Suns Top Grizzlies With Late Run

March 29, 1998 / 8:18 PM EST / CBS/AP

In a game with plenty of twists and turns, the Phoenix Suns found a way to come out on top.

"This was a good win for us," coach Danny Ainge said Sunday after the Suns went on a 12-4 run late in the game and beat the Vancouver Grizzlies 106-98. "Vancouver is a team that is playing really well."

Cliff Robinson scored 20 points, Kevin Johnson came off the bench to contribute 15 points and 11 assists and Danny Manning broke a 94-94 tie with an 18-foot jumper with just over two minutes remaining.

"We did some things that kept them in the ballgame," Manning said. "Hopefully, next time out when we play a team that's not .500 we can put them away in a hurry."

Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 30 points and Blue Edwards for the Grizzlies, who have lost 15 straight road games since Jan. 23.

"I am at a loss for words," Grizzlies coach Brian Hill said. "I'm not putting the blame on my guys, but bottom line is we just have to get it done. When the game is on the line, we can't become tentative, and we have to understand what we are supposed to go."

There were 10 lead changes in the fourth quarter, and Phoenix did not take control until Johnson hit two free throws with 46.7 seconds remaining after Edwards missed a 3-point attempt,

Antonio McDyess hit two more free throws for a 104-98 advantage with 35 seconds left, and the Suns sealed the win when Robinson hit two foul shots with 18 seconds left.

"We turned the ball over in situations where we shouldn't have," Abdur-Rahim said. "We just put ourselves in a hole. It's kind of frustrating right now. It seems like every time we beat ourselves."

Steve Nash had 12 points in the first half, when both teams shot over 50 percent from the field and the Suns took a 54-52 lead.

The Suns went ahead 38-35 on a three-point play by Johnson with 5:59 left in the half and led until Edwards scored five straight points to give the Grizzlies a 50-49 lead with 1:09 to go.

Notes: Johnson reached 13,000 career points when he hit an 18-foot jumper with 4:28 remaining ... Vancouver center Bryant Reeves, coming off four consecutive games of scoring 30 or more points, had 15 points and four rebounds. In three games versus Phoenix, Reeves has averaged nine points and six rebounds ... Manning, a contender for the Sixth Man of the Year award, started his third straight game and seventh of the season ...Nash started for just the sixth time in 70 games and scored 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting.