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BOSTON -- The Phoenix Suns needed help to snap a three-game losing streak that hurt their post-season prospects. wholesale nfl jerseys . They got it when the Boston Celtics had their worst shooting game of the season. The Suns still had to finish well and they did by scoring the last seven points for an 87-80 win Friday night that moved them one game behind Memphis for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot. "Our offence wasnt very good," Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said. "Defence, when you arent shooting the ball well, can win you the game and I think it did tonight." The Suns scored just 58 points in the last three quarters. But the Celtics made a season-low 30.9 per cent of their shots and missed 65. Boston coach Brad Stevens was especially upset with his teams play after Jeff Greens two free throws for the Celtics made it 80-80 with 2:02 left, the fourth tie of the fourth quarter. "We didnt play with any poise," he said. "The last 40 seconds were awful." Alex Len started the decisive spurt with a three-point play on a tip-in and a free throw with 54.1 seconds left. The Suns (37-28) finished the scoring with a dunk by Markieff Morris and a layup by Goran Dragic, who led them with 20 points. Before the season people said "we were going to have 15, 16 wins," Dragic said. "We dont care if its pretty or ugly. We need to have those wins." Eric Bledsoe had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Morris added 15 points for Phoenix. Kris Humphries led the Celtics with 11 points, 13 rebounds and one thrown towel while on the bench when they collapsed in the final minute. "Hes upset because we lost and he certainly has got a right to be," Stevens said. "That was not a good ending. It was not a good performance." Chris Johnson also scored 11 for the Celtics, but threw a bad pass that was stolen by P.J. Tucker and led to the dunk by Morris with 23.1 seconds to play. The 7-foot-1 Len put the Suns ahead to stay after entering the game in the fourth quarter when Miles Plumlee went out after being poked in the eye. The rookie centre was averaging just 2.4 points and 9.1 minutes per game before Friday but finished with six points and three rebounds in nine minutes. "Obviously, the tip was huge," Hornacek said, "but I think (with) just his size in there, he does a nice job of sliding his feet and getting in a good position, making guys shoot over him." The Celtics lost for the 10th time in 13 games while shooting worse than their previous low for the season of 32.3 per cent in a 109-85 loss to the Houston Rockets on Nov. 19. They trailed 64-60 after the third quarter, but scored the first nine points of the fourth to take a 69-64 lead on Avery Bradleys layup. Then the Suns went back in front, 70-69 with six straight points, but the Celtics pulled ahead 78-75 with 3:17 remaining before the Suns tied it on Bledsoes three-point play. The Suns led by 10 in the first quarter and by 11 when they took a 38-27 lead with 8:34 left in the second quarter. Then a layup by Rajon Rondo began a 17-6 run by the Celtics that tied the game at 44 with 59 seconds remaining in the half. Two free throws by Channing Frye with 26 seconds to go put Phoenix on top 46-44 at intermission. Both teams went cold from the field in the third quarter. Boston made 4 of 20 shots and Phoenix hit 7 of 21. But the Celtics trailed by only four after Kelly Olynyk got an offensive rebound and sank a short jumper from the left baseline at the buzzer. Their fourth-quarter finish was much worse. "We kind of got a bit antsy there at the end," Olynyk said. "I think we kind of rushed a bit." NOTES: Bradley missed his previous 13 games with a right ankle injury. ... Bledsoe played his second game after missing 33 following knee surgery. ... The Suns scored just 17 points in the second quarter and 18 in the third. ... Former Celtic Gerald Green scored four points and has 12 in his last two games after averaging 26 in his previous five. jerseys from china . -- As expected, coach John Fox has officially ruled out Wes Welker for Denvers game against San Diego on Thursday night because of a concussion. jersyes nfl wholesale .Y. -- Marcos Ambrose should be on pins and needles but says hes not.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Even coach Bruce Boudreau acknowledged the Anaheim Ducks played perhaps their most dynamic hockey of the season early in their 5-3 win over Carolina on Sunday night. The Hurricanes were suitably impressed, but they didnt stand a chance when the NHLs best were playing their best. Corey Perry had two goals and an assist in the first period, Andrew Cogliano scored a short-handed goal, and the Ducks jumped to an early 5-0 lead in their second straight victory out of the Olympic break. Frederik Andersen made 49 saves in his first action since Feb. 3 for the league-leading Ducks, who scored three times in an overwhelming first period filled with sharp passes, relentless skating and outstanding finishes. "We were as good as we can be," said Boudreau, who won his 100th game in Anaheim. Francois Beauchemin and Jakob Silfverberg also scored as the Ducks won their NHL-best 43rd game and stayed five points ahead of Chicago and St. Louis in the overall league standings. Anaheim coasted late in its third consecutive win overall, giving Boudreau plenty of fuel for practice even while he complimented his team on its start. The first 30 minutes were a beauty: Perry got his 31st and 32nd goals during his sixth multigoal game of the season, while Cogliano set a new career high with the 19th goal of his breakout season. "If we play like that all the time, well be tough to beat for anybody," Cogliano said. "I think we played really fast, moving the puck really well." Andersen was solid while earning his sixth win in his last seven starts, but the Danish goalie could be headed back to the AHL after the game. Viktor Fasth, who has been out since Nov. 18 with muscle inflammation, is due to return to Anaheim as Jonas Hillers backup. "If we play like that, were as good as anyone," Andersen said of the first period. "Weve just got to figure out a way to play like that for a whole game." Alexander Semin, Andrej Sekera and Patrick Dwyer scored in Carolinas fifth straight loss overall and its fourth in six days since the break. Cam Ward stopped 29 shots in just his second start of 2014, and the Hurricanes followed up Saturdays 3-1 loss att Los Angeles with another disappointing effort. cheap jerseys. "You take the little positives that you can out of it," Hurricanes defenceman John-Michael Liles said. "We did put a lot of shots at their goalie, and he made some good saves. Ultimately, getting down early against a good team is tough, and it was a tough battle to get back. But were moving the puck well and were getting opportunities. Thats the biggest thing. We just got snake-bit." Indeed, Carolina put up 26 shots and scored twice in the third period, but went scoreless on six power plays to drop into an 0-for-21 slump. The Hurricanes conclude their five-game road trip out of the break Tuesday in San Jose. "Weve been pretty sound defensively," Carolina coach Kirk Muller said. "We just havent been scoring goals. Tonight we made a couple of mistakes early in the first, and they capitalized. They have some good players." Perry put the Ducks ahead 6:39 in, punching in a loose puck after the Canes defence came unglued during a shift by Anaheims dominant top line. Beauchemin scored later in the period on a slap shot that deflected off Jiri Tlustys stick, and Perry got his second goal 1:48 later with a nasty wrist shot. Cogliano scored during a horrible Carolina power play early in the second period, beating Ward between the goalies legs to set his new career high for goals with 20 games still to play. Shortly after Carolina got a bench minor for too many men on the ice during a power play, Silfverberg dug the puck off the netting and scored his first goal since Jan. 15. Carolina avoided the shutout late in the second period when Sekera scored in his second straight game. Dwyer added his first goal since Jan. 9 in the third period. NOTES: Semin returned from a one-game injury absence, but Carolina lost U.S. national team defenceman Justin Faulk to an upper-body injury early in the game. Muller had no update afterward. ... Anaheim F Tim Jackman was scratched a day after signing a contract extension for next season. C Mathieu Perreault also was scratched after getting hurt in the third period Friday against St. Louis. ... Cogliano has eight short-handed goals in his career and three this season. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
