Shaquille O'Neal wasn't ready to pass the torch to Greg Oden yet,
finishing with 19 points and 17 rebounds Saturday night.
(AP Photo: Paul Connors)
Shaquille O’Neal scored 19 points and pulled down a season-high 17 rebounds to lead the Phoenix Suns past the Portland Trailblazers 102-92 on Saturday night. It’s O’Neal’s fifth double-double of the season.
It was the second time in three weeks that the Suns have beaten the Blazers at home, and their eleventh straight victory against them overall. That’s the longest active winning streak that one team has over another in the league.
In all, six of the eight Phoenix players who saw the court scored in double figures, with O’Neal’s 19 leading the way. Amare Stoudemire scored 17 while pulling away nine rebounds, and Steve Nash had 16 points on 6 for 7 shooting, as well as dishing out seven assists.
As a team, the Suns shot 53 percent from the field, including 8 for 18 from behind the three-point line. Raja Bell contributed three of those as he scored all 14 of his points after halftime.
Portland was led by guard Brandon Roy’s 26 points and Steve Blake’s 22, while Blake was 4 for 8 from three-point land. Rookie center Greg Oden came off the bench and played just 13:50 the entire game, while he was hampered by his five fouls. He finished the game with just five points and a single rebound.
The Suns continue to turn the ball over at an alarming rate, giving it away 18 times on Saturday, double the amount of Portland’s nine. Nash had eight turnovers alone, bringing his average to 3.28 giveaways per game.
For the second game in a row, Sean Singletary was given the nod from head coach Terry Porter as the backup point guard. Singletary was 1 for 4 from the field in just over eight minutes of play, and finished with 2 points and an assist.
According to Porter, Singletary and fellow rookie Goran Dragic are neck and neck in the competition for minutes, and he planned on using the two in separate clusters of the early schedule. While Dragic has had his opportunities, it appears that beginning with this past Thursday’s game against the Lakers, Singletary’s cluster of games has begun.
Leandro Barbosa was on his way back from Brazil after missing the past five games to be with his family after the passing of his mother. The Suns expected him back sometime late Saturday evening, but were unsure when he might return to game action.
Phoenix will get another two days off before hitting the road for a back-to-back set against the Oklahoma City Thunder (1-13) on Tuesday, and the Minnesota Timberwolves (2-9) on Wednesday.
Superman flies again
Reminiscent of last season, Shaq made another giant leap into the first few rows of the crowd on Saturday to save a ball from going out of bounds. Some might recall last season when he hurdled two boys in the front row to save a ball against the Spurs, and then again when the Phoenix bench parted like the Red Sea when they saw him coming a few games later.
For more info: Suns 102, Blazers 92
Comments
How much fun it is to read Josh's take on the basketball games. A joy to read.
It seems the wheels haven't quite come of the Diesel. Oden sure could use a move or two, huh?
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