Wade asks for sole custody of his 2 sons
March 31, 2010
MIAMI (AP)—Dwyane Wade(notes) has asked a court to grant him sole custody of histwo young sons, adding to an already venomous and drawn-out divorce proceedingbetween the Miami Heat guard and his estranged wife.
In addition, Wade has asked that his wife be ordered to undergo apsychological examination.
Documents obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press show Wade alleges hiswife Siohvaughn cannot “be considered a fit and proper person” to raise theirchildren. In more than 300 pages of filings, the All-Star says his wifeexhibited threatening behavior, had extramarital affairs, uses abusive parentingmethods and is unwilling to let the 2006 NBA finals MVP see his children.
The couple has two boys, ages 8 and 2.
“For more than two years, I have tried to make peace with Siohvaughnconcerning our divorce and custody of our kids,” Wade said in a statementreleased to The AP. “I no longer believe that’s possible. Siohvaughn hasconsistently attempted to interrupt or prevent me from having visitation timewith our boys.”
Siohvaughn Wade’s behavior “has made it evident that she is unstable,dishonest, unbalanced, unwilling to accept responsibility for her actions, notof good character, and therefore, unfit to be a custodial parent,” according tothe petition.
Siohvaughn Wade’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request forcomment.
The papers are scheduled to be introduced in court on Friday.
Dwyane Wade said the custody fight and desire to be around his sons couldkeep him from participating with the U.S. men’s national team in this summer’sworld championships.
“Perhaps there’ll be a scenario that would allow him to participate,” saidWade’s agent, Henry Thomas. “But this is something very important to him and itcould prevent him from being able to participate. … We don’t know how longthis particular matter is going to go on. We simply don’t know.”
The couple separated in August 2007. An often-nasty divorce battle hasfollowed, with a trial now scheduled to begin June 7.
Wade is already suing his wife for defamation after she alleged last yearthat he gave her a sexually transmitted disease, a claim that was eventuallywithdrawn.
“They put us in a position and they put Dwyane in a position that he has noalternative,” said attorney James Pritikin. “If he really wants to make surethat his children grow up in a healthy environment, he’s got to be the custodialparent for these children. He’s the only one that can give them emotionalstability and place their safety and health above all else.”
Dwyane Wade is involved with a number of legal fights outside of the divorceand custody battle.
Earlier this week, a federal judge dismissed a $90 million lawsuit claimingthat Wade violated antitrust laws in a failed restaurant venture. Wade stillfaces a breach of contract lawsuit stemming from the restaurant venture, plus issuing a former business partner for defamation.
It has not seemed to adversely affect his play.
Wade won last season’s NBA scoring title, and ranks among league leadersthis season in points, assists and steals.
“Dwyane has always been able to do a great job of compartmentalizing hislife,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “The basketball court has been hissanctuary, where he’s able to concentrate and focus on just the game. Everything else in his life, amazingly, doesn’t get in the way or clutter his mind orhis focus.”
High school sweethearts whose romance continued to college at Marquette andultimately to marriage, Dwyane and Siohvaughn Wade have not gotten along inyears.
In January 2009, Siohvaughn Wade claimed, among other things, that herhusband abandoned his children, that they were frightened to be around him, thathe was “guilty of extreme and repeated mental cruelty” toward his wife.
Dwyane Wade has denied each charge.
“I’m sorry to say that many of the things she has done during our marriageand throughout this divorce have convinced me that it is not in our children’sbest interest that she have custody,” Wade said in his statement to The AP.“As a result, I have decided to fight for custody of our children.”
The documents obtained by The AP include police reports from when SiohvaughnWade called authorities to the couple’s home in a Miami suburb on Christmas Eve2008 as Dwyane Wade arrived there to see his children.
They also include claims made by Andrea Williams, a former friend of thecouple, that Siohvaughn Wade paid for trips to Las Vegas and other places,bought a man she was romantically involved with as far back as 2004 a car and amotorcycle, threatened to find a gun and shoot her husband, and voluntarilyentered an Illinois hospital to deal with anger-related issues.
“I feel our children’s health and safety are at stake,” Dwyane Wade said.“Our two children are my top priority.”
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NBA giving fans vote in MVP race
March 31, 2010
NEW YORK (AP)—The NBA is giving fans a say in the MVP race.
The league announced Wednesday that fans can make their pick for theleague’s Most Valuable Player, with the combined fans’ choice counting for onevote on the official ballot.
Starting Thursday through April 15, fans can go to www.NBA.com/KiaMVPFanVoteand rank their top five choices. The other 124 votes will come from a panel ofsports writers and broadcasters.
The MVP award, presented by Kia Motors, will be given after the season.Cleveland’s LeBron James(notes) is the reigning MVP and leading candidate to winanother.
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Injured Cavs F Varejao to sit out again
March 31, 2010
CLEVELAND (AP)—Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao(notes) will miss his secondstraight game with a sore left hamstring.
Varejao, Cleveland’s super sub and a leading candidate for the NBA’s sixthman award, did not participate in Wednesday morning’s shootaround before theCavs host the Milwaukee Bucks.
He left Friday’s game at San Antonio in the second half because of sorenessin his leg. He sat out Cleveland’s win on Sunday over Sacramento.
With the playoffs just three weeks away, the Cavs, who are closing in onclinching the league’s best record, don’t want to risk Varejao further injuringhis leg.
Varejao is averaging 8.7 points and 7.8 rebounds.
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Jennings helps Bucks clinch .500 finish
March 31, 2010
MILWAUKEE (AP)—Andrew Bogut(notes) believes the Milwaukee Bucks have just startedseeing the rough play that marks the end of the season and the beginning of theplayoffs.
If so, rookie Brandon Jennings(notes) appears to be ready to step into anysituation.
Jennings scored 17 points and went the extra distance to protect Bogut,leading Milwaukee past the Los Angeles Clippers 107-89 on Tuesday night tosecure a .500 record for the Bucks for the first time in six years.
“There’s a time and place for that,” Bogut said of Jennings’ swagger andactions. “Tonight was one of them.”
It was a tension-filled scene late in the third quarter that had its momentsof humor, too. After a pair of hard picks between Clippers guard Steve Blake(notes) andBogut, the two stood toe-to-toe near center court jawing.
While Bogut had a huge height and weight advantage on Blake, Jennings rushedin and received a technical for escalating the situation.
“I’m going to protect my teammate,” said Jennings, who got into the faceof Boston center Glen Davis(notes) earlier this month after the 6-foot-1 point guardwas fouled hard. “Don’t run up on my big man like that, I had to tell (Blake),‘chill out’ and make sure everything was all right.”
Bogut appreciated the gesture with a smile.
“That’s the way he is,” the former No. 1 pick said. “He’s a guy with achip on his shoulder, too, and I stick up for him, he sticks up for me and Ithink we have a team that’s pretty good with that.”
It’ll be more of the same once the postseason begins in the EasternConference. The Bucks are sitting in fifth place with nine games left and theirmagic number to clinch a postseason berth is three over Chicago.
“Once the playoffs come and there’s little skirmishes and scuffles, it’snot one guy on the court, it’s five guys and we need to understand that’s whatwe need to do in the playoffs to even be competitive in a series,” Bogut said.
These Bucks won’t be pushed around by anyone, turning into just the type ofscrappy, hard-scrabble group that coach Scott Skiles envisioned when he tookover in 2008.
Jennings, who had six assists and five rebounds, was 14 the last timeMilwaukee (41-32) finished with a winning record.
“I’m happy about it because everybody said we couldn’t do it and everybodyprobably didn’t have us winning 40-something games this year, just to say weproved everybody wrong—just for right now—it’s pretty good,” he said.
Though the Clippers beat Milwaukee on March 17 in L.A., this one wasn’tclose despite double-doubles from Chris Kaman(notes) (17 points and 10 rebounds), DrewGooden(notes) (20 and 11) and DeAndre Jordan(notes) (11 and 13).
Milwaukee, which led by double digits most of the game, turned the pressureup late in the third quarter.
John Salmons(notes) found Bogut for a one-handed alley-oop slam and moments laterBogut swatted a layup by Eric Gordon(notes) to Jennings, who flipped a soft touch passdowncourt to Jerry Stackhouse(notes) for a dunk that gave Milwaukee a 77-61 lead.
Moments later, Bogut stripped Blake, who then ripped the ball away fromErsan Ilyasova(notes) for a layup. Bogut followed with a hard screen on Blake on theother end and both men squared off.
“There’s no need to talk about that. That play is over,” Blake said.“We’ll just leave that on the court.”
The teams congregated near center court and Jennings got in Blake’s face,but no punches were thrown. Blake and Bogut received double technical fouls andJennings got a technical of his own.
But it sparked Jennings, who got an outlet pass on a 2-on-1 break withStackhouse and froze the defender by faking a behind-the-back pass for a layupthat made it 81-66 and brought the crowd to its feet.
Milwaukee cruised from there for its 17th win in the last 21 games. Barringa complete collapse, the Bucks will finish only behind Cleveland this year inthe division after five straight years of finishing last in the Central.
“We were picked to finish last by every ‘so-called’ expert in the UnitedStates,” Bogut said. “That’s an accomplishment in itself. We’ve had asuccessful season to this point. There’s a lot of room for improvement, nodoubt.”
Notes: Ilyasova scored 20 points, Stackhouse had 16 and Charlie Bell(notes) 10 forthe Bucks. … Bucks F Carlos Delfino(notes) (jaw, neck pain) was inactive for thesecond straight game since Heat forward Udonis Haslem(notes) landed on the back ofDelfino’s head on Friday. Delfino hasn’t spoken to the media since the incidentand the coaching staff says he still has lingering headaches after workouts, buthaven’t labeled his injury as a concussion.
Rockets hand Wizards 16th straight loss
March 31, 2010
HOUSTON (AP)—Rookie Chase Budinger(notes) hit a go-ahead jump shot with 28 secondsremaining and made two free throws and the Houston Rockets escaped with a 98-94win over the struggling Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.
The win breaks a four-game skid for the Rockets and extends Washington’steam-record losing streak to 16 games.
In this matchup of banged-up and undermanned squads, it seemed for most ofthe game that neither team would pull away. The Rockets finally did, thanks toBudinger’s career-high 24-points, to win their first game since Kevin Martin(notes) hasbeen out of the lineup with a sore shoulder.
Budinger’s jumper made it 94-92 and he added the free throws after a missed3-point attempt by Earl Boykins(notes). Mike Miller(notes) cut the lead to two points with atip-in with five seconds left, but Kyle Lowry(notes) made two free throws to secure thewin.
Andray Blatche(notes) scored 31 points and had 10 rebounds to lead the Wizards andMiller added 14 points and 12 rebounds.
About the only bit of good news for the woeful Wizards is that they have onemore chance, on Wednesday at New Orleans, to avoid a winless March. Their lastvictory came on Feb. 28 against the New Jersey Nets, a team that’s won just 10games this season.
Houston trailed by five points with about four minutes left before LuisScola(notes) made two quick baskets to cut the lead to 89-88. Boykins was fouled on a3-point attempt, but made just one of the three shots to make it 90-88.
Budinger tied it moments later with a jump shot before two free throws fromBoykins put Washington back on top with almost two minutes remaining.
Lowry, who finished with 17 points, tied the game at 92-all, with his jumpshot seconds later.
It was tied at 80-all with 8 1/2 minutes remaining before Washington scored sixstraight points, with four from JaVale McGee(notes), to pull ahead 86-80.
Houston got 16 points from Scola and 14 points from Jermaine Taylor(notes). AaronBrooks(notes) added 11 points and had 11 assists for the Rockets.
Both teams have been hampered by missing and injured players this season.
Houston has been without star center Yao Ming(notes) all season and has recentlybeen missing Martin and Shane Battier(notes) as well as role players Jared Jeffries(notes) andDavid Andersen(notes) because of injuries. Martin, who missed his third straight, isthe team’s highest scorer, having averaged almost 22 points a game since beingtraded to Houston in the three-team deal that sent Tracy McGrady(notes) to the Knicks.
The Wizards are missing a similar number of players, led by star guardGilbert Arenas(notes), who is suspended for the season because of a gun charge thatrecently got him sentenced to 30 days in a halfway house and two years’probation. They’re also missing Josh Howard(notes), who has a torn ACL, Randy Foye(notes), outfor at least seven to 10 days with a wrist injury and Al Thornton(notes) who has a hipflexor.
The Rockets scored the first five points of the third quarter to tie it at53-all. The game was tied four times after that in the quarter before a jumpshot by Blatche gave Washington a 67-65 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The teams exchanged the lead several times in the first half, but theWizards outscored Houston 7-2 in the last 3 1/2 minutes of the second quarter tolead 53-48 at halftime.
Notes: Cartier Martin(notes), who was signed to a 10-day contract on Tuesday,didn’t score in six minutes for the Wizards. … The game was tied 19 times andthe lead changed 11 times.
Jennings leads Bucks past Clippers
March 31, 2010
MILWAUKEE (AP)—Rookie Brandon Jennings(notes) scored 17 points and went the extradistance to protect Bucks big man Andrew Bogut(notes), leading Milwaukee past the LosAngeles Clippers 107-89 on Tuesday night.
Bogut scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his second straight gamesince missing one with a sore back, and Jennings, who added six assists and fiverebounds, came to the 7-footer’s aid late in the third quarter when tensionsrose after a spat of rough play.
These Bucks won’t be pushed around by anyone, turning into just the type ofscrappy, hard-scrabble group that coach Scott Skiles envisioned when he tookover in 2008.
The Bucks are no longer losers, either. With the victory to finish thefive-game homestand, Milwaukee (41-32) will complete the season .500 or betterfor the first time in six years.
Though the Clippers beat Milwaukee on March 17 in L.A., this one wasn’tclose despite double-doubles from Chris Kaman(notes) (17 points and 10 rebounds) andDrew Gooden(notes) (20 and 11).
Ersan Ilyasova(notes) scored 20 points, Jerry Stackhouse(notes) had 16 and Charlie Bell(notes) 10for the Bucks.
Milwaukee, which led by double digits most of the game, turned the pressureup late in the third quarter.
John Salmons(notes) found Bogut for a one-handed alley-oop slam and moments laterBogut swatted a layup by Eric Gordon(notes) to Jennings, who flipped a soft touch passdowncourt to Stackhouse for a dunk that gave Milwaukee a 77-61 lead.
Moments later, Bogut stripped Clippers point guard Steve Blake(notes), who thenripped the ball away from Ilyasova for a layup. Bogut followed with a hardscreen on Blake on the other end and both men squared off as Blake gave up 7inches and 88 pounds.
The teams congregated near center court and Jennings got in Blake’s face,but no punches were thrown. Blake and Bogut received double technical fouls,while Jennings received a technical for escalating the situation.
That sparked the Bucks’ point guard, who got an outlet pass on a 2-on-1break with Stackhouse and froze the defender by faking a behind-the-back passfor a layup that made it 81-66 and brought the crowd to its feet.
Bogut has never had a winning record since being selected No. 1 overall in2005 despite having one postseason trip his rookie year, and Milwaukee lookedheaded for another losing mark this season at 18-25 in January.
These Bucks rallied with the signing of Stackhouse and the trade deadlinedeal for Salmons from Chicago for two expiring contracts.
With Salmons, Milwaukee is 17-4 and barring a complete collapse, the Buckswill finish only behind Cleveland this year in the division after five straightyears of finishing last in the Central.
Notes: Bucks F Carlos Delfino(notes) (jaw, neck pain) was inactive for the secondstraight game since Heat forward Udonis Haslem(notes) landed on the back of Delfino’shead on Friday. Delfino hasn’t spoken to the media since the incident and thecoaching staff says he still has lingering headaches after workouts, but haven’tlabeled his injury as a concussion. … Traden Ridnour, the son of Bucks’ PGLuke Ridnour(notes), won the baby race. Ridnour gave a fist pump to his wife and sonafter the first-half timeout.
Thunder cruise by 76ers to sweep series
March 31, 2010
PHILADELPHIA (AP)—For three quarters, Kevin Durant(notes) put on quite a show forabout 50 friends and family members who made the short trip up I-95 from hishometown of Washington, D.C.
There was no need to play for most of the fourth while his teammates wereadding to a big lead.
Durant had 26 points and 10 rebounds, Jeff Green(notes) added 16 points and theOklahoma City Thunder cruised to a 111-93 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers onTuesday.
“It’s big to see fans with the Oklahoma City jerseys on,” Durant said. “Idon’t care if it’s my jersey. I care about Oklahoma City jerseys. I know a lotof the jerseys were for me because I had a lot of family here. It was extraspecial to get a win here.”
Nenad Krstic(notes) added 14 points and Russell Westbrook(notes) had 10 points and 14assists for the Thunder (45-28), who swept the season series from Philadelphiafor the first time since 1998-99.
“We start every game with the same approach, to have a serious competitiveeffort no matter who we’re playing,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.
James Harden(notes) had 12 points and Serge Ibaka(notes) 10 for Oklahoma City, which isnearing its first playoff appearance since 2004-05 as the Seattle SuperSonics.
Elton Brand(notes) scored 22 points, Andre Iguodala(notes) added 21 and Jrue Holiday(notes) had11 for the Sixers, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.
“We were close for a while, and then the beginning of the fourth quarter,they kind of exploded on us,” Brand said.
Philadelphia still has not won at least three in a row since a five-gamestreak between Jan. 31-Feb. 9.
“I think we missed some easy shots,” Holiday said. “They got intransition and got some momentum in the fourth and we didn’t recover.”
Marreese Speights(notes) and Rodney Carney(notes) added 10 points each.
As usual, Durant provided the big plays for the Thunder.
Durant, the league’s second-leading scorer (29.6) behind only LeBron James’(notes)29.8, sparked the Thunder with six points in the final 2:07 of the thirdquarter. After the Sixers got within 77-70, Durant drove by three Philadelphiadefenders and threw down a one-handed dunk.
Durant, who has 22 double-doubles this season, then added a tough runner inthe lane and two free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining.
Oklahoma City also received balanced scoring and extended its lead early inthe fourth.
The Thunder went on a 17-4 run to open the quarter with reserves scoring allthe points. Eric Maynor(notes) had six and Harden five as the Thunder increased theirlead to 101-78 with 5:55 left.
“Our bench did a great job, especially in the fourth quarter,” Brookssaid. “Eric Maynor set the tone with a big 3-point shot.”
Oklahoma City shot 41 percent from the field, but committed only fourturnovers in the first half. As a result, the Thunder held a 56-45 advantage athalftime.
Notes: The Sixers played without guard Lou Williams (sore lower back) andforward Thaddeus Young(notes) (right thumb fracture). Philadelphia University men’sbasketball coach Herb Magee was honored at halftime. Magee recently earned his903rd career victory, passing Bobby Knight for the most wins in NCAA history.There was about a 10-minute delay before the start of the fourth quarter becauseof a loose wire on the shot clock above one of the baskets.
Granger lifts Pacers, home streak hits 8
March 31, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Danny Granger(notes) scored 25 of his 33 points in the second half,leading the Indiana Pacers to a 102-95 victory over the Sacramento Kings onTuesday night for their eighth straight home win.
Troy Murphy(notes) added 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Roy Hibbert(notes) and Earl Watson(notes)each scored 10 for the Pacers, who have won six of seven to improve to 28-47.They had their five-game winning streak snapped at Atlanta on Sunday.
Jason Thompson(notes) and Beno Udrih(notes) each had 18 points, and Carl Landry(notes) finishedwith 17 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento (24-51), which has lost fivestraight. Rookie of the Year candidate Tyreke Evans(notes), who missed the previousfive games due to a concussion, had 17 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds andfour steals.
The Pacers pushed a three-point lead to 77-70 on Granger’s two baskets tobegin the fourth quarter. Sacramento cut the deficit back to three, butconsecutive 3-pointers by Granger and Murphy extended the advantage to 85-76.Following a Kings basket, Indiana scored the next seven points to go ahead 92-78with 6 minutes left.
The Kings controlled most of the first half, taking their biggest lead at50-35 on Landry’s basket in the second quarter. Indiana cut the deficit to sevenon Solomon Jones’(notes) two free throws late in the period, but Spencer Hawes’(notes) jumpergave Sacramento a 56-47 advantage at the break.
The Pacers began the third quarter with an 11-2 run to tie the score at58-all. Granger’s 3-pointer extended the lead to nine later in the period, butthe Kings got within 73-70 on Landry’s free throw.
^Notes: Pacers G T.J. Ford(notes) (left groin) and F Tyler Hansbrough(notes) (earinfection) did not play. … University of Texas men’s basketball coach RickBarnes sat courtside. … Landry, a former Purdue player, has been impressedwith Butler’s run in the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs face Michigan State inthe national semifinals Saturday at nearby Lucas Oil Stadium. “I think it’sgood for the state and definitely for the city of Indianapolis,” he said.Landry, who played against both schools while at Purdue, expects a close gamethis weekend. “It will be a grind-it-out, probably one or two-possession gameat the end,” he said. “I’m going with Michigan State. They always have a goodyear, they have a great coach.”
Suns win eighth straight, make playoffs
March 30, 2010
CHICAGO (AP)—Steve Nash(notes) was at his darting best in the final two minutes,paving the way for the Phoenix Suns’ eight straight victory on a night theyclinched a playoff spot.
In a 111-105 victory over Chicago, Nash had the Bulls guessing: will heshoot, drive, dump it inside or kick it back out? And with Chicago’s KirkHinrich(notes) sidelined in the second half with a sprained ankle, Nash had room towork.
In a frantic final stretch, Nash drove to the lane and turned around for ajumper. Seconds later, he maneuvered his way back to the basket and used hisfamiliar scoop shot to score and start a three-point play.
He found Channing Frye(notes) for a clutch tiebreaking 3-pointer with 41.6 secondsleft, passed to Grant Hill(notes) for a dunk and then hit two free throws to finish offhis 22-point, 10-assist night.
All from a guy who had been nursing a sore back and the sniffles.
“If I’m honest, I was taking so many meds for my back and cold that Iactually felt a little loopy for most of the game,” Nash said. “It helped myback but I was a little dizzy out there. At the end of the game I just tried tohang in there. We had a chance to win and I was fortunate to make some playswhen it counted.”
Jason Richardson(notes) led the Suns with 27 points and Amare Stoudemire had 21points—13 in the first quarter—and 11 rebounds. The Suns are currently infourth in the West.
“If you look at all the teams in the West, we’ve had a great run and wehaven’t moved anywhere basically,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said.
The 6-foot-11 Frye connected on three 3-pointers.
“We were able to space the floor and get some opportunities in the paintand make some plays,” Nash said.
“We put him out there or a reason, to stretch the floor. They double-teamedme and collapsed on Amare on the pick and roll and he came up to the top wideopen,” Nash added. “That’s a good shot for all of us.”
Flip Murray(notes) and Derrick Rose(notes), who kept Chicago close down the stretch with10 points in the final period, had 23 points each. The Bulls are 1 1/2 games behindToronto for the eighth playoff spot in East.
“They hit big shots and made big plays and there was nothing we could doabout it,” Rose said. “We’re still trying to make a push for the playoffs.”
After Hill’s dunk 23.2 seconds remaining restored Phoenix’s lead to three,Rose missed a long 3-pointer when he had to double clutch. Nash then sank a pairof free throws with 13 seconds to go.
“I felt like I should take it,” Rose said. “I had to adjust. In thefuture when that play comes around again, I’ll know what to do.”
Stoudemire dunked on the break over James Johnson(notes), was fouled and convertedthe three-point play to highlight a late 10-0 first-quarter run by the Suns thatopened up a quick 12-point lead.
The Suns’ lead didn’t last long as Jannero Pargo(notes) hit a pair of 3-pointersand Murray another in a 13-2 Chicago run that tied the game early in thesecond.
Notes: The Suns’ last eight-game winning streak came from Nov. 9-23, 2007.… Hinrich sprained his left ankle in the second quarter. He tested it duringwarmups for the second half and then did not return … Joakim Noah(notes) was assesseda technical foul after the first half. He said he was asking officials atmidcourt why teammate Chris Richard(notes) had been called for a flagrant foul late inthe half. … Entering the game, Stoudemire had averaged 27.6 points in the 20games since the All-Star break. … Murray brought the crowd to its feet byswishing a midcourt hook shot at the end of the third quarter, but the shot cameafter the horn. The call was upheld by video review. … The Suns are 17-4 sincethe All-Star break.
Suns hold off Bulls, clinch playoff spot
March 30, 2010
CHICAGO (AP)—Jason Richardson(notes) scored 27 points and Channing Frye(notes) hit a clutch3-pointer with 41.6 seconds to go Tuesday night and the Phoenix Suns clinched aplayoff berth by beating the Chicago Bulls 111-105 for their eighth straightwin.
Steve Nash(notes) scored seven of his 22 points in the final two minutes and had 10assists. Amare Stoudemire added 21 points for the Suns, 13 in the first quarter.
Flip Murray(notes) and Derrick Rose(notes), who kept Chicago close down the stretch with10 points in the final period, had 23 points each. The Bulls are 1 1/2 games behindToronto for the eighth playoff spot in East.
Richardson’s 3-pointer with three minutes left gave Phoenix a one-pointlead, but Rose drove in for a short shot and put Chicago back ahead 12 secondslater.
Nash’s turnaround jumper put the Suns up before Rose answered with two freethrows to make it 101-100 Chicago with 1:36 to go.
Nash then drove the lane for a layup with 1:14 to go, was fouled and sankthe free throws to give Phoenix a 103-101 lead. But Rose hit two more from theline with 59.8 seconds remaining for a tie.
Frye then hit a high-arching 3 from the top of the key with 41.6 seconds togo for a 106-103 lead, but Rose drove in for another basket to get the Bullswithin one.
Nash then made a nice pass to Grant Hill(notes) for a dunk with 23.2 secondsremaining to restore Phoenix’s lead to three. After Rose missed a long3-pointer, Nash sank a pair of free throws with 13 seconds to go.
Stoudemire dunked on the break over James Johnson(notes), was fouled and convertedthe three-point play to highlight a late 10-0 first-quarter run by the Suns thatopened up a quick 12-point lead.
The Suns’ lead didn’t last long as Jannero Pargo(notes) hit a pair of 3-pointersand Murray another in a 13-2 Chicago run that tied the game early in thesecond.
Notes: The Suns’ last eight-game winning streak came from Nov. 9-23, 2007.… Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich(notes) sprained his left ankle in the second quarter. Hetested it during warmups for the second half and then did not return … JoakimNoah(notes) was assessed a technical foul after the first half ended for complaining toofficials about a call while standing at midcourt. … Entering the game,Stoudemire had averaged 27.6 points in the 20 games since the All-Star break.… Murray brought the crowd to its feet by swishing a midcourt hook shot at theend of the third quarter, but the shot came after the horn. The call was upheldby video review. … The Suns are 17-4 since the All-Star break.
