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Tuesday, Dec. 14 9:00pm ET
Suns' Skiles 1-0 as an NBA coach | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
PHOENIX (AP) -- Scott Skiles is 1-0 as an NBA coach, thanks largely to a near triple-double by Jason Kidd. Kidd had 18 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds Tuesday night as Phoenix beat the Detroit Pistons 114-104 in Skiles' debut as Suns coach.
"Well, only 1,160 more wins to catch Lenny Wilkins," Skiles said. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't have butterflies, but I had butterflies every time I walked out on the court as a player. I think it's healthy." Rex Chapman scored a season-high 22 for the Suns, going 4-of-7 on 3-pointers. Oliver Miller scored 17 and Tom Gugliotta 16 as seven Phoenix players scored in double figures. Jerry Stackhouse scored a season-high 35 for the Pistons, who were without Grant Hill the entire fourth quarter because of a sore hip. Christian Laettner added 26 points and Lindsey Hunter had 15. Hill scored 12 in 27 minutes. Skiles, at 35 the youngest coach in the NBA, took over on Monday when Danny Ainge resigned to spend more time with his family. Before their lineup was introduced, the Suns ran a brief video tribute to Ainge that ended with the words "Thanks Danny." "It's weird not having coach Ainge out there but we're all professionals. We all understand the situation," Kidd said. "We all respect his decision and nobody regrets him making that decision because we have games to win. We're paid to win games. That's what we're trying to do right now." Skiles said his team's slow start was due largely to the high emotion surrounding the game. Chapman, Ainge's closest friend on the team, said he had mixed feelings at the beginning of the game. "It's been real emotional the last few days _ good and bad," Chapman said. "I hate to see Danny leave because he's a great friend of mine. Even though he's still here in town, it's not the same. I'm not going to see him on a daily basis and that's a downer for me. "On the other hand, Scott's a great friend. We were teammates earlier in my career. I've been with him the last three or four years and I know what a hard worker he is. I wanted to come out and at least give the effort for him. I wish I would have been able to make some more shots for Danny the last month or so." The Suns took control for good with an 13-0 run, going ahead 90-80 on Miller's inside basket with 7:31 to play. The decisive surge began when the Suns scored the final three points of the third quarter to tie it at 80-80. Toby Bailey, who matched his career high with 12 points, scored the first six points of the fourth quarter for Phoenix. Detroit cut the lead to 105-101 when Stackhouse made one of two free throws with 2:03 to play. Kidd sank two outside jumpers and Stackhouse was called for a flagrant foul on Miller, who made the two free throws to put Phoenix up 111-101 with 1:01 to play. Chapman then sealed it with a 3-pointer. "Not having Grant Hill the entire fourth quarter really hurts," Detroit coach Alvin Gentry said. "But we're not going to put him out there when he's feeling the way he's feeling. He's got bumps and bruises. He's got ankle problems. He's got soreness in his hip." The Suns used a pressing, trapping defense through much of the first half, a tactic that helped them on a 12-0 run, going up 48-41 on Rodney Rogers' 3-pointer with 3:45 left in the second quarter. Phoenix stretched it to 55-46 on Chapman's second 3-pointer of the quarter with 1:53 left in the half. Consecutive 3-pointers by Hunter and Stackhouse in the last 49 seconds of the half cut the Suns' lead to 57-54 at the break. Chapman, shooting just 30 percent from the field entering the game, matched his season high by halftime with 14 points on 4-for-7 shooting. He was 7-for-15 for the game. "Rex is closer to Danny than anyone else, and I just wonder if Rex had been pressing a little bit, wanting to help Danny and the team so much," Skiles said. "I don't know if that's true or not, but it sure is nice seeing him out there making shots." Stackhouse scored 19 in the first half, 14 in the second quarter. He said the team was too disorganized down the stretch. "We came out and said we were getting into something and then guys weren't in the right place," Stackhouse said. "That's just mental mistakes and it's costing us games like this. This was a game primed for us to win. They were ready to give us that game and we just let it slip away." Notes: The Suns are talking with ex-Phoenix coach John MacLeod about joining Skiles' staff as an assistant. ... Phoenix was without Penny Hardaway for the fifth consecutive game (sore right foot) and Luc Longley for the third straight game (sore back). ... Phoenix is 10-1 against Eastern Conference teams. ... After losses to the Lakers and Suns, Detroit concludes its three-game trip Thursday at Golden State. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Detroit Clubhouse Phoenix Clubhouse MacLeod in line to be new Suns assistant to new coach Skiles
Ainge resigns as Suns coach; Skiles takes over
Skiles brings no-nonsense approach to new job
RECAPS Utah 101 Washington 80
Phoenix 114
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