RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
PHOENIX (AP) -- The Phoenix Suns were unselfish Wednesday night.
Jason Kidd made sure of it.
Kidd handed out 16 assists, and Tony Delk scored twice down the
stretch to keep his team from wasting a big lead as the Suns beat
the New Jersey Nets 97-85.
Phoenix totaled 32 assists to 19 for New Jersey.
The Nets came into the game with a 3-0 road record -- something
the team had only done once before, in the 1980-81 season.
But the Nets' usually fluid offense bogged down in what coach
Byron Scott called their first display of selfish play, and the
Suns snapped their own two-game losing skid, taking advantage of
the Nets' 20 turnovers and 42 percent shooting.
"I think we got out of our offense," said New Jersey's Stephon
Marbury, who had 30 points and nine assists.
"We started playing a lot of one-on-one, and the ball wasn't
being moved around like we normally move it."
Cliff Robinson scored 17 points, and Suns teammates Shawn
Marion, Daniel Santiago and Delk had 15 points each. Marion also
had 11 rebounds and a career-high seven assists.
Kendall Gill scored 17 points for the Nets.
Marbury scored eight points in the final 3:53, and Gill had a
3-pointer and a three-point play in a 54-second span in the last
two minutes, but it was too little, too late.
Delk, who banked in a 12-foot jumper to send Phoenix to a 92-77
lead with 2:45 to play, followed Gill's six points with another
jumper with 42 seconds to go. That made it 96-85.
The Suns had a 48-43 halftime lead, lost it briefly when Marbury
scored seven points in the first 1:58 of the third quarter, and
then went on a 25-3 run that made it 75-55 lead with 2:21 remaining
in the quarter.
The Nets went nearly nine minutes without a field goal during
the Suns' rally.
"We got down by double digits, and for the first time our team
played selfish basketball," Scott said. "We got away from
everything that we had accomplished early."
The end of the third quarter typified Phoenix's play -- Kidd had
three assists and Marion one on the last four baskets by the Suns.
"We came out not executing and not playing hard enough," Suns
coach Scott Skiles said.
"The guys knew it and corrected themselves at halftime."
New Jersey had a 20-9 lead in the last five minutes of the first
quarter, but Delk scored six points during a 13-5 surge, the last a
20-foot jumper that got the Suns within 25-22 with 28 seconds left.
Phoenix started the second quarter with a 9-2 spurt, taking its
first lead, at 33-31, on Delk's 3-pointer from the corner 4:06 into
the period.
New Jersey regained the lead once, but the Suns went back on
top, 38-37, on two free throws by Marion during a 15-2 run that
sent them to a 48-39 lead with 1:33 to go in the second.
Game notes
New Jersey F Kenyon Martin played 20 minutes in the first
half, but sat out the second with a sore right ankle. ... Marbury
has scored 30 or more seven times in 11 games. ... The Suns have
won seven straight home games against New Jersey. The Nets' last
victory in Phoenix was on March 13, 1993, the first season for the
America West Arena. ... Phoenix hasn't scored in triple digits in
the last six games. ... Suns F Tom Gugliotta, who spent the
offseason rehabilitating a rebuilt left knee, got 20 minutes of
playing time, with six points and four rebounds. He was activated
Friday and played three minutes that night, but did not play
Saturday at Houston. ... Phoenix has won 13 of 16 games against New
Jersey.
|
|
NBA Scoreboard
New Jersey Clubhouse
Phoenix Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 96
Houston 81
Atlanta 78
New York 74
Charlotte 88
Philadelphia 73
Cleveland 86
Miami 67
Portland 93
Milwaukee 84
Minnesota 101
Vancouver 100
San Antonio 112
Seattle 85
Phoenix 97
New Jersey 85
Utah 116
Denver 78
LA Lakers 111
Golden State 91
Sacramento 100
Chicago 71
|
