PHOENIX -- Phoenix first-year coach Jeff Hornacek was one of the NBAs best shooters in his playing days. His team did him proud Saturday night. Phoenix matched its season-best with 15 3-pointers -- in 30 tries -- to beat the Dallas Mavericks 123-108 in the surprising Suns highest-scoring game of the season Five Phoenix players made at least two from beyond the arc. "Offensively, it was probably our best game," Hornacek said. Eric Bledsoe was 3 of 4 on 3s and scored 25, Gerald Green made 4 of 8 3s en route to 22 points and Channing Frye sank 4 of 6 3s and scored 18 in the Suns seventh win in their last eight games. P.J. Tucker was 2 of 3 from long-range and scored 16. Marcus Morris made 2 of 3 3s. "If you share the ball, then everybody gets a feeling of confidence that is way up," the Suns Goran Dragic said. "We are shooting the ball well. This is so much fun, playing like that. Everybody is on the same page and when we play like that I think its hard to stop us." Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points, and Monta Ellis and Brandan Wright had 19 apiece for the Mavericks, whose only lead of the night was 2-0. The 123 points were the most allowed by Dallas this season. Both teams were playing on consecutive nights. The Suns rallied from 21 down to win at Denver 103-99 on Friday night and Dallas lost 109-108 at home to Toronto in overtime. The Mavericks were 3 of 17 on 3s, getting outscored 45-9 from 3-point range. Dallas lost despite a 62-36 advantage in points in the paint. "Every time we got close they knocked in a 3," Wright said. "They shot the lights out." Bledsoe said that teams are beginning to zero in on him and fellow guard Dragic, and that leaves shooters open. When those shots falling, life is easy in the Suns freewheeling style. "It opens up everything," Bledsoe said. The Suns set the long-range tone from the start. "They came out firing on fire," Ellis said. Phoenix made 7 of 10 3-pointers in a season-high 38-point first quarter, leading 38-25. Green led the way going 3 for 3. But the Mavericks methodically made their way back into the game, using a 6-0 spurt to cut it to 56-54 when Wright blocked Bledsoes layup try, leading to Ellis dunk with 1:30 left. Dragic somehow drove the length of the court in 2 seconds to put the Suns up 63-58 at the half. Miles Plumlees dunk on a fast-break lob from Bledsoe highlighted an 8-0 spurt that put Phoenix up 83-71 on a reverse layup by Markieff Morris with 4:22 left in the third quarter. Again, Dallas clawed back, cutting the lead to 83-78 on DeJuan Blairs inside basket with 2:03 to go in the quarter, but Bledsoe sank a 3, Plumlee dunked and Green made his final 3-pointer of the night to put Phoenix up 91-82 entering the fourth quarter. Marcus Morris opened the fourth quarter with a 3 to put the Suns ahead 94-82, then Dallas 37-year-old Vince Carter made a 3-pointer and drove the lane for a dunk, leading to an immediate timeout by Hornacek. Right after that, Markieff Morris sank a 16-footer and Bledsoe drove for a layup to boost the lead back to 98-87. Dallas cut it to 100-94 when Ellis made one of two free throws with 8:31 left, but Frye sank a 3, Markieff Morris made a 16-footer and the Suns led 105-95 with 7:16 left. The Mavericks got no closer than eight again. The final margin was Phoenixs biggest lead of the night. "I think our biggest challenge right now is to stay disciplined in some defensive situations," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Weve had too many gambles, too many bad fouls in late shot clock and too many things that lead to chain reactions that weve got to eliminate." NOTES: Suns have made at least seven 3-pointers in 18 consecutive games. ... Phoenix is 8-5 against teams that had a .500 record or better through games played Friday. ... The Suns, expected to be one of the NBAs worst teams, improved to 16-10, sixth-best in the Western Conference. ... Dallas has lost four of six. . LeBron James believes hes a major reason for their early failures. . - A pitch clock will be used this season during minor league games at Triple-A and Double-A, but it has been ruled out for the major leagues this year.
http://www.cheapmarlinsjerseysauthentic ... way-jersey. If one fighter gases, he usually gets beat up pretty bad from that point on. . - For a general manager who preaches building through the draft, Reggie McKenzie has struggled to find impact players his first two years in Oakland. .com) - Manu Ginobili capped off a 26-point night with a go-ahead layup with 24 seconds left in overtime, with the basket giving the San Antonio Spurs a much-needed 95-93 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.MILWAUKEE -- After coming off a 15-inning loss at Colorado the night before, another extra-inning affair wasnt what a weary St. Louis Cardinals team needed. Fighting to maintain control of the lead in the NL Central, the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers Friday night on Carlos Beltrans sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, preserving their roost atop the division. "Getting taken into extra innings isnt what we were looking for, but what a win," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "That would be a pretty tough one to eat when you have the two-run lead. It was just a great, great win." The Cardinals hold a two-game lead over Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. The Reds downed the Pirates 6-5 in 10 innings to move into a tie for second place. "That says a lot about this club the way we responded. It was a huge win and we needed that one," said Matt Carpenter, who had three hits and a walk in six plate appearances. "Every game is crucial." Matt Adams, who has been plagued by right elbow soreness and was fitted for a brace before the game, smacked a towering two-run, ninth-inning home run to give the Cardinals a 6-4 lead, but the Brewers rallied for two runs in the bottom of the frame to tie the game. Adams blast to right-centre field came off Brewers closer Jim Henderson, who walked Matt Holliday to start the inning. Former Brewers closer John Axford (7-7), acquired by St. Louis last month, picked up the win. Carlos Martinez got his first save of the year for the Cardinals. "Coming back here to Miller Park, I was definitely nervous in the pen, but when I was out there on the mound I was calm," Axford said. "We needed that win." Michael Blazek (0-1), whom the Brewers received in the deal for Axford, took the loss. Beltrans fly ball to deep right field off Blazek scored Kolten Wong, who led off the 10th with a walk. Matheny was impressed with Axfords composure. "He was sharp, looked good and (got) a real big double play ball for us. It was pretty impressive how he could maintain and do that under that kind of pressure." Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Brewers got a leadoff double from Jeff Bianchi and he later scored on a single by pinch-hitter Logan Schaffer.dddddddddddd The Brewers added another run on Aramis Ramirezs slow roller off Axford. Carlos Gomez grounded into an inning-ending double play to send the game to extra innings. "I was just trying to get a groundball and get us back in the dugout," Axford said. "I would have preferred to have gotten the save as opposed to the win, but it worked out." Axford came on in relief of closer Edward Mujica, whom the Brewers tagged for three hits and two runs in one-third of an inning. "We are trying to get our closer right. We are one groundball away from turning a double play," Matheny said. "We turn a double play, he gets a save, we get a win and he is feeling pretty good about himself. It didnt happen tonight. We hurt for him." The Cardinals jumped on Brewers starter Johnny Hellweg for a run in the first inning on Matt Hollidays single. Ramirez hit a three-run home run with one out in the Brewers half of the first off Shelby Miller, who entered the game having given up just three earned runs over 25 innings in four previous starts against the Brewers this season. "It was a hanging breaking ball that didnt finish," Miller said. "Obviously a bad way to start off the first inning. Other than that, we settled in and battled as much as we could. At the end of the day it was a huge win for us." Miller surrendered seven hits and four runs in six innings. He walked two and struck out four. Hellweg gave up seven hits and two runs over in an erratic five-inning stint. He walked five, struck out one, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch. "He looked pretty good today," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "He faced a really good lineup. He also got ground balls when he needed them and got double plays. Thats what he does." NOTES: The Cardinals ran their record to 7-1 at Miller Park this season and 13-4 overall against the Brewers. ... Shelby Miller became the first St. Louis rookie pitcher to start 30 games in a season since Rick Ankiel in 2000. ... With four strikeouts, Miller passed Harvey Haddix for third place on St. Louis rookie strikeout list with 166. ... St. Louis wraps up its final regular-season road trip with the three-game series in Milwaukee. ' ' '
