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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PHOENIX (AP) – The more Jason Kidd gets into this scoring thing,
the easier it gets.
|  | | Phoenix guard Jason Kidd looks to pass around Milwaukee's Rafer Alston. |
Kidd had 30 points and 12 assists -- the fifth time in the last
nine games he's scored that many or more -- and the Phoenix
Suns beat the Milwaukee Bucks 106-99 Sunday night to maintain their
2½-game edge over Minnesota for the seventh playoff seed in the
Western Conference.
In his last game, Kidd scored a career-high 43 points on
16-for-34 shooting, but had only four assists. This game was more to
Kidd's liking as he hit 11 of 18 shots and eight of nine free throws and
tied his career high with six steals.
"Sometimes you just go out there and have fun and good things
happen," Kidd said. "But offensively I've been trying to be
aggressive and take the shot when it presents itself or find the
open guy. Our guys have been getting open and knocking down shots.
"On the defensive side, I've just been trying to do what I've
tried to do all year -- and that's make it tough on my opponent."
"Jason is playing at a level that few guys can get to," coach
Scott Skiles said.
The Suns won their seventh in a row, the longest current streak
in the NBA and matching their season-best, set the first month of
the season.
Clifford Robinson scored 19 points for the Suns, Shawn Marion
had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Rodney Rogers had 16 points
and eight rebounds.
Ray Allen had 31 points for Milwaukee, making three of five 3-pointers,
and Tim Thomas had 26.
But Lindsey Hunter, with 11 points, was their only teammate in
double figures as the Bucks played without Glenn Robinson and Sam
Cassell.
"We probably could have overcome one of our guys out, but with
two of them out it was a thin line of success that's difficult to
overcome with Jason Kidd having the night he had," Milwaukee coach
George Karl said.
Milwaukee's 21 turnovers (to 14 for Phoenix) were a greater
concern to Allen.
"It seemed like we had 10 turnovers in the first quarter, and I
think without those turnovers we would have held a greater lead
than what we did, and that ultimately killed us," Allen said.
The Suns got their first double-digit lead when Kidd assisted on
a 19-foot jumper by Robinson with 2:30 remaining and then made a
layup 10 seconds later for a 100-90 lead.
Hunter answered with a 3-pointer with 1:59 to go, but Kidd then
made three free throws with 1:20 to play -- getting the third after
the first of two technicals on Karl -- to send Phoenix to a 103-93
lead.
In the last 1:10, Thomas and Allen sank 3-pointers, but Phoenix
rode out the victory at the foul line.
No more than six points separated the teams until Kidd made a
layup after grabbing a loose ball, then assisted on a 19-foot
baseline jumper by Tom Guliotta that sent Phoenix to a 65-58 lead
with 4:50 left in the third quarter.
But Thomas made a 3-pointer during a 9-0 run that carried the
Bucks to a 67-65 lead in the next 1:57, and the seesaw continued
into the fourth quarter, when the first three baskets produced
three lead changes.
The Suns finally got a lead they could hold with an 18-6 surge
that began when Marion made a baseline jumper to tie it at 84 with
7:14 left.
In the next two minutes, Mario Elie and Marion made 3-pointers
and Marion drove the baseline for a short jumper. He kept the run
going with another 12-footer after grabbing an errant pass by
Milwaukee's Jason Caffey at the other end, and Phoenix led 96-90
with 3:20 left.
Robinson and Kidd finished the run in the next minute.
The Bucks took an 18-12 lead with 3:51 left in the first
quarter, but Robinson had a basket and a 3-pointer as the Suns came
back to lead 19-18 with 1:40 remaining.
But there were eight more lead changes before halftime, the last
when Kidd hit a 16-foot jumper with 39 seconds left to send the
Suns ahead, 48-47.
Kidd had a three-point play with 7.6 seconds left to open a
four-point lead at the half.
Game notes
Robinson had a sore left ankle, and Cassell was sidelined
by a right hip flexor, forcing the Bucks into their 24th different
starting lineup. ... Joe Proski, the Suns trainer for 32 years
through last season, was honored at halftime. ... Milwaukee, which
beat San Antonio 86-77 Saturday night, is 9-9 in the second game of
back-to-backs. ... The Bucks are a combined 6-0 against San
Antonio, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Utah, the top four teams in
the Western Conference, but 0-2 against Phoenix. ... The Suns have
won 18 of their last 20 games against Milwaukee.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Milwaukee Clubhouse
Phoenix Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 104
Indiana 93
Charlotte 80
Boston 79
Minnesota 99
Portland 95
Utah 92
Vancouver 73
New York 79
LA Lakers 78
Orlando 104
Toronto 101
Detroit 104
Golden State 87
New Jersey 101
Houston 98
Phoenix 106
Milwaukee 99
Dallas 119
Sacramento 107
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jason Kidd takes the outlet pass and hits an easy layup.
avi: 544 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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