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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PHOENIX (AP) -- Knee injuries don't get much more serious than
the one Tom Gugliotta had, and his journey back from reconstructive
surgery has been a slow one.
|  | | Phoenix's Jason Kidd goes over Charlotte's Baron Davis as he led the Suns' fourth-quarter rally. |
Gugliotta had his best, and longest, performance to date Sunday
night with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes as the Phoenix
Suns beat the Charlotte Hornets 85-82.
Gugliotta took 10 days off to be with his ill mother, and the
time did wonders for his knee.
"I don't know why the 10 days off was like a magic thing, but
it was," he said. "I felt it even when I was home. After four or
five days it was like, 'Wow, my knee's feeling really good.' I
wasn't playing basketball so I felt it would probably get a little
bit sore when I did get back, but it really hasn't."
Gugliotta's breakaway stuff on a long pass from Jason Kidd gave
Phoenix an 80-74 lead with 1:19 to play.
It was Gugliotta's first double-digit rebound game since he had
14 against Dallas last March 4, six days before he was injured.
Kidd, who made just two of his first 10 shots, scored seven in
the last 2½ minutes. His 22-footer gave the Suns the lead for good,
76-74 with 2:29 to play.
"Great shooters just continue shooting and think they're going
to make them," Kidd said. "I'm not saying I'm a great shooter, but
my teammates and the coaches tell me not to pass up any open shots.
I had some open looks and they finally went down for me."
Charlotte's Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn each made only one of
two free throws in the final 1:04.
Still, the Hornets were down only 83-80 after Kidd made one of
two free throws with 13.2 seconds to play. But Davis missed a
driving layup, and Tony Delk clinched the victory with two free
throws with 4.7 seconds remaining.
Delk and Rodney Rogers each scored 16 as the Phoenix reserves
outscored their Charlotte counterparts 32-16.
Cliff Robinson added 15 points, and Shawn Marion had 14 points
and 13 rebounds for the Suns.
Mashburn scored 27 -- but only three in the fourth quarter.
"There were some mental errors on defense," Mashburn said.
"We had some chances to win the game, but just didn't do it."
Derrick Coleman, benched by coach Paul Silas for the first three
games of the Hornets' four-game road trip, had 12 points and six
rebounds in 22 minutes.
"I felt pretty good," Coleman said, "just trying to get into
the rhythm."
David Wesley scored 11, but made just three of 13 shots.
The Suns overcame their recent third-quarter woes and didn't
allow Charlotte to pull away. Part of the reason was coach Scott
Skiles' decision to start Delk in the second half in place of Mario
Elie.
"We had a lot of energy in the third quarter," Skiles said.
"I thought Tony did a great job."
Neither team led by more than six points in the second half.
The Hornets lost their last three on the trip to the West.
"There's nothing specific I can point to," Silas said. "We
got to the hoop and didn't finish. We got wide open looks at the 3s
and just didn't hit them. There's not much else you can ask."
Coleman's 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter gave Charlotte a
69-63 lead, then the Suns responded with a 9-2 run. Marion missed a
fastbreak stuff, but Delk got the loose ball and sank a 19-footer
to give Phoenix a 72-71 lead with 6:03 to play.
The Suns shot just 37 percent from the field, but had a 52-42
rebounding advantage, 19-7 on the offensive boards, against a team
that ranked first in the NBA in rebounding margin.
Game notes
The Suns' dancers and public address announcer led the
crowd in singing happy birthday to Alice Cooper, the rocker who
often sits courtside. They didn't say how old he is. ... Davis
threw one in underhanded from just inside midcourt at the end of
the third quarter, but was called for traveling. ... The Suns shot
47 percent in the fourth quarter (7-for-15); the Hornets 26 percent
(5-for-19).
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Charlotte Clubhouse
Phoenix Clubhouse
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Baron Davis Official Site
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