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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SEATTLE (AP) – It was pure instinct, Shawn Marion said, that
drew him to Desmond Mason as the Seattle SuperSonics rookie slashed
for a game-tying dunk in the final seconds Thursday night.
"I didn't really know what he was going to do. It was just
instinct. He was coming full speed," Marion said of his blocked
shot that preserved the Phoenix Suns' 90-88 lead.
The Suns' Tony Delk hit one of two free throws after Marion's
block and Seattle's Vin Baker missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer for
Phoenix's 91-88 victory.
Mason made similar last-second dunks against the Los Angeles
Clippers on Jan. 25 and the Los Angeles Lakers on March 11.
"It was a great play, but Shawn is athletic just like he is,"
Delk said.
The loss snapped a six-game win streak for the Sonics.
"It was kind of a wild game," the Suns' Mario Elie said. "I'm
proud of the guys. We showed a lot of character. We didn't give
up."
The Suns were down by 12 at halftime and trailed throughout the
third quarter and most of the fourth. They went on a 14-0 run
midway through the final period, capped by consecutive 3-pointers
from Jason Kidd, that put them up 83-82.
A jumper by Cliff Robinson and Marion's alley-oop dunk put the
Suns up 87-82 with just over two minutes left. They led the rest of
the way.
Marion had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Kidd added 20 for
Phoenix.
"We really stuck around," Kidd said. "On the road you just
have to be around for the last two minutes."
Kidd said his banked 3-pointer that put the Suns up for good
"was a big shot. It changed the whole momentum of the game. We
took the lead and gained confidence."
"It was far from a pretty game," Suns coach Scott Skiles said.
"We missed layups and wide-open 15-footers, but we kept grinding
it out."
Baker finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds for Seattle. He
shot just 3-for-14 from the field but was 13-of-13 from the free
throw line.
Gary Payton added 18 and Rashard Lewis 14 for the Sonics.
"We had the opportunity to win the game, but we made too many mistakes and turned the ball over," Seattle's Patrick Ewing said.
"The pressure they put on us -- we just didn't show patience,"
Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "We didn't draw double teams and
force them to move at all."
The game pitted two division rivals struggling to nail down a
Western Conference playoff spot.
The Sonics (37-34) came into the game in 10th place in the
conference, trying to avoid missing the playoffs for the second
time in three years after a string of eight straight postseason
appearances.
The Suns (40-27) had a tenuous hold on the seventh spot after
losing six of their previous 11 games.
Seattle pulled away in the second quarter and was up by 13 after
Lewis' alley-oop dunk with three minutes to go. The Suns couldn't
get closer than 10 after that, and the Sonics led at the half,
50-38.
Game notes
Robinson's 10 points gave him exactly 15,000 for his
career. He is the 89th NBA player to hit the mark, joining Gary
Payton, Shaquille O'Neal and Terry Porter as players to earn the
honor this season. ... Payton's two steals gave him 1,862 for his
career, moving him past Isiah Thomas for 10th place all-time. ...
Marion left the game in the third after fouling Lewis under the
Sonics' basket. He sat out most of the third with his right hand
and wrist wrapped and returned for the fourth quarter. ... The
Sonics came in 15-5 against Pacific Division teams, while the Suns
were 8-10. ... Skiles said the Western Conference is still a
mystery for playoff spots. "Right now, things are taking shape in
the Eastern Conference, but in the West, anything could still
happen. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that the 6th place
team could end up in 1st place."
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
RECAPS
San Antonio 115
Atlanta 101
Cleveland 109
Vancouver 95
Boston 113
New Jersey 98
Portland 101
Utah 99
Phoenix 91
Seattle 88
LA Clippers 97
Houston 92
Sacramento 103
Detroit 98
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