Marbury’s Effort Lets Suns Shine

Stephon Marbury got it done on both ends of the court.

Marbury had 28 points and 10 assists and guarded Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson for most of the game, holding him to seven-of-24 shooting as the Phoenix Suns handed the 76ers their fourth straight loss, 99-91, Friday night at Philadelphia.

“[Iverson] is a great scorer and sometimes it’s difficult to concentrate on both ends of the court,” Marbury said. “But I take the defensive end just as seriously as the offensive end. I always play defense.”

Said Sun Coach Frank Johnson: “That was a great individual effort. He had to play Iverson and still got 28 points and 10 assists.”

Shawn Marion had 25 points and 15 rebounds and made a three-point basket to put the Suns ahead, 95-87, with 2:43 left. After Iverson made two free throws, Amare Stoudemire’s dunk made it 97-89 with 1:45 left. A layup by Penny Hardaway sealed the win.

“I am 99% of the problem right now,” Iverson said of the four-game slump. “I’m the leader of this team and as I go, we go. And right now, I am stinking up the place. I don’t think I should even be getting paid.”

Boston 115, Cleveland 100 -- Antoine Walker had the 13th triple-double of his career with a season-high 33 points at Boston and the Celtics overcame Ricky Davis’ second 40-point game of the week. The loss extended the Cavaliers’ road losing streak to 12 games. They lost their seventh straight to the Celtics.

Milwaukee 101, Portland 79 -- Tim Thomas scored a season-high 25 points before spraining his left ankle and Sam Cassell had 19 as the Bucks had a strong second half to win at Milwaukee. Portland pulled to 48-47 early in the second half, only to have the Bucks score the next 11 points en route to an 80-60 lead.

New Jersey 79, Washington 65 -- Jason Kidd had 11 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds at East Rutherford, N.J., and the Nets held Michael Jordan and the Wizards to a franchise low point total. The total was one less than the Wizards had last year in a loss to the Chicago Bulls. The point total was also a Net record for fewest given up. The old record was 67 against Washington last season.

New York 97, Miami 92 -- Latrell Sprewell scored a season-high 30 points and the Knicks shot an astounding 92% in the second quarter at Miami. Brian Grant’s dunk pulled the Heat within one point with 1:15 left, but Charlie Ward put the Knicks back up by four with a three-pointer and the Knicks held on for their first win in seven games this season against Atlantic Division opponents.

Orlando 111, Golden State 85 -- Tracy McGrady had 36 points and Grant Hill returned from a one-game absence to score 16 points at Orlando, Fla., as the Magic avenged its most lopsided loss in franchise history. On Nov. 16, Orlando lost to Golden State, 135-92.

Memphis 114, Houston 109 -- Wesley Person made a three-pointer with 35 seconds left in overtime and followed with two free throws at Memphis, Tenn., as the Grizzlies won their fourth in a row, one short of the franchise record.

Indiana 94, Denver 72 -- Ron Mercer scored 19 points and helped lead the Pacers to a 28-point halftime lead at Indianapolis as Indiana avenged last week’s 92-81 loss at Denver

Seattle 91, Toronto 79 -- Gary Payton scored 21 points at Toronto as the SuperSonics won consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 17.