Blazers Survive Suns Scare
Rasheed Wallace scored 20 points and Greg Anthony added 17 as the Portland Trail Blazers held off the Phoenix Suns 98-93 Saturday night.
The Suns, who lost all three games to the Blazers this season in a span of 10 days, had one final chance when Jim Jackson made just one of two free throws with 9.6 seconds left to give Portland a 96-93 lead.
Jason Kidd grabbed the inbounds pass and bobbled it, however, and could only launch a shot off the glass.
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Kidd had 25 points for the Suns, but only six after halftime. He also committed two costly turnovers in the last two minutes. Clifford Robinson added 17 points. Rookie Pat Garrity, making his first start in place of injured forward Tom Gugliotta, scored 16 points.
The Blazers improved to 26-6 overall and 16-1 at home, both NBA bests.
The Suns rallied from a nine-point deficit with 7:45 to play to take a one-point lead. Garrity hit a 3-pointer, and a 22-foot jumper by Robinson put the Suns ahead 87-86 with 2:19 to play. But Portland's Stacey Augmon hit a short jumper to put the Blazers back ahead 88-87 lead with 1:53 left.
After Kidd threw the ball away and the Blazers' Brian Grant made a free throw, Augmon intercepted another errant pass by Kidd, and Wallace's put-back made it 91-87 with 49.9 seconds left.
Walt Williams' fallaway jumper with 17.6 seconds left made it 93-88. The teams traded free throws, and Robinson's 3-pointer cut it to 95-93 with 10.7 seconds left.
Jackson was fouled immediately, and made just one of two from the line, setting up the Suns' last chance.
Gugliotta sat out the game with a hyperextended right knee.
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