Stephon Marbury hit a three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to give the Phoenix Suns a stunning 96-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs in NBA playoff action on Saturday.
Marbury's shot from just outside the arc banked off the glass and into the basket to give the eighth-seeded Suns their fourth win in five games over the top-seeded Spurs this season.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Game Two in the best-of-seven series is today at San Antonio.
Amare Stoudemire's three-pointer -- only his third of the season -- with 8.4 seconds left in regulation enabled Phoenix to force the extra period.
San Antonio could have won in overtime with better free-throw shooting.
Tim Duncan missed two foul shots just before Marbury's winning basket and San Antonio missed six-of-eight foul shots in the overtime.
The Spurs shot just 63.4 percent (26-for-41) from the line, with Duncan going 3-for-8.
Marbury had 26 points to lead Phoenix.
Stoudemire and Shawn Marion both added 24.
Stephen Jackson scored 23 points to lead the Spurs, while David Robinson had 18 thanks to 8-for-8 shooting from the field.
Duncan added 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Mavericks 96, Trail Blazers 86
In Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki scored 46 points and hauled down 10 rebounds as the Mavericks opened the playoffs with a come-from-behind 96-86 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Mavericks trailed 52-42 at the half, but held Portland to just 12 points in the third quarter while scoring 28 to pull ahead for good.
Game Two in Dallas on Wednesday.
Michael Finley added 13 points for Dallas, while Steve Nash had 10 points and nine assists.
Rasheed Wallace scored 26 points for the Trail Blazers, while Damon Stoudamire had 16.
Bonzi Wells added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Nets 109, Bucks 96
In East Rutherford, Kenyon Martin had 21 points and 15 rebounds and Jason Kidd totally dominated Gary Payton in their match-up as the New Jersey Nets opened the playoffs with a convincing 109-96 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Kidd added 14 points, 14 assists and six rebounds for the Nets while holding his boyhood friend Payton scoreless until 4:10 to play in the fourth quarter.
Payton managed just eight points and 10 assists.
Game Two in the series is tomorrow in East Rutherford.
Seven Nets hit double-figures, with Kerry Kittles adding 18. Lucious Harris had 17 points for New Jersey, while Jason Collins had 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Tim Thomas led Milwaukee with 25 points, but 19 of them came in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach.
The Nets led by 20 at the half and by as many as 31 points in the fourth quarter.
Sam Cassell added 16 points for the Bucks, while Desmond Mason had 14 points and eight rebounds.
Celtics 103, Pacers 100
In Indianapolis, Paul Pierce scored 40 points, 21 of them in the final quarter, as the Boston Celtics rallied for a 103-100 win over the Indiana Pacers in the first game of their best-of-seven series.
Game Two is today in Indianapolis.
Pierce made all 21 of his free throws as Boston rallied from a 10-point deficit after three quarters, while also getting 11 rebounds and six assists.
Antoine Walker added 22 points and eight rebounds, while Eric Williams added 18.
Ron Artest scored 26 points to lead Indiana, while Jermaine O'Neal added 24 points and nine rebounds.
Kings 96, Jazz 90
In Sacramento, Chris Webber had 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Kings to a 96-90 win over the Utah Jazz in Game One of their opening round series. Game Two is today in Sacramento.
Peja Stojakovic added 16 points for the Kings, who held Utah to just eight points in the second quarter.
Jim Jackson had 15 points and Bobby Jackson had 13 points for Sacramento.
Karl Malone had 25 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Jazz. Greg Ostertag added 18 points.
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