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Sports / Basketball |
Nash helps stuttering Suns eclipse Cavs(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-05 17:18 PHOENIX - Steve Nash scored 30 points and had 10 assists to help the Phoenix Suns overcome a 12-point first-half deficit and record a 103-92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Nash, who was 12 of 19 from the floor, had 10 points in the third quarter as the Suns fought back to grab a 69-64 lead after trailing by 12 points in the first half. He added 12 more points in the fourth. "We're still trying to work to find a cohesion and a tempo so I try to be aggressive for these first few games and not be passive and watch us struggle," Nash told reporters. "I thought the second half tonight was a little better. It is going to be better when we make some shots." The win came without All-Star center Amare Stoudemire, who was out with knee problems. High-scoring LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 27 points, 21 coming in the second half. "I thought Grant (Hill) did a great job on LeBron James almost all night," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters. "Whatever you can do to slow him down and to not put him on the foul line, that helps." Shawn Marion contributed 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who bounced back from a 119-98 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden each had 22 points for Cleveland. Gooden pulled down 14 rebounds and Ilgauskas had 13. *Ray Allen scored 33 points, hitting a game-winning three-pointer in overtime, as the new-look Boston Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 98-95 on the road. Allen connected with 2.6 seconds remaining in the first overtime period after Toronto's T.J. Ford had tied the score at 95-95 on a three-pointer with four seconds to go. Celtics coach Doc Rivers missed the game because of the death of his father. *Chauncey Billups' free throw with 1.7 seconds left lifted the Detroit Pistons to a 92-91 home win over the Atlanta Hawks. Billups finished with 22 points and team mate Richard Hamilton had 21 as the unbeaten Pistons won their third in a row. *Kobe Bryant had 33 points and five team mates scored in double figures in the Los Angeles Lakers's 119-109 home win over the Utah Jazz. |
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