Suns' Marion makes 1 shot: game-winner
Shawn Marion made just 1 shot, the only one Phoenix absolutely had to have.
Marion dropped in a baseline floater with 1.1 seconds left for his lone field goal, and the Suns burned Cleveland with a season-high 17 3-pointers in a 110-108 over the Cavaliers on Friday night in Cleveland.
Marion, averaging 15.9 points, was 0-for-3 from the floor before he took a pass in the corner from Boris Diaw, faked his way past center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and as LeBron James rushed toward him, arched in his shot on the run.
After calling a timeout, Cleveland had trouble getting the ball inbounds before Damon Jones fired up a 3-pointer that was way off at the horn. The Cavaliers lost for just the third time in 14 games.
"A great, great win," Phoenix guard Steve Nash said. "We didn't get many calls or have many bounces go our way -- until the end."
Raja Bell scored 27 points, Nash had 26 -- 21 on 3-pointers -- and Amare Stoudemire 22 as the Suns improved to 17-2 against Eastern Conference teams. Phoenix went 17-for-33 on 3-pointers, but it was the Suns' defense, not exactly their forte, in the second half that was the difference.
Cleveland scored 69 points in the opening half but only 39 after halftime on 15-of-42 shooting.
"We really picked it up defensively and that helped us get out in our offense," said Nash, who went 7-for-9 on 3s and added 9 assists. "We were able to run a little more and play like we want to."
James scored 36 points to lead the Cavaliers, but the NBA's leading scorer missed a 3-pointer and a pair of inside shots in the waning minutes.
Mavericks 112, Lakers 105: Josh Howard had 26 points and played tough defense on Kobe Bryant during a game-changing third quarter, and host Dallas held off a furious finish by Bryant for a victory over Los Angeles. Bryant scored 14 of the Lakers' final 16 points, including the last 10. He had 16 points in the quarter and 40 in the game. He also was 17-of-21 from the foul line, approaching career highs in both categories.
Pistons 101, Magic 93: Richard Hamilton scored 32 points, and Rasheed Wallace had 13 of his 15 in the first quarter as host Detroit built a big lead and coasted past Orlando.
Celtics 87, T'wolves 86: Kendrick Perkins scored on a putback with 16.6 seconds left, and Kevin Garnett poked the ball away from Sebastian Telfair as time expired to give host Boston a win over Minnesota.
Hornets 111, Clippers 92: Peja Stojakovic hit six 3-pointers and scored 26 points, and host New Orleans won their seventh straight, beating Los Angeles.
Raptors 106, Bucks 75: Chris Bosh scored 32 points, Carlos Delfino added 18, and host Toronto buried Milwaukee with a 19-0 run in the third quarter.
Wizards 104, Grizzlies 93: Antawn Jamison had 24 points and 12 rebounds, leading host Washington to a victory over Memphis.
Knicks 89, Sixers 81: Zach Randolph had 16 points and 15 rebounds to help host New York beat Philadelphia for the first time in five meetings.