The Phoenix Suns put on a 3-point show at Madison Square Garden, and
Vladimir Radmanovic did the same for Seattle.
On a big night for long-range shooters all over the NBA, Radmanovic scored
all but two of his 26 points on eight 3-pointers to lead the visiting
SuperSonics over the Los Angeles Lakers 104-93 on Tuesday.
"One time, I think he was in the parking lot and I had my hand right in
front of him, but he just pulled up and shot the ball. He had a great night,"
Lakers guard Caron Butler said.
Phoenix tied a team record with 16 3-pointers and finished with its highest
point total of the season in a 133-118 victory over the New York Knicks.
Quentin Richardson went 7-of-14 from behind the arc, Jim Jackson was 5-of-6 and
the Suns made 50 percent of their 3s.
It was the most points by a Knicks opponent since Portland scored 141 on
Nov. 15, 1990, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"We were into a groove, and it kind of got contagious where everyone was
hitting them," Richardson said.
In other games, it was: Boston 97, Charlotte 92; Memphis 95, Orlando 83;
Chicago 111, Denver 107; and Sacramento 113, New Jersey 93.
Amare Stoudemire scored 29 points, Richardson had 25, Joe Johnson 24 and
Shawn Marion 20 for Phoenix.
The loss was the seventh in a row for the Knicks, who obviously haven't
latched onto new coach Herb Williams' emphasis on defense. The 16 3-pointers
were the most allowed in franchise history.
"Those guys play totally different basketball. They don't play regular
basketball. They just shoot 3s for days," New York's Stephon Marbury said.
Jamal Crawford led the Knicks with 40 points.
At Los Angeles, Radmanovic shot 9-of-17, including 8-of-14 from long range,
in coming within one point of his season high and three points of his career
best. Despite feeling sick for about a week, he made nine of his first 11
shots.
"Probably the virus that I have is a good basketball virus," Radmanovic
said. "I'm just trying to play through it."
Radmanovic was sick to the point that he sat out practice Monday.
"At the beginning of the game, I didn't have enough energy," he said. "I
was slow motion. Later on, I got warmed up. The rim looked a little bit bigger
tonight to me. Those guys weren't paying attention."
Ray Allen added four 3-pointers and 25 points, and Rashard Lewis scored 21
for the Northwest Division-leading Sonics, whose 29-11 record is the third-best
in the NBA.
The Lakers (22-17) missed another opportunity for a season-high three-game
winning streak. They've won consecutive games nine times, but failed in each of
those situations to win a third straight.
Lamar Odom led the Lakers with 19 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
At Chicago, Kirk Hinrich scored 23 points, Eddy Curry shook off a groin
injury to add 14 in the fourth quarter and the surging Bulls won for the 11th
time in 12 games.
Denver broke Chicago's string of holding opponents under 100 points at 26
games, but couldn't pull out the victory despite getting 32 points -- 15 in the
fourth quarter -- from Carmelo Anthony.
With their fourth straight win in five nights, the Bulls moved two games
over .500 after an 0-9 start.
At Charlotte, N.C., Paul Pierce scored 33 points to help Boston end its
nine-game road losing streak and hand the Bobcats their ninth loss in a row
overall.
Emeka Okafor scored all 20 of his points in the second half and added 12
rebounds and five blocks for the Bobcats. But he was 0-for-4 at the line -- and
the Bobcats were 10-of-22.
At Memphis, Tenn., Stromile Swift had 18 points and nine rebounds for the
Grizzlies, who had seven players in double figures and outscored the Magic 20-6
in the final 4:05 to secure their 12th win in 14 games.
The Grizzlies needed the balanced offense after Pau Gasol, their leading
scorer and rebounder, was placed on the injured list earlier in the day with a
left foot injury. Key reserve Bonzi Wells also sat out with a groin strain.
Grant Hill and Steve Francis led Orlando with 18 points each.
At Sacramento, Calif., Brad Miller had a season-high 31 points and 12
rebounds while making 11 straight shots, and the Kings rebounded from an
embarrassing loss.
Peja Stojakovic scored 25 points and Cuttino Mobley had 20 points, 10
assists and seven rebounds for the Kings, who made a season-best 55 percent of
their shots and recovered nicely from their worst home loss in nine years. San
Antonio beat them 103-73 Sunday night, snapping a six-game winning streak.
Miller thrived in the absence of Chris Webber, who sat out with a sprained
right ankle. The Kings' leading scorer and rebounder hopes to return for their
rematch with San Antonio on Thursday night.
Miller made every shot he took during the final three quarters and finished
14-for-18 while assuming Webber's playmaking role atop the offense. Mike Bibby
had 19 points -- including four 3-pointers -- and 10 assists.