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Friday, Jan. 21 9:00pm ET
Gugliotta back in fine form against Nuggets | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
DENVER (AP) -- Jason Kidd and Cliff Robinson were brilliant down the stretch in the Phoenix Suns' 101-99 win over the Denver Nuggets. But the wide grins and back-slapping were reserved for Tom Gugliotta. Gugliotta had 21 points and 15 rebounds Friday night in his best game since suffering a seizure in mid-December. Gugliotta, the Suns' leading scorer last season, had averaged only 9.4 points in the previous seven games following his return from the scary episode. "He's looked a lot better in the last two or three days, not as pale," Suns coach Scott Skiles said. "That was a very good all-around game by him. It's encouraging to see." Gugliotta said it was "the first time I've felt good through a whole 48-minute game. If I can make it through this game, playing the minutes I played (39), I think I am about there. I'll have a better idea after (Saturday) night's game. I'll have to see how I respond to a back-to-back game." Kidd said Gugliotta "played well tonight. I think he is just starting to get back into playing shape. You have to remember, this is a guy who almost died. We knew it was going to take some time." Kidd scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, and Robinson also had 24 points as Phoenix handed the Nuggets their sixth straight loss. Kidd added 12 assists. Denver was led by Antonio McDyess with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Raef LaFrentz scored 22. The well-rested Suns, who hadn't played since beating the Nuggets 113-100 in Phoenix on Sunday, led 93-86 with 4:05 left after Robinson's 3-pointer and Kidd's layup. Denver's Bryant Stith countered with a 3-point basket and a layup, cutting the deficit to 93-91. After a second critical offensive foul against McDyess, Kidd bowled over Nick Van Exel on a drive to the baseline and hit a 15-footer with 57 seconds to go. After one free throw by McDyess, Robinson hit a 17-footer from the corner for a 97-92 lead with 28 seconds left. "He didn't make 50," said Kidd, referring to Robinson's 50-point effort last Sunday, "but he made the shots when they counted." LaFrentz had a 3-pointer and George McCloud three free throws, but Kidd was 4-for-4 from the line in the last 17 seconds. The Suns hit 21 of 22 free throws. "I thought our play down the stretch was better than it has been," Denver coach Dan Issel said. "Where we really had problems was at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. We didn't do any executing. We stood around and took jump shots. That is when we basically lost the game. "Down the stretch, we couldn't get a break. It was a tough loss, but you make your own luck. We aren't that far away." Robinson had nine points in the first quarter, helping fuel a 12-1 run that gave the Suns a 21-12 lead. Denver committed nine turnovers compared to Phoenix's two, but the Nuggets managed to trim the deficit to 27-21 at the end of the quarter. LaFrentz then scored 14 points in the second quarter, including 12 in a row, and the Nuggets' 21-7 flurry produced a 42-34 lead. Phoenix answered with its own 11-2 spurt, capped by Kidd's layup, for a 45-44 lead with 3:22 left in the half. But 3-pointers by McCloud and Van Exel helped give Denver a 57-53 lead at intermission. Gugliotta had eight points and six rebounds in the third quarter, when the Suns tightened their defense and used a 10-0 run to help forge an 80-75 lead entering the final period. Game notesDenver's six-game losing streak is its longest since concluding last season with seven straight losses. ... The Nuggets have lost nine of their last 11 games and three in a row at home. ... Phoenix now has won five of the last six meetings in Denver. ... Entering the game, the Suns had shot just 66 percent from the line (116 for 175) over their previous nine games. Their 95.5 percent shooting matched a season high set on Nov. 13 in Minnesota. ... The Nuggets were outrebounded (44-38) for the seventh consecutive game. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Phoenix Clubhouse Denver Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 111 Seattle 86
Phoenix 101
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