Gug's Helps Suns Burn Clippers

It didn't take long for Tom Gugliotta to make an impact for the Phoenix Suns.

The 6-foot-10 forward, newly acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves, scored 24 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers 101-92 Friday in the season opener for both teams.

The Suns trailed 56-53 at halftime thanks in large part to the Clippers' halfcourt trap in the first half. But Phoenix then got its fast break working, using a 17-0 run in the first 5@1/2 minutes of the third quarter to take lead for good.

"In the second half, they made sure where I was on the court," said Gugliotta, who was 7-of-14 from the field and 10-of-13 from the foul line. "Guys fed off it and we got open and got some easy baskets."

The Clippers narrowed it to 84-75 with 9:24 to play, but got no closer before 7,689 at the Sports Arena.

"In the third quarter we stopped communicating," new Clippers coach Chris Ford said. "We didn't get back on transition. We got a little scattered offensively. We hung tough at the end but that 17-0 run, when you're playing a good team like that, is hard to overcome."

Every Phoenix starter scored in double figures. Jason Kidd had 18 points and 10 assists, while Cliff Robinson had 17 points for the Suns.

Luc Longley had 12 points and eight rebounds, and George McCloud, starting in place of the injured Rex Chapman, added 14 points and nine rebounds.

"When you've got Jason pushing the ball down your throat, it makes it tough to put a trap on," Robinson said. "He did a good job of finding the open guy and taking advantage of mismatches."

Eric Piatkowski scored 16 points to lead the Clippers. Rookie center Michael Olowokandi, who received a rousing cheer from the crowd when he entered the game in the first quarter, had 14 points and six rebounds in his debut, and Lamond Murray added had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

"Obviously our problem tonight wasn't so much offensive but defense," Olowokandi said. "We can't make excuses or anything, but the two weeks wasn't enough to get ready for a team like this."

The Suns trailed 56-53 at halftime but outscored the Clippers 17-0 in the first 5@1/2 minutes of the third quarter to take a 70-56 lead.

The Clippers went 0-for-6 from the field until Maurice Taylor's layup with 6:06 remaining in the period.

Phoenix stretched the lead to 74-58 after Kidd's fallaway jumper at 4:48. The Clippers got as close as 79-71 after Lorenzen Wright's layup and free throw with 1:20 left in the third but never got any closer.

Los Angeles trailed for much of the second quarter until Darrick Martin's 3-pointer gave the Clippers a 44-43 lead with 3:20 left in the first half. The Suns tied it 53-53, but Murray's 3-pointer from the halfcourt line at the buzzer gave the Clippers a 56-53 advantage.

"We played real good in the right stretches of the game, Gugliotta said. "Overall we need some work. Our defense wasn't real aggressive at times, but at the most important stretches of the game we caused turnovers and forced them to take some bad shots." ^Notes: Gugliotta left the game late in the fourth quarter after jamming his left ring finger on the basket. He said it was sore but "it'll be OK." ... Suns guard Rex Chapman did not play because of a strained right hamstring. ... Sherman Douglas, who signed a one-year deal with the Clippers on Thursday, played four minutes. He had two assists and missed two layups.

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