NBA

Regular Season Round 64: Phoenix Suns - Minnesota T. 104-95

Date: March 1, 2012
Grant Hill scored 15 of his season-high 20 points in the second half and the Phoenix Suns pulled away to beat the weary Minnesota Timberwolves 104-95 on Thursday night. Six players reached double figures for the Suns in their first game since the All-Star break. Steve Nash had 13 points and matched his season high with 17 assists. Marcin Gortat scored 17 for Phoenix in its ninth straight victory over the Timberwolves. Kevin Love, who sat out the Timberwolves' 104-85 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles on Wednesday night because of flulike symptoms, scored 23 on 8-of-25 shooting. Luke Ridnour scored 15 for the Timberwolves, who were playing for the third time in as many nights. Minnesota was without Jose Barea, who strained his right calf against the Lakers. All five starters reached double figures for the Timberwolves, who shot 50 percent (21 of 42) in the first half but 29 percent (13 of 44) in the second. Love was 3 of 13 in the second half, 1 of 6 in the fourth quarter. Minnesota made 1 of 13 3-pointers. The Suns shot 53 percent. The 39-year-old Hill, the league's second-oldest player by one day behind Kurt Thomas, made four of five shots in a 10-point third quarter to lead the Suns' comeback. Shannon Brown scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half for Phoenix. Channing Frye added 14 points and Jared Dudley 12. The Timberwolves took the lead late in the first half and stayed ahead until a 13-2 run by the Suns late in the third quarter. Love's 3-pointer, the first by either team and the only one of the game for the Timberwolves, put Minnesota ahead 70-64 with 5:06 to play in the quarter. Frye's 3 ignited the 13-3 Suns' surge. Nikola Pekovic's rebound basket made it 72-67, then Phoenix scored the next 10. Gortat blocked Derrick Williams' shot, and Brown's emphatic breakaway dunk put the Suns ahead for good 73-72 with 2:02 left in the third. Dudley's 16-footer and a layup by Markieff Morris gave Phoenix a 77-72 lead before a pair of free throws by Ridnour made 77-74 entering the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves cut the lead to two twice, the last time at 81-79 when Williams made one of two free throws with 9:01 to play. The Suns followed with a 9-0 run. Hill's three-point play on a layup after a Minnesota turnover gave Phoenix a 90-79 lead with 6:31 left. Ricky Rubio's two free throws made it 93-87 with 3:48 to go. But Nash made a 3-pointer, then Gortat's layup put the Suns ahead 98-87 with 2:56 to go and the Timberwolves never got closer than seven again. With Love on the bench, Minnesota broke a 31-31 tie with a 13-3 run to go up 44-34 on two free throws by Pekovic with 3:44 left in the first half. The Suns cut that lead in half to trail 51-46 at the break. *Courtesy of www.newsobserver.com
  MINNESOTA T. (coach: Chris Finch)95
  FIELD GOALS REBOUNDS   FOULS   BLOCKS  
#   NAME MIN 2PM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF RB AS F RV ST FV AG TO PT RNK +/-
64 eadjIuQ, vuVR 34 0-2 (18.0%) 5-6 (5%) 0-0 (655%) 6 6 8 2 4 5 4 5 5 6 60 85 5
38 vILR, KRLaj 35 9-85 (40%) 6-0 (85%) 1-1 (655%) 3 1 65 4 0 5 6 5 5 3 84 66 5
63 ORVILaZ, XaVIli 49 1-68 (05%) 5-5 (5%) 8-8 (655%) 1 4 7 5 4 5 5 6 5 8 63 64 5
7 euMaI, eaZVF 46 4-0 (15%) 5-8 (5%) 9-9 (655%) 6 6 8 8 8 5 8 5 5 6 64 68 5
3 zIhjsIj, WRslRF 82 1-66 (03.0%) 5-6 (5%) 5-5 (5%) 6 3 0 6 6 5 8 8 5 6 68 63 5
0 WRMsURQ, biQURll 84 4-1 (05%) 5-5 (5%) 4-3 (90%) 6 8 4 5 8 5 6 5 5 5 7 9 5
9 WallaiBs, gRQQaZV 67 8-2 (80%) 5-8 (5%) 8-1 (44.4%) 8 6 4 5 6 5 4 6 5 8 1 -8 5
2 mRislRF, baZhiRl 67 6-4 (44.4%) 5-8 (5%) 6-8 (05%) 5 4 4 5 4 5 5 8 5 5 4 5 5
88 qllajDUIj, WiFjR  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
60 eijdIlph, SjUhIjF  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
33 wIllaLRQ, SjUhIjF  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
46 balaZaZ, giQVI  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
08 ballRQ, mQid  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
wIUil   44-94 (30.8%) 6-64 (9.9%) 81-48 (26.4%) 61 86 49 63 85 5 68 1 5 66 70 90  


  PHOENIX SUNS (coach: Jordan Ott)104
  FIELD GOALS REBOUNDS   FOULS   BLOCKS  
#   NAME MIN 2PM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF RB AS F RV ST FV AG TO PT RNK +/-
44 Hall, GQijU 49 2-68 (11.9%) 5-5 (5%) 3-3 (655%) 8 4 0 8 8 5 5 6 5 6 85 86 5
3 GIQUiU, biQZaj 40 1-65 (15%) 5-5 (5%) 0-0 (655%) 4 4 1 5 8 5 6 8 5 6 69 67 5
64 Xish, AURLR 43 0-65 (05%) 6-4 (44.4%) 5-5 (5%) 5 2 2 69 4 5 6 5 5 0 64 83 5
4 gudlRF, ziQRd 43 1-65 (15%) 5-6 (5%) 5-5 (5%) 6 1 9 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 68 64 5
81 mQITj, AhijjIj 80 1-65 (15%) 5-6 (5%) 5-5 (5%) 5 4 4 6 6 5 5 5 5 6 68 7 5
2 yQFR, ChijjajD 84 4-9 (38.7%) 8-4 (11.9%) 8-8 (655%) 8 4 0 6 3 5 5 8 5 8 63 66 5
  bIQQas, biQVaRff 69 8-1 (44.4%) 5-5 (5%) 5-5 (5%) 5 6 6 6 0 5 8 5 5 6 3 -8 5
46 wRlfiaQ, ARMisUaij 63 8-4 (11.9%) 5-5 (5%) 6-3 (80%) 6 8 4 6 4 5 8 5 5 8 0 8 5
60 vIpRJ, eIMaj 64 5-6 (5%) 5-5 (5%) 3-3 (655%) 8 3 1 6 3 5 5 8 5 6 3 9 5
86 WiQQaZV, HiVaB 2 6-8 (05%) 5-5 (5%) 6-8 (05%) 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 4 5 5
  eRdd, baZhiRl  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
6 ChaldQRss, zIsh  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
8 OQaZR, eIjjaR  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
wIUil   47-96 (03.7%) 4-2 (49.0%) 69-86 (26.5%) 66 44 33 89 89 5 1 9 5 61 653 653  



Terms:
Field Goals :  2PM-A  (2 point Field Goal made-attempts)     3PM-A  (3 point Field Goal made-attempts)   FTM-A (free throws made-attempt)
Rebounds : OFF (Offensive)  DEF (Defensive)   TOT  (total)
Fouls : CM (Committed)  RV (received)
Blocks : FV (In Favor)  AG (Against)
Other terms : MIN (minutes)  AST (assists)  ST (steals)   TO (Turnovers)   PTS (points)  RNK (ranking)