Suns eclipse Hawks for sixth straight win (Reuters) Updated: 2005-12-05 12:41
PHOENIX - James Jones scored a season-high 20 points and Shawn Marion also
had 20 to lead the Phoenix Suns to their sixth consecutive victory, 112-94 over
the Atlanta Hawks and former teammate Joe Johnson on Sunday night.
Boston Celtics
guard Ricky Davis (bottom) drives past New York Knicks forward Trevor
Ariza in the third quarter of their NBA game at Madison Square Garden in
New York December 4, 2005. The Celtics defeated the Knicks 102-99.
[Reuters]
| The Suns' winning streak is the
longest in the NBA and lifted them within a half- game of Pacific Division
co-leaders Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State. It also Phoenix's sixth
straight home victory and the eighth game in a row the Suns have held an
opponent under 100 points.
Johnson, who went from Phoenix to Atlanta 3 1/2 months ago, scored 23 points
in his first game with the Hawks against his former team, but sat out the final
15 minutes when the outcome was no longer was in doubt.
The Suns' early balance was too much for the overmatched Hawks, who lost
their fifth straight and fell to 2-14, the worst record in the league.
Eddie House and Boris Diaw each scored 14 for Phoenix, and Kurt Thomas
grabbed 11 rebounds.
Rookie Marvin Williams scored a season-high 17 points and had 11 rebounds for
Atlanta, mostly in the fourth quarter, and Salim Stoudemire had 14 points.
Johnson went to the Hawks on Aug. 19 in a sign-and-trade deal for Diaw, two
conditional first-round draft picks and a $6 million trade exemption, which the
Suns used a portion of to acquire Jones from Indiana in another sign-and-trade
transaction.
Johnson was warmly greeted by his former teammates and Phoenix coach Mike
D'Antoni during pregame warmups, but the Phoenix fans were not so kind during
the introductions, offering much more boos than cheers. The crowd showed its
dislike even more for Johnson during the game, booing him each time he touched
the ball. As the game progressed, the booing got louder. Only when he committed
a foul or a turnover did the fans cheer.
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