|
|
 |
 |
|
| |
Wednesday, Jan. 12 10:00pm ET
Kidd compiles another triple-double | |||||
|
| ||||||
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- With the ball hanging in the air and the Phoenix Suns clinging to a two-point lead, Jason Kidd was more worried about getting the rebound than thinking about triple-doubles. Coming down with the ball and his 10th rebound, Kidd secured the victory and his fifth triple-double in 13 games as the Suns won 95-92 on Wednesday night. Fouled on the play, Kidd sank one of two free throws and finished with 20 points and 10 assists as the Suns snapped a three-game losing streak and won for only the second time in seven games. "All I know is one way, and that's to play hard," said Kidd, who now has 31 career triple-doubles, the most among active NBA players. "I get lucky with the balls, maybe some long rebounds, but the biggest thing is that I go out there and have fun." Kidd was more relieved with the win than anything he did, considering he went 4-for-18 from the field while earning 11 of his points at the free-throw line. "My play, it was erratic. For some reason my shooting has left me," Kidd said. "Even though I didn't make the baskets, I just kept being aggressive. I think that was the key for me not disappearing in tonight's game." Luc Longley scored 15 points while Rodney Rogers added 14 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter as the Suns also snapped a five-game road losing streak. Othella Harrington scored 19 and Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Michael Dickerson had 17 each for the Grizzlies, who blew an opportunity to win their franchise-record fourth straight. The game came down to which team was going to hit more than one field goal in the final two minutes. After Longley's layup put the Suns ahead 93-88 with 2:33 left, both teams' offenses unraveled. The Grizzlies managed just one field goal the rest of the way -- Dickerson's three-footer with 1:48 left -- while Kidd accounted for the Suns' final two points, going 2-for-4 from the free-throw line. The Grizzlies' last gasp failed when Mike Bibby missed a 3-point attempt and Tom Gugliotta pulled down the rebound. It was a sloppy game in which neither team shot better than 39 percent from the field. The Grizzlies, in fact, went 15-of-57 from the field over the last three quarters. Foul shooting kept Vancouver in the game as the Grizzlies went 40-for-45 from the line. By comparison, the Suns were 20-of-27. "Well, I'm glad that's out of the way," said coach Lionel Hollins, whose Grizzlies returned from a 4-1 road trip -- their best in franchise history -- to raised expectations. "Now we don't have to have anybody tell us, 'Congratulations, what a great trip you had,' because we can go back to work now." In fact, Hollins went so far as to say he was tired of the adulation. "I was almost on the verge that the next person that told me, 'What a great trip,' I was going to deck him." The Grizzlies are now 6-7 since Hollins took over following Brian Hill's dismissal last month. The Suns, meanwhile, are 7-7 since Scott Skiles took over as coach following Danny Ainge's resignation. While pleased to steal the victory, Skiles said the Suns' poor play is putting too much pressure on Kidd. "We are putting such a burden on him offensively, it really isn't fair that he is taking shots that he wouldn't normally take and really doesn't want to take. He would rather run the offense and set people up." Longley summed up Kidd's heroic performance like this: "He's stubborn. He won't do anything but win." The Suns won despite going 35-for-90 from the field. Game notesPrior to the game, the Grizzlies held a moment of silence in memory of the Charlotte Hornets' Bobby Phills, who was killed in a car accident earlier in the day. Read public address announcer Al Murdoch: "(Phills) represented the very best in sports -- a caring and generous person who was also a talented competitor on the court. Bobby will be greatly missed throughout the NBA and by fans of basketball around the world." ... Prior to the game, the Grizzlies activated veteran swingman Doug West, who missed 10 games with a stress fracture in his left wrist, and placed rookie forward Obinna Ekezie (sprained left ankle) on the injured list. ... Suns center Oliver Miller missed his third straight game with a pulled right tricep. Recuperating in Phoenix, Miller may be ready to return to action by this weekend. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Phoenix Clubhouse Vancouver Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 95 LA Clippers 88
Phoenix 95
  | |||||