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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
NEW YORK (AP) -- Nothing epitomized the Phoenix Suns' offensive
woes quite like Jason Kidd's airball late in the fourth quarter.
Ugliest airball you've ever seen.
|  | | Patrick Ewing was good for 25 points. |
Kidd missed a 24-footer by a good four feet as the Suns were
going through a seven-minute stretch in which they scored just one
point, causing their winning streak to end at eight games Friday
night in an 84-79 loss to the New York Knicks.
"It was off-target," Kidd said, understating things a bit.
"The shot clock was running down, I took a peek and thought it was
at six. Everybody was standing around at that point, and I did the
next best thing and took a shot."
Kidd's miss with 30 seconds left was followed by two free throws
by Latrell Sprewell that gave the Knicks a four-point lead. Rodney
Rogers hit a 3-pointer with six seconds left for Phoenix's first
basket in more than seven minutes, but Allan Houston hit two free
throws with 4.7 seconds left to ice the victory.
Patrick Ewing tied his season-high with 25 points and had 10
rebounds, Latrell Sprewell scored 21 and Chris Childs hit a pair of
big jumpers to finish a late 13-0 run that allowed the Knicks to
overtake the Suns after trailing for most of the night. New York
scored 19 of the game's final 24 points.
It was the Suns' first loss since Feb. 4.
"We did what we needed to do to put ourselves in position to
win the game, but when you don't finish it this is what happens:
You sit in the locker room and wonder what happened," Clifford
Robinson said.
Tom Gugliotta led Phoenix with 18 points. Kidd had 13 assists
and 10 rebounds but just two points.
Things went the Suns' way for the first 3½ quarters, and a layup
by Luc Longley with 7:19 left gave them a nine-point lead.
But that would be Phoenix's last basket for the next 7:13 as New
York went ahead on two baskets by Ewing, one each by Sprewell and
Houston and a 3-pointer by Childs with 2:26 left for a 76-74 lead.
After Kidd missed a 3-pointer, Childs calmly stepped up from 22
feet and hit another jumper to complete a 13-0 run and give New
York a four-point lead.
"We've gotten a few teams playing their best this year, Detroit
when they came in here in January and had won six or seven in a
row, they (Phoenix) had won eight," Ewing said. "This is as good
as any other win we've had this year, certainly very good."
The Suns led for almost the entire first half and only briefly
surrendered the lead early in the third quarter when Ewing scored
to give the Knicks a 43-42 lead. Phoenix immediately responded with
an 8-0 run ending with a nifty no-look, backward bounce pass from
Kidd to Longley for a layup.
It took the Knicks the rest of the third quarter to pull back
within two, but Phoenix scored the first nine points of the fourth
quarter for a 71-60 lead, a run that ended with an alley-oop dunk
by Shawn Marion off a pass from Penny Hardaway to put the Knicks
back where they had been most of the night -- playing from behind.
John Wallace scored the next five points and had a chance for
more as he grabbed an offensive rebound under the basket, but as he
went up to shoot Hardaway poked the ball free, leading to a baby
hook by Longley at the other end for a nine-point lead.
After that, the Suns couldn't score.
"We didn't execute as well as we had in the win streak,"
Gugliotta said. "We made a lot of turnovers in crucial situations.
We were making sloppy plays all night, and it affected us late in
the game when we didn't correct it."
Game notes
A fan selected to shoot a halfcourt shot for $77,777
attempted it from his knees with his back facing the basket,
throwing the ball backwards over his head. The ball hit the top of
the backboard. ... The Knicks began a stretch of three straight
games on national television. The play Philadelphia on Sunday and
Miami on Monday. ... New York is 8-1 at home against Western
Conference teams, the only loss coming to Denver on Dec. 5. ...
Phoenix is 19-5 against teams from the East.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
New York Clubhouse
RECAPS
Minnesota 107
Toronto 85
Miami 87
Cleveland 82
Detroit 131
Golden State 99
Philadelphia 97
Milwaukee 83
New York 84
Phoenix 79
San Antonio 91
Chicago 78
Utah 96
Orlando 88
Atlanta 95
Seattle 87
LA Lakers 109
Boston 96
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