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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The old Golden State Warriors would have
missed the shot.
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| Kidd |
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| Mills |
Chris Mills insists these aren't the old Warriors -- and for one
night at least, he was right.
Mills hit a desperate 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds left as Golden
State overcame a virtuoso performance by Jason Kidd to beat the
Phoenix Suns 96-94 Tuesday night.
"This team isn't going to let the old things happen this
year," Mills said of the Warriors, who lost 63 games last season.
"We're starting out this season by protecting our home court.
That's why that shot was so important."
Kidd, who posted his 32nd career triple-double, hit two free
throws with 29 seconds left to give Phoenix a one-point lead.
Golden State had trouble finding a shot on its ensuing
possession. With the shot clock running down, Vinny Del Negro
wildly flung the ball behind his head to Mills, who buried a long
shot from straightaway.
Mills had 19 points as Golden State made Dave Cowens' coaching
debut an improbable success. The Warriors, who turned over their
roster as well as their coaching staff in the offseason, ended a
six-game losing streak against Phoenix and won their season opener
for the first time since 1995.
"It really was the resolve that our guys showed, even when we
didn't have a very good shooting game," Cowens said. "We just
kept coming back."
Kidd had 24 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds -- as well as a
suffocating defensive game against Golden State's Larry Hughes, who
shot 6-for-20. He carried the undermanned Suns through the second
half, including several stretches in which the young, exuberant
Warriors appeared ready to run away.
"We did everything we were supposed to do, but they made a good
shot," Kidd said. "We found ourselves struggling. We have to find
a way to win these games and not (lose to) the teams we're supposed
to beat."
Golden State got a phenomenal debut from forward Danny Fortson,
who had 18 points and 18 rebounds in his first game since being
traded from Boston during the offseason.
"None of our marquee players had good games, and we still
won," Fortson said. "That's a tremendous boost of confidence to
us. That shows so much heart for a young team."
Phoenix got 26 points from Clifford Robinson, but he missed an
open shot at the buzzer. The Warriors celebrated at midcourt as if
they had won a title.
"He hit a circus shot, but we shouldn't have been in that
situation," Robinson said.
Phoenix, which did extensive tinkering to a roster that had the
league's fifth-best record last year, began the season with Penny
Hardaway, Tom Gugliotta and Rex Chapman on the injured list.
But with Kidd at his acrobatic best, the Suns stuck with Golden
State until late, when the lead changed hands four times over the
final 78 seconds.
"If it wouldn't have been for Jason Kidd's performance, we
wouldn't have been in the game," Phoenix coach Scott Skiles said.
"He made a bunch of crucial plays to keep us in it and bring us
back, but it's a shame we lost."
The game was the first time Hughes and Antawn Jamison, Golden
State's young cornerstones, played together. Both were less than
impressive, however.
Hughes, who had 17 points, fouled out while trying to guard Kidd
in the final minute. Jamison, who had 13 points after missing
nearly the entire first half with foul trouble, was already out for
the year with a knee injury when Hughes was acquired in a trade
last February.
Phoenix trailed by 12 points in the first half but went ahead
late in the third quarter when Robinson scored nine straight
points. Golden State came back with a 12-3 run capped by Jamison's
layup on a long pass from Hughes with 6:39 left.
Game notes
Del Negro hit a 3-pointer from midcourt to end the first
quarter. ... The attendance was 15,460, about 4,000 short of
capacity at Oakland Arena. ... Chris Mullin, who's on the Warriors'
injured list with a strained back, got a standing ovation in
pregame introductions. Mullin, who played his first 12 seasons with
the Warriors, returned to Golden State this season after three
years in Indiana. ... Kidd, a Bay area native, got his usual warm
welcome from the Oakland crowd and was cheered throughout the game.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
Golden State Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 106
Atlanta 82
Cleveland 86
New Jersey 82
Orlando 97
Washington 86
Dallas 97
Milwaukee 93
Philadelphia 101
New York 72
Detroit 104
Toronto 95
Sacramento 100
Chicago 81
Minnesota 106
Houston 98
San Antonio 98
Indiana 85
Utah 107
LA Clippers 94
Golden State 96
Phoenix 94
LA Lakers 96
Portland 86
Vancouver 94
Seattle 88
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