Phoenix Suns Blog – Page 43 – NBA Blog

DeMarcus Cousins scores 41 but Kings lose to Suns

Marcin Gortat had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Steve Nash added 18 points and 12 assists and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Sacramento Kings 109-100 on Tuesday night.

The Suns won their second straight and third in four games to move over the .500 mark (27-26) for only the third time this season.

The Suns moved within 1 1/2 games of Houston for the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff berth.

DeMarcus Cousins scored a career-high 41 points and had 12 rebounds for the Kings, who have lost three of four.

Isaiah Thomas had 25 points and seven assists, and Terrence Williams had another big game off the bench with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Michael Redd had 16 points and both Channing Frye and Jared Dudley had 15 for Phoenix. Shannon Brown had 12 points for the Suns.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Grant Hill to appear on Oprah`s Master Class

The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) tells InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner that an all-new episode of “Oprah’s Master Class” will feature Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill. The ep is this Sunday, April 1 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Here’s how they describe the episode: Strong values instilled by his parents and lessons learned on and off the court enabled Grant Hill to become one of the best all-around players in the NBA, which is why when things got tough, he found ways to grow as a person and stay in the game.

Sounds to us like it’ll be worth watching. Grant Hill is one of the smartest and most interesting players in the league. I’ll certainly be checking it out.

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Suns forward Grant Hill has knee surgery

Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill today underwent a successful procedure on his right knee, the team has announced. The procedure was performed by team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Thomas Carter and was less than 30 minutes long.

Dr. Carter repaired a medial meniscus tear in Hill’s right knee, which was discovered in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) on Thursday.

If rehab goes as expected, Hill will return before the end of the regular season.

Hill has appeared in 46 games this season for the Suns, averaging 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Since the break, Hill has averaged 12.9 points and is shooting 52.1 percent from the field overall. The Suns’ best individual defender, Hill has led a Phoenix defense that is allowing just 97.6 points this season, its fewest since 2002-03, and 8.2 points fewer than a season ago.

Grant Hill has no retirement plans yet

Hill, 39, is in his fifth season with the Suns, and the seven-time All-Star said he plans to be back next season.

“I definitely think I can go another year, maybe two,” Hill said before scoring a team-high 19 points in Tuesday’s 99-95 loss to Miami at AmericanAmerican Arena. “If the season were to end right now, and I would sort of evaluate the season, I would definitely want to come back and play next season.”

Hill, averaging 10.6 points, signed a one-year, $6.5 million deal before the season. He hopes to end his career with the Suns and says “Hopefully, they feel the same way.”

Hill turns 40 on Oct. 5, making him the second-oldest player in the NBA after Portland’s Kurt Thomas, who is one day older. Hill’s longevity is pretty impressive considering he was devastated by ankle injuries when playing from Orlando from 2000 to 2007, and didn’t figure he would stick around Phoenix too long after playing his first game for the Suns at 35.

— Reported by Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida

Stephon Marbury denies hitting a fan after game in China

Stephon Marbury

Enjoys typing “love is love” thousands of times per day on Twitter

Former NBA star Stephon Marbury has denied hitting a fan after a testy playoff loss in a Chinese Basketball Association game.

The 35-year-old Marbury and his Beijing Ducks teammates were trapped in their team van after their 102-100 road loss on Sunday to the Shanxi Brave Dragons, Marbury’s original team when he joined the league in 2010. A newspaper photograph showed fans pounding on the windows of the van.

Marbury was quoted Tuesday by the official China Daily as saying he and the fans had been separated by guards. However, he disputed reports he’d hit a fan.

“I didn’t do that,” Marbury said. “How could I do that over the security guards?”

Marbury scored 25 points in the game that was interrupted for 10 minutes as Shanxi fans threw water bottles onto the court to protest what they deemed to be a bad call.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Suns get first win over Mavericks in 9 tries

Jared Dudley

Enjoys Twitter

The Phoenix Suns finally got the best of the Dallas Mavericks. Barely.

Jared Dudley scored 12 of his 18 points in a third-quarter comeback and Phoenix held on to beat Dallas 96-94 on Thursday night, the Suns’ first victory over the Mavericks in nine tries, four this season.

“This is definitely big for us,” Dudley said. “We’ve struggled against this more than any other team, especially at home.”

Dallas blew out the Suns in Phoenix 122-99 on Jan. 30.

Grant Hill scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half for Phoenix, but missed two free throws with 15.4 seconds left. Dallas had two chances after that, but Rodrigue Beaubois missed a driving layup, then couldn’t hit an open 18-foot jumper at the buzzer…

Marcin Gortat added 16 points and 12 rebounds as the Suns won their fourth straight home game, their longest streak in nearly two years. Steve Nash had 11 points and 11 assists.

Vince Carter and Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points apiece for Dallas in the Mavericks’ fifth road loss in a row.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Suns add Lindsey Hunter to staff

The Phoenix Suns have added former NBA player and two-time NBA Champion Lindsey Hunter as a team scout, the club announced today.

In his new role, Hunter will assist Suns’ head scout, Bubba Burrage, with assessing talent in the NBA, D-League and college ranks. Serving in this capacity, Hunter will provide crucial information needed to make many team personnel decisions, including but not limited to free agent signing, D League call-ups, and NBA Draft selections.

“We are very fortunate to have a proven champion like Lindsey on our scouting staff,” said Suns General Manager, Lance Blanks. “With ownership’s support we are continually making investments in our future and having someone of Lindsey’s caliber to help us evaluate players and make informed personnel choices will be invaluable.”

A 6-foot-2 guard, Hunter joins the Suns as a scout after playing 17 NBA seasons with the Detroit Pistons (1993-2000, 2003-08), Milwaukee Bucks (2000-01), Los Angeles Lakers (2001-02), Toronto Raptors (2002-03) and Chicago Bulls (2008-10). During his career, he played in 937 games (438 starts) and averaged 8.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals. Hunter also appeared in 129 NBA playoff games, averaging 3.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists en route to two NBA Championships (Los Angeles Lakers in 2002 and Detroit Pistons in 2004).

“I am thrilled to join an organization that has a proven tradition of winning like that of the Phoenix Suns,” said Hunter. “I look forward to using my experiences in the NBA, as well as my knowledge of the game, to assist with bringing in the talent necessary for building a team that can consistently compete for a championship.”

After his playing career concluded in 2010, the Bulls hired Hunter as a player development assistant where he focused on the development of younger players such as league-MVP Derrick Rose.

Originally selected by the Pistons with 10th overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft, Hunter entered the NBA after his playing career at Jackson State. He holds the Division I single-game record for most three-point field goals attempted with 26 against Kansas on Dec. 27, 1992.

Steve Nash remains committed to Suns

Steve Nash

Likeable

Nash’s eighth All-Star trip at age 38 is remarkable as the oldest All-Star point guard — ever. But with a 14-20 Suns team, the interest in Nash’s career is what comes next in July free agency and speculation about the March 15 trade deadline.

“It’s up to the team,” Nash said. “I’m happy where I am. I’m not happy with our record. I feel like I made a commitment to the fans and my teammates. But at the same time, I’d understand if the team wanted to make a move, so I’m completely open. To be honest, I just occupy myself with trying to prepare to play and play as well as I can.”

The Suns have made it clear that he would not be traded unless he asked for it. That is not in Nash’s nature.

“I feel like it’s a difficult position for me to demand a trade when I’ve been a part of that community for so long,” Nash said in his 10th Suns season. “I really feel like I owe it to my teammates to do the best I can for the group. I don’t feel like I should be demanding anything.”

— Reported by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic

Steve Nash, at 38, still playing great for Suns

The Phoenix Suns are a shadow of the frenetic scoring machine they were a few years ago. Maybe that makes the season Steve Nash is having all the more impressive.

Not surrounded by an abundance of talent, on a team that stood 12-18 going into Friday night’s game against the Lakers in Los Angeles, Nash leads the league in assists at 10.7 and is the top shooter among guards at 56 percent. That’s third overall among players at any position and would be his career best if it holds up for the season.

On his 38th birthday, Feb. 7, Nash had 18 points and 11 assist, including the game-winning layup with 5 seconds to go in a 107-105 win at Milwaukee. For the eighth time in his 16-year NBA career, he made the All-Star Game roster.

There has been one concession to his age. Coach Alvin Gentry held him out of Tuesday’s loss at Denver so he wouldn’t have to play three consecutive nights. The next night he had 22 points and 16 assists but his team faded down the stretch in a home loss to Atlanta.

“People are saying `Hey, you’re playing great for 38,”’ said Lon Babby, the Suns’ president for basketball operations. “My answer to that is `No, he’s just playing great—period.”

— Reported by Bob Baum of the Associated Press

Kobe passes Shaq for 5th on NBA career scoring list

Kobe Bryant

Scoring assassin

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has passed former teammate Shaquille O’Neal and moved into fifth place on the NBA’s career scoring list.

Bryant needed 24 points to pass O’Neal entering Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. O’Neal retired with 28,596 points. Bryant nailed a long jumper late in the first half to give him 24 points.

— Reported by the Associated Press