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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
NEW YORK (AP) – Mark Jackson didn't contribute much in his first
game back with the Knicks. Nor, for that matter, did the man he's
about to replace as New York's starting point guard.
|  | | Mark Jackson spent most of his time on the bench Friday, but could soon move into the starting role. |
Shawn Marion scored four of his 19 points in overtime and
blocked Charlie Ward's final shot in what might have been Ward's
final game as a starter to lead the Phoenix Suns past the Knicks
88-84 Friday night.
"Things are going to change," said Ward, who took the Knicks'
final two shots of overtime and missed both. "We're having a hard
time right now, and everybody has to stick together. It's not about
positions and who's playing and who's not. It's about playing as
one and staying as one, and that's our mission."
It was the first loss of the season for the Knicks in six
overtime games, and it came on a night when Jackson rejoined his
original NBA team and played 13 scoreless minutes.
Coach Jeff Van Gundy said Jackson will be replacing Ward as the
Knicks' starting point guard.
Ward was on the court at the end of this one. He finished
3-for-12 from the field with six assists and four turnovers.
Jason Kidd had 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for
the Suns, who won their third in a row on the last stop of a
four-game road trip. Jake Tsakalidis added 14, Cliff Robinson had
13 and Rodney Rogers 10.
"For us, we're trying to lose that mystique that the Phoenix
Suns will just try to outscore you. It's going to take a year or
two, but we feel we can play defense with the best of them," Kidd
said. "We kind of dictated the speed of the game tonight, and
that's what we want to do every time we play.
Latrell Sprewell had 26 points, zero rebounds and zero assists
for the Knicks, who got a career-high 23 rebounds from Marcus
Camby. It was the Knicks' fifth loss in seven games.
Marion gave the Suns the lead for good by jamming home a miss
for an 86-84 lead with 1:58 left in OT. Ward then missed for New
York, and Allan Houston lost the ball out of bounds after the
Knicks grabbed two offensive rebounds.
Marion scored on a jumper from the corner with one minute left,
and neither team scored again.
Sprewell had an airball and Ward missed a 3-pointer and a layup
– the latter of which was rejected by Marion with eight seconds
left – on the Knicks' final three possessions.
Jackson checked into the game for the first time early in the
second quarter, receiving a standing ovation from about half of the
sellout crowd. He had only one assist in four first-half minutes,
but played better in the second half as Van Gundy let him run the
offense for the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter.
"This was a tough, tough, tough evening, but I feel good about
the team," Jackson said. "We'll look back at this time and laugh
at it."
The Knicks trailed 73-70 when Ward replaced Jackson with 4:52 to
play, and the lead quickly moved to six as Marion converted a
three-point play.
New York had to play catch-up from there and finally tied the
game with 4.5 seconds left when Houston hit a 12-foot jumper over
Kidd. The Suns got the final shot of regulation, but Vinny Del
Negro missed a long jumper from the corner.
Phoenix controlled the game in the early going by repeatedly
pounding the ball down low. Tsakalidis had 12 points, Robinson nine
and Marion and Rogers added eight each in the first half, which
ended with Phoenix holding a 42-38 lead.
Game notes
Jackson finished 0-for-3 from the field with three assists.
... Muggsy Bogues, also acquired in the Jackson deal, was eligible
to play but did not dress. ... New York had its three-game home
winning streak snapped. ... Kidd had 14 turnovers the last time the
teams played. This time, he had five.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
New York Clubhouse
Jackson back in Knicks uniform for first time in nine years
RECAPS
Sacramento 119
Toronto 118
Indiana 92
Cleveland 90
Phoenix 88
New York 84
Philadelphia 99
Detroit 78
Minnesota 122
Golden State 83
Houston 105
Orlando 95
Milwaukee 93
Vancouver 81
San Antonio 100
Boston 82
Utah 96
Seattle 84
LA Lakers 113
Atlanta 106
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