Stephon Marbury hit consecutive 3-pointers in the final three minutes Friday to cap the largest comeback in Suns history and lead Phoenix to a 110-106 win over the Boston Celtics.
Phoenix's 29-point comeback eclipses its previous record of 27 points scored at Dallas on March 2, 1997.
PHOTO: AP
"We just came out and played with a totally different purpose," Marbury said. "We weren't just playing to win, but for pride."
PHOTO: AP
Marbury scored 21 of his 34 points in the second half after Boston took a 65-36 lead with the first basket of the third quarter.
Shawn Marion had 15 points with 10 rebounds and Joe Johnson, a former first-round draft pick for Boston, scored 17 coming off the bench for the second straight game. Phoenix snapped a three-game losing streak and won on the road for just the second time this season.
PHOTO: AP
"I've never been a part of a loss like this. This is a first for me," Celtics forward Vin Baker said. "It was difficult, being a part of it and not being able to stop the bleeding."
Baker had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who have lost four successive games.
Raptors 92, Hawks 87
In Toronto, Jalen Rose had 22 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and Vince Carter also scored 22 in the new-look Raptors' third straight victory.
Donyell Marshall added 21 points for the Raptors, who are 3-0 since acquiring Rose, Marshall and Lonny Baxter from Chicago. Carter, in foul trouble throughout the game, had 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Jason Terry had 19 points for the Hawks, who have lost three straight and five of their last six. After Terry missed a long jumper from the top of the key, Carter grabbed the rebound and made two free throws for an 88-85 lead with 24 seconds remaining.
Atlanta's Boris Diaw missed a 3-pointer, and Rose made four free throws in the final 15 seconds to clinch the win.
Nets 93, Bucks 86
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Kenyon Martin had 20 points and matched his career-high with 21 rebounds, helping the struggling New Jersey Nets snap a four-game losing streak.
Playing before a crowd of about 3,000 due to a snowstorm, Jason Kidd added 16 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his 54th career triple-double to help the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions (8-11) take a little pressure off coach Byron Scott.
Kerry Kittles added 22 points and Richard Jefferson had 18 for New Jersey, which won for only the third time in nine home games.
Michael Redd had 24 points for the Bucks.
76ers 93, Heat 90
In Miami, Allen Iverson scored 35 points and the Philadelphia 76ers withstood a second-half comeback and frantic finish.
The Heat fell behind by 19 points with three minutes left in the third period before they rallied. Miami missed three 3-pointers down the stretch that would have tied the game, including a 24-footer by Lamar Odom with two seconds to go.
Iverson missed 16 of 23 shots but went 16-for-17 from the line and scored the game's final points on a basket with 21 seconds left. The NBA scoring leader is averaging 38.8 points in his past four games. The 76ers won for the second time in as many nights to climb above .500. They snapped a three-game road losing streak and beat the Heat for the sixth time in succession.
Grizzlies 92, Wizards 77
In Memphis, Tennessee, Pau Gasol had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and newcomer Bonzi Wells bagged 12 points and six as Memphis downed Washington.
Wells, acquired Wednesday from Portland, received a standing ovation when he entered the game early in the first quarter. He had three assists in his first two minutes, two of them leading to dunks, and shot 6-for-13 in 27 minutes.
James Posey added 15 points for Memphis, while Mike Miller finished with 13 and Shane Battier 10.
Christian Laettner led Washington with 17 points, shooting 7-of-10, while Larry Hughes added 15.
Rockets 83, Hornets 74
In New Orleans, Maurice Taylor came off the bench to score 17 points and Cuttino Mobley added 16 with sharp 3-point shooting as Houston beat New Orleans.
Yao Ming and Kelvin Cato combined to dominate the inside. Yao had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Cato added 10 rebounds, nine points and four blocked shots. Houston finished with a 43-34 rebounding edge.
Darrell Armstrong led the Hornets with 17 points off the bench. Baron Davis had 16 points and 11 assists.
With the towering Yao and Cato frustrating Hornets shooters near the basket, New Orleans needed its usual strong outside shooting. But Davis was 6-for-21 from the field, and David Wesley, who had scored in double figures in every game this season, missed his first five shots.
Spurs 105, Magic 94
In Orlando, Florida, Tim Duncan scored a season-high 47 points as San Antonio handed Orlando a team-record 18th straight loss.
The Magic came back from an 18-point deficit in the first half and held a five-point advantage entering the final quarter after Tracy McGrady had 16 of his 28 points in the third period. But Orlando missed 16 of 21 shots down the stretch to surpass the previous longest losing streak in franchise history set in 1991-1992.
Jazz 86, Clippers 67
In Salt Lake City, Matt Harpring scored 20 points as Utah held the Los Angeles Clippers to their lowest point total of the season despite the return of Elton Brand.
Utah improved to 10-1 at home and 11-7 on the season and continued to dominate the Clippers, who have won just once in Salt Lake City since the Delta Center opened in 1991.
Utah heads to Los Angeles to play the Lakers on Sunday, but its much-anticipated reunion with Karl Malone will have to wait. The NBA announced Friday that Malone will be suspended for elbowing Dallas guard Steve Nash in the head on Thursday.
The Clippers, whose previous season-low was 78 on Nov. 19 at Indiana, shot 35 percent from the field. Quentin Richardson was just 3-for-19.
Nuggets 98, Warriors 91
In Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points and Voshon Lenard added 18 send first-place Denver over Golden State for its first six-game winning streak in almost 13 years.
The Nuggets (13-6) have won seven straight at home, nine of 11 overall and are off to their best start since 1989-90. They extended their Midwest Division lead to 1 1/2 games over idle Dallas.
Mike Dunleavy had 19 points for Golden State, which lost back-to-back games to the Nuggets after beating them four straight. Former Nugget Nick Van Exel was booed whenever he touched the ball and finished with 15 points.
Trail Blazers 88, Knicks 81
In Portland, Oregon, Zach Randolph had 22 points and nine rebounds to lead Portland back from a 19-point first half deficit to beat New York.
Rasheed Wallace had 17 points and seven rebounds to help the Blazers rally to their third straight victory. Keith Van Horn had 15 points to lead the Knicks, who have lost three straight.
Knicks forward Antonio McDyess scored 14 points, coming off the bench in his third game back after missing nearly two full seasons with knee injuries.
Pacers 101, SuperSonics 94
In Seattle, Jermaine O'Neal scored 29 points and Al Harrington, starting in place of the injured Ron Artest, had 18 points and 14 rebounds as Indian downed Seattle.
The Pacers trailed 45-44 at halftime but broke the game open in the third quarter by outscoring Seattle 36-15. The Sonics had their fans standing with an exciting rally in the fourth quarter, but they couldn't quite offset their poor defense in the third quarter.
Timberwolves 112, Kings 109, OT
In Sacramento, California, Kevin Garnett made consecutive 3-pointers to force overtime, and Latrell Sprewell hit two big shots in the extra period as Minnesota ended Sacramento's eight-game winning streak.
The teams went to overtime in their fourth straight meeting, and the Timberwolves' trio of Garnett, Sprewell and Sam Cassell was just good enough to end the Kings' 10-game home winning streak.
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