game and break this habit of
losing.
The Suns have already developed a habit of struggling against
the lesser opponents.
"That's a problem that we have to conquer," Skiles said. "We
rise up against so-called good to great teams, and then against the
teams that people think aren't so good, we don't play as well. We
need to get past that this year because every win is important."
Rogers was 4-for-5 from the field in the third quarter,
including two 3-pointers, for 10 points.
Mutombo, who contracted a mild case of malaria during an
off-season trip to the Congo, where he was born, had 11 points and
nine rebounds in 16 minutes in the first half. He was 5-for-6 from
the field in the first two quarters, including a sweeping 9-foot
baseline hook.
Game
notes
Kidd fell one rebound short of a triple-double in Tuesday
night's victory over San Antonio. ... Atlanta has lost its last
eight games in Phoenix. ... Penny Hardaway returned from two weeks
of rehabilitation of his surgically-repaired left knee in Houston
but says he is not close to being able to rejoin the Suns' lineup
... The Suns were 15-0 at home against Eastern Conference teams
last season. ... Phoenix is halfway through a six-game homestand.
... The Hawks try again for their first win Friday night against
the Clippers in Los Angeles.
|
|
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Phoenix Clubhouse
RECAPS
Seattle 102
Charlotte 94
Detroit 108
New Jersey 94
Philadelphia 84
Minnesota 82
Chicago 95
Orlando 90
Houston 85
Vancouver 78
Phoenix 88
Atlanta 79
Portland 107
Denver 91
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Dikembe Mutombo shows the Suns he is back.
avi: 321 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
|
