Suns Defeat Blazers 100-91, Earn No. 6 Seed

Kings blast past Warriors, Suns get 5th straight over Blazers

(NEWSER) - The Rockets had followed 22 straight games with victorious press conferences, and nothing short of the NBA's best team could change that tune. With a decisive 94-74 win, the Boston Celtics ended Houston's win streak and held them to their lowest score this season. "I've never seen defense like that," Tracy McGrady told the Houston Chronicle. Elsewhere in the league: More»

Suns are hot early, Blazers flare up late and Phoenix wins 97-72

(NEWSER) - The Lakers were trailing by 13 points going into the fourth quarter against the Kings when Kobe turned it on and the Lakers cashed in for a 36-18 run. Half of Bryant's 34 points came in that surge, and the result was a 117-105 win that recalled the teams' rivalry of old, the Los Angeles Times reports. Meanwhile, in Portland: More»

(NEWSER) - LeBron James is about to get some big help—literally. The Suns and Cavaliers have agreed in principle to a deal to send Shaquille O’Neal to Cleveland in exchange for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, and the 46th pick in today's draft, multiple team execs tell the Plain Dealer. The trade will save Phoenix around $9 million, or more if Wallace accepts a retirement buyout. More»

Phoenix wins 133-113; O'Neal gets 49th 40-point game

(AP) - Shaquille O'Neal scored 45 points last night in his biggest offensive performance in 6 years, powering the Phoenix Suns to a 133-113 victory over the Toronto Raptors. A week shy of his 37th birthday, O'Neal made 20 of 25 shots in the 49th 40-point game of his career but the first in four seasons. He hadn't scored this many since he nabbed 48 for the Los Angeles Lakers against Boston on March 21, 2003. More»

Defending champs win game 5 on strong play from stars

(NEWSER) - Tony Parker scored 31 points, Tim Duncan added 29 points and 17 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 92-87 Game 5 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. The third-seeded Spurs will meet the No. 2 seed Hornets in a second-round series that begins Saturday at New Orleans. More»