NBA
Scores/Schedules
Standings
Statistics
Transactions
Injuries
Players
Message board
Weekly lineup

  Tuesday, Apr. 11 10:30pm ET
Suns maintain half-game edge over Spurs
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Phoenix Suns struggled for three quarters against the team Sports Illustrated called "the worst team in sports history" and then pulled out a key victory in the race for homecourt advantage.

Cliff Robinson scored 22 points and Todd Day got 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Suns dealt the Los Angeles Clippers their 13th consecutive defeat with a 95-88 victory Tuesday night.

Anfernee Hardaway
The Suns' Penny Hardaway, shooting over Maurice Taylor, scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter.

The Clippers have the NBA's worst record at 14-63. Phoenix coach Scott Skiles wasn't happy when asked if his team was guilty of looking ahead.

"If that's happening, then that's an immature, unprofessional attitude," Skiles said. "These games are huge. We've put too much time and effort positioning ourselves, to risk throwing one of these games away. They didn't force us into anything. We just didn't play hard at the start of the game."

The Suns never led by more than six until Hardaway scored seven points during a 17-2 run, turning a four-point deficit into an 86-74 lead with 4:22 left in the game.

The Clippers, who committed seven of their 18 turnovers in the final period, got as close as 92-88 on rookie Lamar Odom's layup with 32 seconds left. But Day made two free throws and Clippers guard Eric Piatkowski missed a running off-balance 17-footer in the final seconds.

"We always felt confident out there on the floor," Day said. "No matter what team is it, guys get it going in this league. And the longer you let them stick around, the more confidence they get. So we wanted to come out in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter and try to put them away."

The Sports Illustrated cover depicts three Clippers fans wearing paper bags over their heads -- with the words "Just shoot me," on one of the bags.

"It's true, that's all I can say," Phoenix forward and former Clipper Rodney Rogers said in regard to the magazine's slap. "You'd think that the man (owner Donald Sterling), after all this time, would try to make a change. But he really doesn't care. It's just an investment for him, really.

"I was there for four years and had to go through the same thing. So I just feel sorry for the guys who have to go through it now."

Odom had 26 points and a career-high 15 rebounds for the Clippers, whose losing streak matches their longest of the season. They have dropped 10 straight to the Suns and seven in a row to them at home. Derek Anderson scored 25 points for Los Angeles before back spasms forced him out of the game with 7:23 to play.

The Clippers have lost 41 of 45 games -- including a season-worst eight straight at home -- and are two losses away from tying the franchise record. They lost 65 games four times in 18 seasons.

Penny Hardaway added nine of his 17 points in the fourth and Shawn Marion had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who maintained their half-game edge over San Antonio for the fourth playoff seed in the Western Conference and homecourt advantage in the first round. They lead sixth-place Minnesota by two games.

With their 11th win in 15 contests, the Suns reached the 50-win plateau for the ninth time in 12 seasons and the 13th time in club history. Phoenix is .500 on the road for the first time since Nov. 30.

The Suns overcame a 13-point first-quarter deficit to lead 43-40 at halftime. Anderson's 12 points helped fuel a game-opening 22-9 run by the Clippers, while Phoenix missed 11 of its first 15 shots and committed six turnovers.

The Suns responded with an 11-2 spurt that narrowed the gap to four points, but they didn't take their first lead until Day's two free throws gave then a 37-35 advantage with 1:57 remained in the second quarter.

Game notes
The Clippers are 1-14 against the five teams remaining on their schedule _ Phoenix, Utah, Denver, Portland and Seattle. An 0-18 finish would leave the Clippers one game shy of their longest one-season skid. They lost 19 straight in 1981-82, and again in 1988-89. ... In addition to their 10-game losing streak against the Suns, the Clippers also have active double-digit droughts going against the Lakers (13), Seattle (11) and San Antonio (10), in addition to nine-game skids against Chicago and Cleveland. ... The Suns also committed 18 turnovers.

 


ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard

Phoenix Clubhouse

LA Clippers Clubhouse


RECAPS
San Antonio 98
Sacramento 92

Chicago 100
New Jersey 93

Dallas 92
Portland 81

Houston 103
Denver 93

Golden State 109
Vancouver 97

Phoenix 95
LA Clippers 88