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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- Jason Kidd hit a long 3-pointer at the end of the
third quarter, and the Phoenix Suns never looked back.
Kidd's buzzer-beater seemed to spark the Suns, who completely
stifled the Atlanta Hawks in the final quarter for a 95-82 victory
Monday night.
|  | | Jason Kidd heaves -- and hits - a 40-foot shot at the end of the third quarter. The shot gave the Suns the "energy" to win in Atlanta. |
"I was just trying to get a shot up. It happened to go in,"
said Kidd, whose basket gave Phoenix a 68-67 lead going to the
final quarter. "I'm not sure it was a turning point, but it gave
us some energy."
Shawn Marion scored 25 points to lead the Suns, who wrapped up a
six-game road trip by claiming their second victory.
Atlanta has lost six of seven.
"We've got to play four quarters," Atlanta coach Lon Kruger
said. "They're a quick, athletic team, and we didn't do the things
we needed to do to counter them."
The Hawks are playing without point guards Brevin Knight and
Matt Maloney, both on the injured list. Jason Terry, normally a
shooting guard, has shifted to the point, where he was paired with
rookie DerMarr Johnson for the second game in a row.
While Terry had 22 points and eight assists, he and Johnson also had
six turnovers apiece.
"More than anything, it was the turnovers," Terry said. "On
the perimeter, we've got to take better care of the basketball. You
can't have 12 turnovers out of your backcourt. That's too many to
overcome."
The Hawks, who trailed by as many as 17 points in the first
half, fought back for a 59-58 lead when Lorenzen Wright hit a
turnaround jumper with just under four minutes left in the third
quarter.
Terry scored on a driving layup with 2.8 seconds left to break a
65-65 tie, but Kidd heaved up a shot from nearly 40 feet away that
swished through for a trey.
The Hawks never recovered.
"I saw a couple of guys' faces," Terry said. "They were like,
'Oh, no.' But we're still right there in the game. The first five
minutes of the fourth quarter are crucial."
Atlanta went more than seven minutes without a field goal while
Phoenix put together a 15-3 run that sealed the victory.
"We made a tremendous run in the third to come back and
seemingly change the momentum of the game," Terry said. "But
Jason Kidd is a great floor leader who knows how to dictate the
tempo, and we couldn't find the basket at all."
The Hawks missed their first nine shots in the fourth and wound
up making only 4 of 20 against Phoenix's scrambling, double-teaming
defense. Atlanta also had six turnovers while totally melting down
in the final quarter.
Having averaged just 82.5 points in their last two games, both
losses, the Suns pushed the ball up the court at every opportunity.
For much of the first half, the young Hawks didn't know how to
react.
Atlanta's woes were epitomized by a four-possession stretch
early in the second quarter. Marion dunked three times and Elliott
Perry scored on a layup while the Hawks stood around, completely
fooled by Phoenix's run-and-gun style.
The Suns went up 52-35 -- matching their biggest lead -- when
Marion hit a 12-foot jumper with just over two minutes left in the
half.
The Hawks scored the final eight points of the period to cut the
deficit to 52-43. Then, Atlanta hit 10 of 19 shots in the third to
get back in the game.
"We let our defense take away from our offense," Marion said.
"We weren't doing what we were supposed to be doing on defense. We
had to muck it up and play defense."
Game notes
Kidd, making his second start since being charged with
domestic violence, had 14 points, seven assists and five steals.
... Atlanta, which used to be one of the NBA's best home teams, is
10-12 at Philips Arena this year. ... Former Hawks coach Lenny
Wilkens returns to Atlanta on Wednesday with Toronto. ... The Hawks
started Johnson and forward Chris Crawford for the second game in a
row.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 99
Detroit 87
Washington 95
Cleveland 89
Phoenix 95
Atlanta 82
Minnesota 99
Milwaukee 96
Utah 97
Denver 91
Vancouver 97
New Jersey 86
Charlotte 93
Golden State 85
San Antonio 96
LA Clippers 67
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