Ceballos Triggers Comeback as Suns Defeat Knicks Again

The Phoenix Suns got the scoring forward they desperately needed, courtesy of the Lakers.

In his fourth game since returning to Phoenix, Cedric Ceballos scored 31 points and the Suns overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to beat the New York Knicks, 105-98, Saturday.

Ceballos scored 12 points in the third quarter for the Suns, who beat the Knicks for the seventh consecutive time at home.

On Jan. 10, Ceballos returned to the Suns--the team he began his NBA career with--as part of a four-player deal with the Lakers. In four starts, he has scored 26, 23, 16 and now 31 points. The Suns have won three of the four games.

New York guards Chris Childs and John Starks suffered injuries during the game.

Childs was stepped on by teammate Charles Oakley and left the game with a mild concussion.

Starks was involved in a hard collision with Sun guard Kevin Johnson in the third quarter.

“We had more than enough talent to win this game, regardless of the injuries,” Knick Coach Jeff Van Gundy said. “We just didn’t get it done.”

Starks, who left the game in the first half because of a rib injury, was taken to a local hospital for X-rays after injuring his collarbone. It later was diagnosed as a muscle strain in the neck and shoulder.

Johnson attempted to cut off Starks while the two went after a loose ball.

“Any time you lose two players in the backcourt, it’s very tough,” said Phoenix guard Wesley Person, who scored 21 points. “Starks brought a lot of energy to the game and his intensity was great. The other players were feeding off of that. After he went out, they lost a little of that intensity.”

Patrick Ewing led the Knicks with 28 points and 13 rebounds. He brought the Knicks to within one point, 90-89, with a basket with 6:52 left.

But Loren Meyer, starting his fourth game because of an abdominal strain injury to Mark Bryant, scored the next seven points as the Suns took a 97-90 lead.

Washington 112, Boston 106--Bullet forward Chris Webber dragged a pair of Celtics while scoring the tiebreaking basket with 20 seconds to play at Boston.

While going up for a shot in the lane, the 6-foot-10 Webber scored the go-ahead basket despite towing Antoine Walker and Eric Williams.

“He’s very strong,” Walker said. “I think I caught him on the way up. That’s why you lift weights every day. I was trying to stop him from scoring.”

Charlotte 102, New Jersey 92--At East Rutherford, N.J., Dell Curry scored his 10,000th point to lead the Hornets to their fourth victory in a row.

Curry made a three-point shot in the second quarter to become the 202nd NBA player to reach the milestone. He finished with 27 points, including five three-point shots.

Curry is a 10-year veteran and one of the original Hornets.

“It’s a lot of points to score, man,” Curry said. “I’ve had a pretty much injury-free career. Now we go for 15,000.”

Minnesota 108, Golden State 93--Once in a while, Kevin Garnett grabs a game by the throat.

At Minneapolis, the 20-year-old Garnett strangled Golden State. He made 12 of 16 shots and scored a season-high 27 points.

During a 13-minute span of the second half, the 6-foot-11 Garnett scored 13 points, including four dunks, that turned a close game into a rout.

Dallas 107, Denver 104--Jamal Mashburn had 27 points, and Oliver Miller and Chris Gatling combined to score the Mavericks’ last 10 points at Denver.

The Mavericks took charge early in the fourth quarter with a 12-2 run, including eight points by Gatling, to take a 101-93 lead.

Atlanta 94, Milwaukee 71--At Atlanta, the Hawks, aided by Mookie Blaylock’s 26 points, won their ninth consecutive game. The Bucks continued to struggle offensively, scoring fewer than 75 points for the second night in a row. Their forward tandem of Vin Baker and Glenn Robinson managed 15 and 14 points, respectively. They each average 22 points.