Kidd Triple-Doubles By Dallas

February 23, 1999 / 12:52 AM EST / CBS/AP

A cold and flu couldn't stop Jason Kidd from getting another triple-double.

Kidd had 17 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds Monday night for his third triple-double in five games to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 101-83 victory over the road-weary Dallas Mavericks.

"He's just an unbelievable player," the Suns' Rex Chapman said. "A lot of guys wouldn't even suit up. You've got to have a real passion to play the game, to not only go out there and play but get a triple-double. There aren't too many of those players."

Kidd had his 23rd career triple-double. He left the game for good right after his 10th rebound with 4:20 to play gave Phoenix a 89-72 lead. His bigger teammates boxed out for him so he could get that 10th rebound.

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"The ball has to bounce my way. That last rebound, I wasn't going to jump for it," Kidd said. "It came to me, fortunately. D (Danny) Manning and Cliff (Robinson), they'll box out for me when they know I'm close, and they don't have to do that."

Kidd said he never thought about not playing.

"I thought I'd give it a try, give it a whirl," he said in the locker room, draped in white towels. "My chest was on fire. Rex said he outran me with the ball so he knew something was wrong. He knew that I was struggling. But I'm going to try to help my teammates as much as possible, and tonight they really helped me."

Kidd has not been named to the U.S. Olympic team, but Suns' coach Danny Ainge thinks his point guard would be a perfect fit.

"I can't think of anybody who's more fun to coach than Jason Kidd," Ainge said. "You could put the Reggie Millers, and the Glen Rices and the Steve Smiths, the incredible shooters like that around him. I'd like to see anybody in international basketball keep up with that team. Jason definitely belongs on that team.">

Chapman, shooting just 26 percent from the field entering the game, was 7-for-12 for 18 points for the Suns, who beat Dallas for the seventh consecutive time. Danny Manning scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter for Phoenix.

Cedric Ceballos scored 21 and Michael Finley 17 for the Mavericks, who were playing their seventh road game in 11 days, the longest trip in franchise history.

Dallas trailed by 18 in the second quarter, cut it to four early in the third, then fell behind by 19 in the fourth.

Kidd wasn't the only one feeling ill. Dallas point guard Steve Nash had the flu and eventually left the game with a sinus headache. He had one point and four assists in 23 minutes.

"We burned ourselves out trying to get back into the game," Dallas coach Don Nelson said. "Nash had the flu, so he couldn't do very much. You know, it was one of those games where I don't think anybody played well."

The Suns, who hadn't led after one quarter in their previous seven games, shot out to a 12-2 lead and were up 23-15 at the end of the period.

Dallas, which finished the road trip 1-6, made just three of its first 17 field goals and shot 28 percent in the first quarter.

Rookie Pat Garrity scored four during an 11-0 run that gave the Suns a 38-20 with 6:45 left in the half. But the Mavericks outscored Phoenix 14-6 over the last 4@1/2 minutes of the half and cut the lead to 49-41 at the break.

Dallas scored the first four points of the third quarter, but the Suns went on a 14-5 run, punctuated by Kidd's spectacular one-handed slap pass on a rebound to Luc Longley for a dunk to put Phoenix up 63-50 with 5:21 left in the third.

Manning scored eight during a 10-4 spurt to start the fourth quarter to boost the Suns' lead to 81-65.

Notes: Kidd is second to Grant Hill among active players in triple-doubles. Hill has 28. ... Nine of Kidd's triple-doubles have come since he was traded to the Suns by Dallas in December 1996. Three of them have been against the Mavs. ... The Suns own Dallas' No. 1 pick in the draft as part of the trade that sent Nash to the Mavs... Five former Suns play for Dallas. ...Phoenix is 3-3 at home, 3-1 on the road.