The AP reports: Jason Richardson scored 16 of his 24 points in the first quarter, Amare Stoudemire finished with 25 points and eight rebounds and the rejuvenated Suns ended a three-game home losing skid with their most lopsided victory of the season, 129-81 over the tired Sacramento Kings on Monday night… The Suns had very few problems Monday. They outrebounded the Kings 64-44, including 21 off the offensive boards; they finished with a season-high 30 fast break points; they had a season-high 16 steals, and they outscored the Kings 64-34 in the paint… Grant Hill added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Suns, Leandro Barbosa scored 11 points, Shaquille O’Neal had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Steve Nash had nine points and nine assists. John Salmons led the Kings with 19 points, Kevin Martin scored 13, Jason Thompson 12 and Francisco Garcia 10.
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Gordon, Rose each score 26 as Bulls beat Suns
The AP reports: The Bulls their third straight on a Western trip, beating the Phoenix Suns 122-111 Saturday night. Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose each scored 26 points for Chicago, which never trailed and fended off several Phoenix rallies… Leandro Barbosa led the Suns with a season-high 32 points. Grant Hill scored 19, Shaquille O’Neal 18, Steve Nash had 15 points and 10 assists, and Amare Stoudemire and Jason Richardson each scored 12. Luol Deng added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, Kirk Hinrich had 15 points, and Andres Nocioni and Thabo Sefalosha 11 apiece.
Al Jefferson not picked for All-Star reserves
The 2009 NBA All-Star reserves are official, and a young star big-man likely came close to getting picked, but big old Shaq won out instead. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jerry Zgoda) reports: Western Conference coaches passed over Timberwolves forward Al Jefferson and chose now 15-time All-Star Shaquille O’Neal as the reserve center for next month’s All-Star Game. Jefferson’s averages of 22.7 points and 10.5 rebounds — he’s one of only three NBA players averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game — and the Wolves’ 16-28 record didn’t convince the coaches. They instead chose O’Neal, who at age 36 often doesn’t play in back-to-back games. The Feb. 15 game is in Phoenix, where O’Neal now plays.
Ginobili leads Spurs past Suns
The AP reports: “We’re scoring way too many points,” Popovich said jokingly after the Spurs beat the Suns 114-104 on Thursday night. “We shouldn’t be having this much fun.” Manu Ginobili had the most fun. He made 18 free throws, setting a franchise record for foul shots in a game without a miss, and finished with 30 points and nine rebounds. Tony Parker added 26 points, and Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Southwest Division leaders (31-14)… Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Grant Hill had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Steve Nash finished with 16 points and 18 assists, and Shaquille O’Neal and Matt Barnes each scored 13 points. It was the first time in 20 games that O’Neal failed to score at least 15 points.
Back-to-back Shaq gets 29; Suns top Wizards 103-87
The AP reports: Shaquille O’Neal kissed Caron Butler on the head, got a technical for hanging on the rim and thumped Andray Blatche into a knee-buckling injury. He also scored 29 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots… O’Neal and the Phoenix Suns wrapped up a six-game East Coast swing Monday night with a 103-87 win over the Washington Wizards, who suffered the indignity of falling behind the Oklahoma City Thunder to take sole possession of the NBA cellar… Amare Stoudemire added 22 points and 15 rebounds, Leandro Barbosa scored 23 points, and Steve Nash had 14 points and 15 assists for the Suns, whose 53-38 rebounding advantage helped overcome their 17 turnovers. Caron Butler scored 28 points, and Jamison had 27 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, but they didn’t get much help as Washington lost for the 10th time in 12 games. The rest of the team scored 32 points on 17-for-41 shooting.
Stoudemire scores 23 as Suns edge Hawks
The AP reports: Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points, and Shaquille O’Neal had 19 points with 11 rebounds, helping Phoenix snap a three-game losing streak with a 104-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night. Nash, who finished with 14 points and 13 assists, was pleased that owner Robert Sarver flew to Atlanta for Saturday’s practice and joined general manager Steve Kerr in a team meeting… Reserve guard Leandro Barbosa had 20 points for the Suns, who had lost five of six and were coming off a season-worst 22-point loss at Charlotte… Marvin Williams’ 17 points were a team high for Atlanta, which had won four of five. The Hawks’ backcourt of Mike Bibby and Johnson went a combined 7-for-33 from the field, including a 2-for-13 performance beyond the arc.
Diaw dominates ex-team, Bobcats crush Suns 98-76
The AP reports: How far the Bobcats have come since then was on display Friday night, as Boris Diaw dominated his former team with 26 points and 11 rebounds in Charlotte’s 98-76 rout of the slumping Phoenix Suns… Last month’s deal that brought Diaw and Raja Bell from Phoenix for Jason Richardson has invigorated the Bobcats, who also got 28 points from Gerald Wallace… Shaquille O’Neal had 20 points for the Suns, who had been 8-0 against Charlotte and had never failed to score fewer than 110 points in those games… Things got so bad Steve Nash, who was hampered by a sore back, missed a free throw for the first time in a month, ending his streak of 54 straight. He finished with four points, five assists and six turnovers… Amare Stoudemire, voted an All-Star starter this week, was held to 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting.
Official 2009 All-Star starters
Here are the official starters for the 2009 NBA All-Star game:
East: Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard
West: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudemire, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming.
Read basketball fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.
Robinson scores 20 and Knicks beat Suns 114-109
The AP reports: The Knicks held Shaquille O’Neal to just one field goal in the second half after he had 18 points in the first. And the smaller players forced to guard him created mismatches of their own on the offensive end. David Lee led the Knicks with 25 points and 16 rebounds. Tim Thomas, saddled by foul trouble the first three quarters, scored all 10 of his points in the first five minutes of the fourth as New York pulled in front for good… The Suns made it 112-109 on Jason Richardson’s 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, but Al Harrington hit a pair of free throws to clinch the win. Richardson led the Suns with 27 points. Steve Nash had a season-high 19 assists.
Suns sign Courtney Sims to 10-day contract
The Phoenix Suns have signed free-agent center Courtney Sims to a 10-day contract, the club announced today.
The 6-11, 245-pound Sims has spent the last two seasons with the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League. The Energy, coached by Nick Nurse, became the Suns’ affiliate this season. Sims, 25, joins Phoenix after starting all 17 of his games in Iowa this season, averaging 22.4 points and 11.6 rebounds, both team-bests. A season ago, Sims averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 15 games with Iowa.
A four-year collegiate performer at the University of Michigan, Sims was an undrafted free agent signee of the Indiana Pacers in 2007-08. The Roslindale, Mass.-native saw action in three regular season games for the Pacers.
The Suns roster now stands at 13.