NBA News

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Phoenix 127, Washington 105

Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns made Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards look more like pretenders than contenders, putting the so-called "Phoenix Suns of the East" in their place with a 127-105 thumping Tuesday night.

Nash scored 27 points on 11-for-13 shooting and added 14 assists in the Suns' 14th straight win.. Phoenix led by 21 after the first quarter and won for the 30th time in 32 games in a matchup between the NBA's two highest scoring teams.

Arenas, who has compared his team's high-octane offense to the Suns', scored 31 points, but he started 1-for-6 and the game was essentially over before he got going. When he finally made his second field goal, it only served to cut the Suns' lead to 24. The Wizards cut the lead to 13 midway through the fourth quarter, but the Suns responded with a 6-0 run to put the game firmly out of reach.

Arenas scored 54 against the Suns in an overtime victory at Phoenix last month, but the Suns arrived only two hours before tipoff that day because they had been stranded in Denver by a blizzard. Arenas considered that game as payback for getting cut last summer from the U.S. national team, on which Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni serves an assistant.

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All I can Say SUNS are the best.GO SUNSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

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Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns made Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards look more like pretenders than contenders, putting the so-called "Phoenix Suns of the East" in their place with a 127-105 thumping Tuesday night.

Nash scored 27 points on 11-for-13 shooting and added 14 assists in the Suns' 14th straight win. Phoenix led by 21 after the first quarter and won for the 30th time in 32 games in a matchup between the NBA's two highest scoring teams.

Arenas, who has compared his team's high-octane offense to the Suns', scored 31 points, but he started 1-for-6 and the game was essentially over before he got going. When he finally made his second field goal, it only served to cut the Suns' lead to 24. The Wizards cut the lead to 13 midway through the fourth quarter, but the Suns responded with a 6-0 run to put the game firmly out of reach.

Arenas scored 54 against the Suns in an overtime victory at Phoenix last month, but the Suns arrived only two hours before tipoff that day because they had been stranded in Denver by a blizzard. Arenas considered that game as payback for getting cut last summer from the U.S. national team, on which Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni serves an assistant.

The Suns shot a season-high 60.8 percent, had assists on 35 of their 48 field goals and had five players in double figures before halftime. Nash was 7-for-7 from the field and had eight assists in the first half, and his best move was a baseline hesitation step that got him past Brendan Haywood for a three-point play.

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said before the game he was so excited he didn't sleep well the night before. His players looked just as edgy, starting 3-for-15 from the field. Nash had back-to-back alley-oop assists to Shawn Marion in the second quarter, helping the Suns to a 76-51 halftime lead.

Caron Butler led a 9-0 Wizards run in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 19, and Butler's steal and dunk narrowed the deficit to 15 later in the period. But every time Washington threatened to make a game of it, the Suns would respond with a fast-break layup or a 3-pointer.

Marion finished with 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting, and Raja Bell also had 21 points for the Suns, who were opening a five-game road trip.

Butler added 24 points for the Wizards, who had won a Verizon Center-record 10 straight at home to move atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Notes

D'Antoni said he didn't think Arenas was burning bridges with his revenge games against coaches from the U.S. national team. "Not from me -- I think it's funny," D'Antoni said. "I think he's having fun with it. Whatever it takes to motivate you. You would think making about $80 million might motivate you, but if it takes something else that's fine, too. But he's a good guy. I'm sure he's disappointed in what happened this summer, but it happened. Somebody was going to get ticked off. You can't take everybody, so it was either him getting 50 on me or LeBron (James) getting 50. Somebody's going to get 50." ... Phoenix didn't lose its intensity with the big lead -- Amare Stoudemire and D'Antoni were called for technical fouls for arguing in the second quarter. ... The Wizards hadn't lost at home since Dec. 9.

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NEW YORK (AP) -- Amare Stoudemire scored 26 of his 30 points in Phoenix's big second half, and the Suns beat the New York Knicks 112-107 Wednesday night for their second 15-game winning streak of the season.

Barely a month after establishing the longest winning streak in franchise history, the Suns equaled it by turning things around after a sluggish first half in the second night of a back-to-back.

Steve Nash finished with 22 points and 14 assists as the Suns scored 63 points in the second half after an un-Sunslike 49 in the first two periods. Shawn Marion added 20 points, Leandro Barbosa had 15, and Stoudemire grabbed 11 rebounds.

Phoenix became the first team to have two separate 15-game winning streaks in the same season since the Los Angeles Lakers had streaks of 19 and 16 in a row during the 1999-00 season. The Suns will go for a franchise-record 16th straight win Friday night at Milwaukee in the third game of a five-game trip.

Jamal Crawford scored 29 points, 23 in the fourth quarter in an attempt to keep New York close. Eddy Curry added 25 points for the Knicks, but only four in the final 33-plus minutes. He also left with an injury in the final quarter of New York's second straight loss.


The Knicks were already without starting point guard Stephon Marbury, who missed his first game of the season because of left knee tendinitis.

One night after scoring 76 points in the first half at Washington, the Suns didn't reach that total until the final 2 minutes of the third quarter -- right as they were taking control of the game.

Even with Stoudemire scoring 16 points in the third, New York was down just four after Nate Robinson's 3-pointer with 3:08 remaining in the period. But James Jones answered with a 3 and Barbosa converted a three-point play after a steal to give Phoenix a 74-64 lead with 2:31 to go. Stoudemire added a basket and Barbosa had five more points before period's end, making it 81-68 headed to the fourth.

Jones nailed a pair of 3-pointers early in the fourth, extending the lead to 17 with under 10 1/2 minutes remaining. Adding injury to insult, Curry hobbled off the court and into the locker room with a strained left calf after his basket early in the period and did not return.

The Suns committed four turnovers in the first three minutes of the game. Even when they did get going, they couldn't contain Curry, who scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the first quarter to give New York a 25-24 lead.

Curry scored five consecutive points early in the second quarter, part of a 9-0 burst that extended the Knicks' lead to 36-26 on Renaldo Balkman's dunk with 8:53 left in the period. The Suns finally slowed Curry with double- and even triple-teams, and got their running game going late in the half, using a 14-2 spurt that gave them a four-point advantage on Boris Diaw's jumper. Marion's layup on the fast break with 0.8 seconds remaining made it 49-46 at halftime.

Notes

The other teams with two 15-game winning streaks are the 1996-97 Utah Jazz (both 15); the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks (20, 16); and the 1946-47 Washington Capitals (17, 15). ... Phoenix improved to 10-0 on the road and 19-1 overall against East teams. The last team to start 10-0 on the road in interconference games was Utah, which opened 11-0 in 1994-95. ... Phoenix has won six of the last seven meetings. New York's only victory in that span was a 140-133 triple-overtime win on Jan. 2, 2006.

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Raja Bell scored 27 points to lead all five Phoenix starters in double figures, and the Suns set a franchise record with their 16th straight victory by beating the scrappy Milwaukee Bucks 98-90 on Friday night.

Shawn Marion grabbed 23 rebounds and Steve Nash had 16 assists for the seemingly unstoppable Suns, who have won 32 of 34 overall. They had a 15-game winning streak earlier this season, a run that ended with a 144-139 overtime loss to Washington on Dec. 22.

The victory gave Phoenix a tie for the 10th-longest winning streak in NBA history and the longest since the Los Angeles Lakers reeled off 19 straight wins in 2000. Phoenix, which struggled to put away the short-handed Bucks, plays at Cleveland on Sunday in the fourth stop of its five-game road trip.

The Suns, now 19-1 against the East, improved to 11-0 on the road against the Eastern Conference, the best mark since the 1994-95 Utah Jazz went 11-0.

Amare Stoudemire scored 21 points, Nash had 18, Marion 11 and Boris Diaw 11 for Phoenix. Nash, the two-time MVP, also committed eight turnovers.

Milwaukee, which has lost six straight and 11 of 12, was led by Charlie Bell with 21 points. Earl Boykins had 18 points, Ersan Ilyasova 13, Ruben Patterson 11 and Andrew Bogut 10.

Charlie Villanueva, who returned after missing 11 games because of right shoulder tendinitis, didn't start but finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Phoenix extended its lead to 83-71 early in the fourth after Milwaukee went nearly four minutes without a point and missed its first six shots to start the quarter. But the Bucks kept plugging away, in part by outscoring Phoenix 23-11 on second-chance points.

Charlie Bell's two free throws cut the Suns' lead to 91-87, and Stoudemire was whistled for an over-the-back call that led to Bogut hitting the first of two foul shots with 1:57 left.

Nash hit a 16-foot jumper, but Bogut answered with a hook shot in the lane to make it 93-90. After Stoudemire was called for a charge, Ilyasova decided not to try a 3-pointer from the top of the key, but couldn't get a shot off on his drive and was whistled for a shot clock violation.

Raja Bell hit a 3 from the corner, his seventh of the game, off Nash's 16th assist to give Phoenix a 96-90 lead with 19.9 seconds left to seal the victory.

The Bucks, without their starting backcourt of Michael Redd and Mo Williams, simply didn't have the firepower to overcome Phoenix, even on an off night.

Milwaukee, which scored the most points any team has against Phoenix this season in regulation in a 122-116 loss on Dec. 1, tried slowing the pace and playing defense. But the Bucks shot 36 percent from the field for the third quarter, including 2-of-8 from Boykins.

In the first half, the Suns went more than four minutes without a field goal spanning the first and second quarters. A few minutes into the second, Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni had finally seen enough.

Bell hit back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the lead to 32-20, but the Bucks reeled off three straight 3s of their own that forced Phoenix to call a timeout with D'Antoni stomping on the court and gesturing to his players to get to the bench.

The Bucks briefly took the lead, 47-45, but Raja Bell hit another 3 and Phoenix clung to a 52-50 halftime advantage.

Notes

The game was NBA.com's first "GameDay Live" experience, which followed each teams' game-day activities, including shootarounds, media sessions and pregame speeches. ... D'Antoni said he hasn't given up trying an eight-man rotation, even though Jumaine Jones played only 4 minutes at New York on Wednesday and 7 minutes the night before at Washington. "It's a start," said D'Antoni, smiling. Marcus Banks was the eighth man against Milwaukee and played 7 minutes. ... The Bucks' bench outscored the Suns' reserves 28-10.

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Now more than halfway to a once-thought-untouchable record, the Phoenix Suns aren't focused on their winning streak.

Steve Nash simply won't allow it.

Nash scored 23 points and kept Phoenix's high-energy offense purring with 15 assists as the Suns extended their winning streak to 17 games -- the NBA's longest in seven years -- by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-100 on Sunday.

Phoenix's 17-game streak is tied for the fifth longest in NBA history, and with three more victories the Suns would match the second-best streak, a 20-gamer by the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks.

And, if they keep it up, the Suns could soon challenge the Los Angeles Lakers' record of 33 straight wins in 1971-72.

"The way they're playing right now, they're unbeatable," LeBron James said.

Nash isn't convinced.

"People don't talk about the 33-game streak, they talk about who won the championship that year," Nash said, noting the Lakers won the league title in '71-'72. "I don't feel unbeatable. We've got a lot of improving to do."

Shawn Marion added 23 points, Amare Stoudemire 22 and Leandro Barbosa had 19 for the Suns, who improved to 34-4 since opening the season 1-5. Phoenix, which had a 15-game win streak earlier this season, also matched a franchise record with its ninth straight road win and is 20-1 vs. Eastern Conference teams.

The Suns haven't lost since Dec. 28 at Dallas, and with the way their running and sharing the ball right now, it's going to take a special effort to beat coach Mike D'Antoni's speedy squad.

"No matter what you do defensively, he's going to find a way to counter it," James said. "No matter how you try to stop him, he's got the weapons. That's a heck of a team."

James scored 30 points and Drew Gooden 19 to lead the Cavaliers, who were within four points going into the fourth. However, they couldn't match the Suns' blazing up-and-down pace and managed just 13 points in the final 12 minutes on 5-of-22 shooting.

With Nash on the bench getting some rest, the Suns led 91-87 after three periods before opening the fourth with a layup from Marion and consecutive 3-pointers from James Jones and Barbosa to make it 99-87 with 8:09 remaining.

The Suns' quick burst all but finished the Cavs. They went 5:40 of the fourth before scoring their first field goal on a steal and dunk by James, who missed Cleveland's previous game with a sore right big toe that's still bothering him.

Nash's made a twisting reverse layup, and moments later, fed Marion for a 3-pointer -- Phoenix's 13th -- to make it 107-94 with 3:44 remaining. Nash, the league's assists leader and the center of the Suns' universe, didn't have a turnover in 35 minutes.

"He runs the ship," James said. "He makes shots and gets other guys great open looks. He's dangerous."

The Suns were playing their fourth game in a five-game road trip, but they didn't look tired or bored by their success. Instead, they were focused throughout and will look for their 18th consecutive win on Monday in Minnesota.

"We just have the swagger," Marion said. "I don't think it's the streak. This is more about us and the thought that we can't lose. We've got 17. Now we have to focus on getting the next one."

Cleveland got just four points from center Zyrdunas Ilgauskas, who was rendered useless by Phoenix's speed. Larry Hughes had seven points on 3-of-13 shooting and never got into any rhythm.

James injured his toe on Cleveland's recent West Coast trip, and it was sore enough that he missed his first game of the season on Friday in Philadelphia. James said he may need to sit out a few more.

"I really have to get off of it," said James, who appeared annoyed when coach Mike Brown sat him briefly in the fourth. "If that means taking some games off, I'm going to have to do that because it's definitely a problem."

Notes

The Suns had five players in double figures for the 19th time. ... The Washington Capitols (1946-47), Boston Celtics (1959-60) and San Antonio Spurs (1995-96) also won 17 in a row. ... Following the game, James was scheduled to be the guest of honor at a celebrity roast called, a "Toast to the King." James was to sit upon a throne while being grilled by comedic jesters Cedric the Entertainer and Paul Rodriguez among others. Cavs team clown Damon Jones was also on the program. "I'm one of the keynote speakers," he said. "But I'm going to leave the comedy to the comedians." ... The Los Angeles Lakers' 33-game win streak is the longest among teams in the four major pro sports, bettering the 2003-04 New England Patriots (21), baseball's 1916 New York Giants (26) and the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins (17).

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Michael Finley was often the No. 1 option in his 8 1/2 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. It's a different story in San Antonio, where he comes off the bench and is well down the list.

But Finley got the ball with the game on the line Sunday as the Los Angeles Lakers swarmed Tim Duncan, and his 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in overtime gave the cold-shooting Spurs an improbable 96-94 victory.

"It looked like it was going in, but I didn't know until it went in," Finley said with a smile. "It was just a normal shot for me. We wanted Tim to create for himself, first of all. If he wasn't able to, he was supposed to kick it out to a teammate, as he always does."

Duncan found Finley, who shot from well beyond the arc and hit nothing but net on his long jumper over Lamar Odom, helping the Spurs avoid their first regular-season sweep at hands of the Lakers in nine years.

"Mike stepped into it and it was just an incredible shot," Duncan said. "Those are the kinds of shots we want him to step up and take."

Finley, who entered averaging 7.7 points, scored 17 on five 3-pointers in 10 attempts along with another basket.

"Some things we planned, some things we didn't, but that was just the fortuitous circumstance that he knocked down the shot," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Sometimes, you've just got to be lucky."

Vladimir Radmanovic's 3-pointer as time expired didn't come close. Kobe Bryant, who had 31 points, six rebounds and seven assists, was unable to get open, leaving it up to Radmanovic to try the final shot.

"They're just going to set two guys on me -- and the guy taking the ball out," Bryant said. "I tried to make cuts off of that accordingly, and I just wasn't able to get a good look."

The Spurs won despite shooting a season-low 33.7 percent (32-of-95). But they made their last two shots to go 5-of-8 in overtime, when Tony Parker scored seven of his 19 points.

"We just couldn't make a shot," said Manu Ginobili, who had 21 points and seven rebounds. "Even in the overtime, when they made their first four shots, we stuck with it. It's great to win like this."

Duncan's layup with 20 seconds to play gave the Spurs a 93-92 lead, but Bryant's 20-foot jumper over Bruce Bowen with 7 seconds left put the Lakers on top, setting the stage for Finley.

San Antonio entered having shot 47.4 percent with a low of 37.5 percent in a game against Charlotte in November.

"We played a great game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We competed with a good team and we carried the day. We probably carried the lead for 45 minutes in that game. That's the way to play -- we just didn't finish it the right way."

The Lakers shot 42.7 percent, but were outrebounded 53-44. And free throws were a major factor -- the Spurs went 22-of-24 from the foul line while Los Angeles was 18-of-31.

Duncan had 21 points, 14 rebounds, a season-high nine assists and three blocked shots to lead the Spurs (32-14), who have won nine of their last 12.

Odom had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, Andrew Bynum added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Radmanovic had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers (27-17), who have lost four of their last five.

Baskets by Radmanovic and Bynum on assists from Bryant to start the overtime gave the Lakers a four-point lead, but Parker scored seven straight San Antonio points before two free throws by Ginobili put the Spurs on top 91-90 with 1:13 left.

Bryant, who scored six points in the extra period, put the Lakers ahead again by making a jumper with 1:01 to go.

Bryant made two free throws with 5:09 left in the fourth quarter to give the Lakers a 75-66 lead, but the Spurs scored 10 of the next 11 points on two 3-pointers by Ginobili, a basket by Duncan and two free throws by Parker to tie it at 76 with 1:19 to play.

A free throw by Odom gave the Lakers a one-point lead, but Bowen's first basket in seven attempts -- a 3-pointer with 54.1 seconds to go -- put the Spurs on top by two.

Ginobili made a foul shot to give the Spurs a three-point lead before Radmanovic's 3-pointer with 27.5 seconds left tied it at 80.

Robert Horry, who made several winning shots during his 6 1/2 seasons with Los Angeles, missed a 3-pointer over Bryant from the left corner with about 5 seconds left. The Lakers got the rebound and called a timeout before Ginobili blocked Bryant's potential winning 20-footer as time expired.

Notes

The game was the opener of an eight-game road trip for the Spurs. They are 16-6 away from home. The Lakers open an eight-game road trip of their own Tuesday night in New York. They're 8-11 on the road. ... The Lakers played without C Kwame Brown and F Luke Walton, both sidelined with sprained ankles. Walton, injured Friday night, is expected to be out at least a week. Brown hasn't played since Dec. 31, but hopes to return during the upcoming road trip. ... The Lakers beat the Spurs 106-99 and 100-96 earlier this season. ... Bowen committed his first three fouls -- all on Bryant -- in the first 70 seconds of the third quarter. ... Bynum picked up a technical foul early in the third quarter.

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Kobe Bryant was suspended one game without pay by the NBA on Tuesday for striking San Antonio's Manu Ginobili in the face.

With his Los Angeles Lakers in New York to play the Knicks, Bryant requested an "immediate hearing" with the league office to appeal the suspension. But his request was denied because it would have deviated from standard procedure, and Bryant was still slated to miss the game Tuesday night.

"This is not the process that we use at the NBA. Certainly, in theory, given the fact that the Lakers were in New York, we could have heard an appeal. But again, we never have, as it's not part of our process," said Stu Jackson, the league's chief disciplinarian for on-court actions. "He does have the right to an appeal at a later date. If he were to win that appeal, he would get his money back."

Bryant's absence left the Lakers without their leading scorer when they opened an eight-game road trip.

"I've been waiting to play here. It's always been a fun place for me to play here, and I'm surprised. Shocked, by it, actually," Bryant said after the morning shootaround. "I unintentionally caught Manu Ginobili. What do you say? It's a basketball game. You unintentionally catch people with elbows every once in a while."


Players association spokesman Dan Wasserman said a letter was sent on Bryant's behalf to the league office requesting the hearing, and that Bryant volunteered to review the videotape and talk to commissioner David Stern or the "appropriate league official."

"I'm blown away by it. I really am," Bryant said. "It just makes no sense."

The play occurred with 2.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' 96-94 overtime loss to the Spurs on Sunday.

"It's just unintentional," Bryant added. "I felt horrible about it. It's just basketball, it happens."

Jackson disagreed, and offered the NBA's explanation on a conference call.

"Some of the determining factors were the fact that there was contact made with Ginobili above the shoulders and the fact that this particular action by Kobe was an unnatural basketball motion. Following a shot, he drove a stiff arm in a backward motion and struck Ginobili in the head," Jackson said. "We did not view this as an inadvertent action."

No foul was called on the play.

"This blow was so swift in real time that it's understandable why, in fact, an official would have missed the contact," Jackson said. "In our view, this was not an attempt to draw a foul."

Bryant is averaging 28.4 points, 5.5 assists and 5.4 rebounds.

Bryant scored 40 points in his only visit last season to Madison Square Garden, which he called his favorite place to play. Sasha Vujacic started in his place to the disappointment of a sellout crowd that booed when it was announced during pregame introductions that Bryant was not with the team because of the suspension.

"We have one appearance in Madison Square Garden," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said earlier Tuesday. "People obviously look forward to this game because Kobe last year was being chanted 'MVP!' on this court during the course of a game in which he had a great game. The crowd obviously likes him here and likes to watch him play. To miss this game cheats the fans."

Last season, Bryant was suspended for two games without pay for elbowing Mike Miller of the Memphis Grizzlies in the throat -- but Stu Jackson said that incident was not a factor in Tuesday's penalty.

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The Cavaliers put their foot down and told LeBron James to rest his sore toe.

The All-Star forward was advised by the club's medical staff to rest his sprained right big toe and he was inactive for the Cavaliers' game Tuesday night against Golden State.


James got hurt during a Jan. 19 game at Denver and he has aggravated the injury by playing in four games since. He missed Friday's game at Philadelphia, but decided to play on Sunday against Phoenix in a nationally televised game and tweaked his toe in the fourth quarter.

On Monday, James said he was contemplating sitting out a few games to get his toe fully healed. After being advised by team doctors, coach Mike Brown said the club decided to take the decision to play or not out of James' hands.

"Any time you have a player like that you worry about him trying to do too much," Brown said. "At times you just have to tell him, 'No.' If that's the best thing for him long term and the team, so be it."

James is listed as day-to-day on the team's injury report and Brown said it's too early to rule him out of any upcoming games.

"If it was a playoff game, we'd suit him up," Brown said.

The Cavaliers have gone 7-2 in the nine career games their superstar has missed with injuries since 2003.

James was not available for comment before the game. On Monday he said the injury had been nagging him.

"It isn't something I've had in a long time," James said. "When you have a sprain there's not much treatment you can do. It's not like you can get the swelling to go down by icing it. It's a sprain, so it's something that's going to nag on and nag on if you keep playing on it."

After facing the Warriors, the Cavaliers play at Miami on Thursday before hosting Charlotte on Friday and Detroit this Sunday.

With the Cavaliers in a slump -- they've dropped seven of 10 -- Brown shook up his lineup by replacing point guard Eric Snow with rookie Daniel Gibson.

Snow had started 139 straight games dating to the end of the 2004-05 season, and although he wasn't happy with the decision, he promised to support Gibson.

"My job all along has been to try and get him ready," Snow said. "It's fortunate for him and unfortunate for me. In no way, shape or form am I going to do anything but try to help this team win."

Brown has been searching from more production at the point, and feels now is the time to see if Gibson can provide some.

"It's about out time to shake it up a little bit," he said. "Daniel's played well offensively and he's played well defensively. It will be good to get him a look."

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Playing without the suspended Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers' late rally fell short in their season-high third straight loss, 99-94 to the New York Knicks on Tuesday night

Eddy Curry had 27 points and nine rebounds and Stephon Marbury scored 22 points for the Knicks, who led most of the game but never pulled away. David Lee grabbed 13 rebounds and Jamal Crawford added 17 points.

Bryant was penalized one game without pay earlier Tuesday for hitting San Antonio's Manu Ginobili in the face late in the Lakers' overtime loss to the Spurs on Sunday.

Without his 28.4 points per game, the Lakers shot only 43.5 percent and lost for the fourth time in five games.

Lamar Odom had 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Lakers. Vladimir Radmanovic added 18 points and nine boards and Smush Parker scored 14 points.


The Lakers trailed by seven with 1 1/2 minutes remaining, but closed to 96-94 on Radmanovic's 3-pointer with 45 seconds left. Curry made two free throws 10 seconds later, and after Maurice Evans' 3-pointer rattled out, Los Angeles got the ball back after Jamal Crawford turned it over.

However, Jared Jeffries blocked Brian Cook's 3-point attempt and New York put it away with three more free throws.

It was a rough way for the Lakers to start an eight-game Eastern trip, their longest since playing eight straight on the road from Dec. 9-20, 1989. Bryant will be back Wednesday when Los Angeles visits Boston.

He hoped to play Tuesday, seeking an immediate hearing at the league office during the afternoon since he was already in New York. But that request was denied, since normal NBA policy is for the player to serve his suspension and hope to get his money back later if he wins his appeal.

Bryant and the Lakers were surprised by the penalty, and the fans at Madison Square Garden, where Bryant scored 40 points last season, were bummed themselves. There were mostly boos when Bryant's absence was announced during pregame introductions.

The Lakers were already without Kwame Brown for most of the season and recently lost starting forward Luke Walton to a sprained right ankle.

The Knicks were without starting forward Quentin Richardson, who has a sprained right elbow. Recently demoted Jeffries returned to the lineup and scored 14 points, including a three-point play with 4:17 left to spark a 9-2 run after Los Angeles had pulled within a point.

The Lakers shot only 37 percent in the first half and trailed by eight with 3 1/2 minutes left, but scored nine straight points to take a 41-40 lead on Radmanovic's jumper with 25 seconds left. Jeffries hit a 3 with 3.2 seconds remaining to give New York a two-point halftime lead.

The Knicks closed the third quarter with a 13-5 spurt to open a 73-64 advantage on Marbury's 3 as time expired.

Notes

The Knicks snapped a three-game skid against the Lakers. ... Steve Francis was back on the Knicks' bench but remained inactive. He had been away from the team recently, working out in Houston while rehabbing his injured right knee. ... New York native Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's career scoring leader who is now a Lakers assistant working with their big men, received a standing ovation when he was shown on the overhead video board during a first-half timeout.

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Amare Stoudemire earned a spot on the All-Star team Thursday afternoon and validated the decision hours later.

Stoudemire had 24 points and a career-high 23 rebounds as the Phoenix Suns rallied to beat the San Antonio Spurs 103-87 Thursday night.

"I've worked hard the last year and during the offseason, strengthening the muscles in my knee," said Stoudemire, who along with Steve Nash and Shawn Marion were added to the All-Star team as reserves.

Leandro Barbosa scored 25 points, Boris Diaw had 16 and Nash added 13 points and 11 assists for the Suns, who won for the third time in 13 regular-season games against the Spurs.

Phoenix, which had its franchise-record 17-game winning streak snapped Monday in Minnesota, has won 10 straight at home and 36 of 40 since starting the season 1-5.

Included in those first six games was a 111-106 overtime loss in San Antonio in Stoudemire's season debut.

"The team that played those guys in early November is not even close to being the same team today," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said.

Manu Ginobili scored 32 points for the Spurs, who have lost two straight. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each added 20 for San Antonio. Duncan also had 18 rebounds.

"We had a really tough game against a difficult team (Utah on Wednesday) and today we played a team that runs fastest in the league," Ginobili said. "It's hard to keep up with them. But I don't believe we lost because of being tired. They made key shots. We didn't."

The Spurs took a 78-77 lead on Ginobili's 3-pointer with 8:09 to play. But Stoudemire was fouled on a layup for a three-point play and Barbosa added a 3-pointer to give the Suns an 83-78 lead.

San Antonio closed to 85-84 when Parker hit a long jumper with 5:22 to go. But Diaw scored four points and Barbosa added his second 3-pointer to key a 10-2 run, with Nash adding a free throw after the basket when he was fouled away from the shot, that put Phoenix ahead 95-85 with 2:22 remaining.

"I don't think we were worn out," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They played better than us. They made some shots down the stretch. We didn't make shots. They got away from us once in a while in transition but overall we did a pretty good job."


AP - Feb 2, 1:25 am EST
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The Suns rallied from a three-point halftime deficit, opening the third quarter on a 15-3 run aided by the Spurs' 1-for-10 start from the floor.

Barbosa scored four straight points, Stoudemire added a long jump shot and Marion had a layup as the Suns took a 65-56 lead with 6:56 left in the third.

Parker scored four straight points and Ginobili added a 15-footer to cap an 8-0 run as San Antonio pulled within 65-64 just 90 seconds later.

Phoenix responded with a 7-0 run of its own only to see the Spurs score the quarter's final six points and cut the Suns' lead to 72-70 at the end of three.

Duncan scored six early points and the Suns missed nine of their first 10 shots as the Spurs opened an 18-7 lead with 4:00 left in the first quarter.

Marion hit a 3-pointer and Stoudemire added a layup off an offensive rebound and a 17-foot jumper with 30 seconds left as Phoenix pulled within 22-16 at the end of the period.

"I don't know what happened," Barbosa said. "We didn't start the way we are supposed to start, but at the end of the game we did a great job and we won."

Duncan scored 10 points in the first quarter but missed seven of his final nine field-goal attempts.

"We played pretty well," Duncan said. "There were just too many mistakes for us. I also missed a whole lot of stuff close to the basket that they were able to transition with. They just turn those things into points very quickly."

Notes

The Suns have not lost consecutive games since losing four straight November 3-9. ... Ginobili finished two points shy of his season high. ... Phoenix guard Raja Bell left the game with 9:09 left in the first half with inflammation in his left knee and did not return. ... Stoudemire was assessed a technical after a collision with Ginobili with 9:07 remaining. Ginobili drove toward the basket, leaped to shoot and caught Stoudemire in the groin with a knee as Stoudemire delivered a hand to the Spurs' guard's face. "I think they're on purpose," Stoudemire said of Ginobili's leading knees. "He's a flopper and likes to cause contact." Said Ginobili, "I think I was in motion before he came. I had of course no intention of hurting anybody." ... Nash has double-digit assists in 13 of 14 games including 10 straight.

[Rasputin]

NBA: Utah 108, Phoenix 105

PHOENIX, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Mehmet Okur scored the game-winning basket Saturday night as the Utah Jazz beat the Phoenix Suns, 108-105.

The game-winner came with 5.1 seconds remaining and gave Utah its third win in three games against the Suns this season.

Utah had a 58-49 at halftime lead, and an 86-81 advantage after three quarters.

Okur had 29 points and 12 rebounds, and Deron Williams had 28 points and 10 assists. Matt Harpring had 12 points and three rebounds; and Andrei ***ilenko added 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots for the Jazz, who have split their last four games.

Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Steve Nash had 22 points and 10 assists. James Jones had 16 points and three rebounds; and Boris Diaw added 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks for Phoenix, which had a 10-game home win streak broken.

[abadani69]

Amare Stoudemire scored 36 points and the Phoenix Suns withstood Carmelo Anthony's first career triple-double and the loss of Steve Nash to beat the ailing Denver Nuggets 113-108 Monday night.

Leandro Barbosa added 20 points for the Suns, who overcame a 10-point third-quarter deficit. His 3-pointer gave the Suns a 100-95 lead with 4 minutes remaining, and the Nuggets never recovered despite staying in the game until the final seconds.

Stoudemire, who grabbed 13 rebounds, added a three-point play for a 103-95 lead with 2:42 left, and he won a key jump ball with Anthony, tipping it to Shawn Marion in the closing minute with the Suns ahead by five.

Anthony, who had 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, pulled the Nuggets to 109-106 with a three-point play with 13 seconds left.

But Marion (19 points) and Raja Bell (1 each sank two free throws in the final 12 seconds to seal the win for Phoenix, which had lost two of three after winning 17 straight.

Bell played despite a swollen knee. Nash aggravated his right shoulder injury in the first half and sat out after halftime, finishing with nine points and seven assists in 17 minutes.

Nene scored 27 points for Denver and J.R. Smith added 18.

[abadani69]

With Steve Nash out, Leandro Barbosa stepped in and delivered.

Amare Stoudemire scored 36 points and Barbosa added 23 of his 25 after halftime to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 109-102 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in overtime Tuesday night.

Phoenix was missing two-time MVP Steve Nash, who sat out with a shoulder injury that kept him out of the second half in Monday's 113-108 win over Denver.

Barbosa stepped in at point guard, tallying seven assists and six rebounds, and hitting key shots in the second half.

"Barbosa really came out in the second half and picked it up," Stoudemire said. "He's been there all season long for us."

Stoudemire scored the first five points of the extra period and Barbosa knocked in back-to-back 3-pointers as the Suns held off the Blazers.

Zach Randolph had 33 points on 12-of-15 shooting, and Brandon Roy added 27 points and five assists for the Blazers, who lost their third straight.

Portland missed a very good opportunity to win the game in regulation. With the score tied at 96, Travis Outlaw drove to the hoop but missed a layup with 4 seconds left.

"I told Travis after the game you've got to power that shot to the basket," coach Nate McMillan said. "I couldn't believe it when I saw him get a path to the basket but it didn't go in. You can't finesse a shot like that."

Stoudemire, coming off a 36-point, 13-rebound game against Denver, also had nine rebounds, just missing his fourth straight double-double.

Raja Bell had 15 points and six assists, and Shawn Marion had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Suns, who are 18-7 on the road this season.

Ime Udoka and Outlaw each had 10 for the Blazers. Point guard Jarrett Jack had nine points and six assists.

The Suns looked at times like they might run away with the game. They led by as many as 13 in the first quarter and had a 40-26 lead in the second, but Portland closed the gap, getting within 48-45 after Jack converted a three-point play.

Phoenix led by four at the half and started fast in the third, leading 73-61, but the Blazers went on a 14-4 run to get within two.

"We just didn't have constant knowledge of what we were doing without Steve (Nash) in there," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said.

Randolph, who made his first eight shots, cut the lead to 85-84 with a three-point play at 5:52 in the fourth, and Martell Webster tied the game at 87 with a 3-pointer.

Barbosa stole the inbound pass and then scored on a rebound put-back of a Stoudemire miss. The next time down the floor he swished a 3 to extend the lead to five points.

Randolph was fouled following a Roy miss and converted two free throws with 57.3 seconds left to tie the game at 93.

Barbosa knocked in a 3 from the corner with 38.9 seconds left to give the Suns a 96-93 lead, but Udoka took a pass from Roy and hit a wide-open 3 for the Blazers.

Notes

Portland made 27 of 30 free throws. ...The Blazers wore a black band on their jersey for former team executive Stu Inman, who died last week at 80. ... Blazers starting center Joel Przybilla played six minutes and didn't score. Przybilla, who signed a 5-year, $32 million deal before the season, is averaging just 2.1 points and 4.0 rebounds this season. ... Phoenix has won six straight against the Blazers for the first time since Nov. 15, 1994 to Nov. 14, 1995.