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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Any road victory is an important win for
the Phoenix Suns.
|  | | Suns guard Jason Kidd had 15 points and 15 assists in a victory over the Magic. |
Shawn Marion scored 28 points and made a key late basket as the
Suns beat Orlando 110-104 Tuesday night, snapping the Magic's
nine-game winning streak.
"We've had kind of a bizarre year, so any kind of road win is a
big win for us," Skiles said. "To beat the hottest team in league
at home is, no doubt, a big win for us."
Orlando's Tracy McGrady had a career-high 44 points, including
19 in the fourth quarter. However, McGrady missed three of four
foul shots in the final 55 seconds.
The Magic last won nine straight games early in the 1994-95
season.
"Well, it was a nice run, really it was," Orlando coach Doc
Rivers said.
Jason Kidd added 15 points and 15 assists for the Suns, who have
beaten the Magic six straight times. Tony Delk scored 22 points.
"We weren't so worried about their win streak," said Kidd, who
recorded his 23rd double-double of the season. "We came to play
our game because we're on a four-game road trip. But anytime you
can sneak a win on a team that has won nine in a row, it is real
impressive."
Marion, who also had 11 rebounds, hit a 13-foot jumper from the
left baseline with 1:06 remaining to give to Suns a 105-101 lead.
Marion finished 8-for-12 from the field and 11-of-13 from the
line.
McGrady, who was perfect on four free-throw attempts up to that
point, missed two free throws on Orlando's ensuing possession.
"I'm not going to hang my head," McGrady said. "We've been
playing well down the stretch, so there's no need to hang my
head."
Phoenix had 55 free-throw attempts, a record for an Orlando
opponent. The Suns sank 43 foul shots, while the Magic shot
16-for-23 from the line.
"The bottom line is that Phoenix shot 52 percent from the field
and went to the line a record 55 times," Rivers said. "On a road
court, that is just amazing and I will just leave it at that."
Kidd hit two free throws to put the Suns ahead 101-99 with 2:22
left. After Darrell Armstrong missed a 3-pointer, Rodney Rogers
followed with a scoop layin as the Suns assumed a four-point lead.
Rogers finished with 20 points.
McGrady, who shot 18-for-31 from the field, hit a fadeaway from
the left baseline to bring Orlando within 103-101, but Marion
responded with his last points of the game.
"Thank God for Tracy, because without him we would've been
beaten pretty bad," Rivers said.
With 9:58 to play, Phoenix opened an 84-79 lead, its largest
advantage since the first quarter, when Marion was flagrantly
fouled by Monty Williams. Marion and Williams, who was ejected,
exchanged words, but the two were separated and Marion followed
with two free throws.
The Suns eventually opened up a seven-point lead, but Orlando
recovered to tie the game at 99 on Don Reid's thundering dunk off a
McGrady pass with 3 minutes remaining. Reid had nine of his
season-high 13 points in the fourth quarter.
The Suns capitalized on Orlando's poor shooting and broke out to
an 11-point lead a little more than five minutes into the game. The
Magic missed 10 of 12 shots at the start of the game, while Phoenix
shot 4-for-6 from the field and was perfect on six free throws.
But Orlando came back with 13 unanswered points and went ahead
18-16 with 2:46 remaining in the quarter. McGrady had nine of his
points in the run.
"We got out to that early lead, but that pressure defense hut
us and we turned it over a lot," said Skiles, whose team committed
14 turnovers in the first half. "They got five or six possessions
of that and got right back into the game."
Game notes
McGrady's previous career-high was 43 points, set last
season at Indiana. ... Entering the game, Orlando had a 13-3 record
using the starting lineup of McGrady, Bo Outlaw, Andrew DeClercq,
Armstrong and Mike Miller. ... Phoenix forward Tom Gugliotta was
not at the game. He is still in New York following his mother's
death on Feb. 14. Skiles said the eighth-year veteran would likely
rejoin the team when it plays the Knicks in New York on Friday. ...
Suns center Chris Dudley (sore back) is not traveling with the
team. He has missed 11 of Phoenix's last 12 games.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
Orlando Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 113
Golden State 102
Vancouver 116
Washington 104
Phoenix 110
Orlando 104
New York 76
Miami 74
Milwaukee 101
Chicago 92
LA Lakers 119
Dallas 109
Houston 101
Boston 84
Portland 104
Denver 94
Sacramento 94
Atlanta 80
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