By BOB YOUNG

The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX – From the outside, playing in the Phoenix Suns’ system must look simple and fun.

But Marcus Banks is discovering, just as Raja Bell did a year ago, that the adjustment isn’t as easy as it looks.

Through four preseason games, Banks is shooting 25.9 percent. More important, he hasn’t yet gotten the hang of the Suns’ free-flowing, always-on-the-move attack.

When players and the ball move, it’s magic. When they stop, not so good.

“It’s an adjustment coming from a really, really structured offense (in Minnesota) – ‘do this, do this, do that’ – it’s kind of hard when all of a sudden you have freedom,” Banks said. “You question yourself. ‘Should I or should I not?’ Here, a bad shot is a shot you don’t take.”

He said Bell and other teammates have told him to remain patient – and keep shooting, of course.

“Those guys are really supportive,” he said. “They tell me, ‘Keep playing. Everything’s going to come. We went through the same thing.’ It’s just (a matter of) getting comfortable, really.”

Banks met with coach Mike D’Antoni before Monday’s practice, and the message was similar.

“He’s struggled up to now,” D’Antoni said. “I think it’s kind of normal. As a point guard, he’s got to be careful sitting over there watching (starter) Steve Nash for six minutes, going in and saying, ‘Ooh, I’ll do what Steve does.’

“Well, he’s got to be Marcus Banks. I think we learned that from Leandro (Barbosa), saying, ‘Leandro, you’ve got to learn something from Steve.’ Guess what? He didn’t learn anything. In fact, it screws his game up.”

So his advice to Banks?

“Just go full speed, don’t worry about making mistakes,” D’Antoni said. “Don’t worry about setting other guys up. Just play your game. When he figures that out, he’ll be fine. And we think he will.”

Ex-ASU hoops coach dies

By BOB YOUNG

The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX – Former Arizona State basketball coach Steve Patterson died yesterday at his Phoenix home after a battle with lung cancer. He was 56.

Patterson, a former UCLA standout who played on three national championship teams and bridged the gap between the careers of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, spent almost four seasons at ASU’s helm.

He resigned during the 1988-89 season with a 48-56 record. He later served as chairman of the Phoenix area’s Super Bowl XXX Committee and as commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association.

In recent years, Patterson had focused on youth and community sports programs through his company, Patterson Sports Ventures. He worked with the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, the Arizona Interscholastic Association and Tempe Sports Authority.

“We so appreciate all of the kindnesses extended to Steve, me and the family during this time of struggle,” his wife, Carlette, said in a brief statement posted on his Web page, stevepatterson.net.

In addition to his wife, Patterson is survived by his children John, Brent, Amanda, Sara and Makena; his mother, Jean Patterson; two brothers, Bob and Tim, and their families.

A visitation is planned from 2 to 7 p.m. on Sunday at Whitney & Murphy Arcadia Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Road in Phoenix. A memorial service is planned for 1 p.m. Monday at Valley Presbyterian Church Sanctuary, 6947 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to TheGoal.com, care of Dave Hood, Pro Athletes Outreach, P.O. Box 1044, Issaquah, WA 98027.

Ex-ASU hoops coach dies

By BOB YOUNG

The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX – Former Arizona State basketball coach Steve Patterson died yesterday at his Phoenix home after a battle with lung cancer. He was 56.

Patterson, a former UCLA standout who played on three national championship teams and bridged the gap between the careers of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, spent almost four seasons at ASU’s helm.

He resigned during the 1988-89 season with a 48-56 record. He later served as chairman of the Phoenix area’s Super Bowl XXX Committee and as commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association.

In recent years, Patterson had focused on youth and community sports programs through his company, Patterson Sports Ventures. He worked with the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, the Arizona Interscholastic Association and Tempe Sports Authority.

“We so appreciate all of the kindnesses extended to Steve, me and the family during this time of struggle,” his wife, Carlette, said in a brief statement posted on his Web page, stevepatterson.net.

In addition to his wife, Patterson is survived by his children John, Brent, Amanda, Sara and Makena; his mother, Jean Patterson; two brothers, Bob and Tim, and their families.

A visitation is planned from 2 to 7 p.m. on Sunday at Whitney & Murphy Arcadia Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Road in Phoenix. A memorial service is planned for 1 p.m. Monday at Valley Presbyterian Church Sanctuary, 6947 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to TheGoal.com, care of Dave Hood, Pro Athletes Outreach, P.O. Box 1044, Issaquah, WA 98027.

By BOB YOUNG

The Arizona Republic

WASHINGTON – Say this for the Phoenix Suns: They’re starting to pile up the Ping-Pong balls.

The Suns blew a 15-point lead in the final nine minutes last night in a 105-100 loss to the Washington Wizards, a team tied for the fewest victories in the NBA coming into the game.

But the Suns, with a 17-30 record, are making up ground fast. And that means more Ping-Pong balls in the hopper for the draft lottery.

Which puts the Suns in a quandary tonight.

They visit the New York Knicks and face their former star, Stephon Marbury. If they win, they might cost themselves in the lottery.

If the Suns lose, the Knicks improve their position, and the Suns have their first-round pick, too, from the Marbury trade.

What to do? If last night’s collapse is an indication, the Suns are going to be tough to beat for the worst record.

“Those are the ones that kill you,” said Suns coach Mike D’Antoni. “We’ve gotten into the habit our last three games of not playing hard enough in the first half.

“The third quarters have been great, but we can’t do that. We don’t have enough depth or firepower inside to be able to take 24 minutes and play halfway.”

The Suns got 28 points from Joe Johnson and 24 from Shawn Marion, but they gave up a 15-0 run immediately after building their 15-point lead.

Despite that, they led by three with 4:12 to play, then missed five straight shots, four by Marion.

Someone asked Marion how the Wizards could rally when they were playing so badly.

You couldn’t argue with Marion’s logic: “We were, too.”

Roundup: Kobe out a week

LOS ANGELES – Latrell Sprewell scored 35 points, Sam Cassell added 28, and Minnesota defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 97-84 night for the Timberwolves’ 21st victory in their last 26 games.

Shaquille O’Neal scored 22 points for the Lakers, who dropped to 7-11 without the injured Karl Malone. Kareem Rush added 17 points, including two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, starting in the place of injured Kobe Bryant.

Bryant was reduced to being a cheerleader on the Lakers’ bench. He cut his right index finger at home Thursday night and will be out at least a week.

The Wolves improved the NBA’s best road record to 17-8 by outscoring the Lakers 32-18 in the fourth quarter. Cassell had 16 points and made all eight of his free-throw attempts in the final period.

Pistons 90, Raptors 89: At Toronto, Richard Hamilton scored all eight of Detroit’s points in overtime, and Ben Wallace blocked two shots in the final five seconds.

76ers 85, Hornets 82: At Philadelphia, Aaron McKie hit a pair of jumpers in the final 1:35, and Allen Iverson returned to the Sixers’ lineup after missing two games with a sprained finger and had 31 points and eight assists.

Knicks 92, Celtics 74: At Boston, Stephon Marbury scored 17 points, and Michael Doleac added 15.

Heat 97, Clippers 88: At Miami, Lamar Odom had 25 points and 14 rebounds against his former team, and Rafer Alston secured the victory on a 3-pointer with 1:14 remaining to put Miami ahead 91-83.

Jazz 85, Grizzlies 79: At Memphis, Andrei Kirilenko had 21 points, and the Jazz outrebounded Memphis 44-26 to win their third straight game.

Bucks 101, Cavaliers 95: At Milwaukee, with former Bucks coach George Karl making his first trip back to the Bradley Center, Michael Redd scored 24 points as the Bucks held off Cleveland.

Warriors 101, Bulls 81: At Oakland, Calif., Speedy Claxton, Jason Richardson and Mike Dunleavy scored 15 points apiece.

By BOB YOUNG

The Arizona Republic

INDIANAPOLIS – It was fitting Reggie Miller would pick Retro Night at Conseco Fieldhouse to turn back the clock.

It was throwback night for the Suns, too. They threw the ball back to Miller and Indiana all game, recording 23 turnovers in a 101-79 loss to the Pacers.

“We were too careless with the ball,” said Suns forward Shawn Marion, who wears No. 31 because he grew up admiring the 38-year-old Miller.

“They were unforced turnovers, too, which we don’t usually do,” Marion said. “Then Reggie started bombing from about halfcourt, and it was a wrap right there.”

Playing as he did during his prime, Miller scored 15 of his 18 points in the third quarter, turning a competitive game into a rout. It was vintage Miller during a span of 1:21 when he hit three straight three-point shots.

Elsewhere

Lakers 96, Supersonics 82: Gary Payton had 24 points against his former team, and Shaquille O’Neal and Rick Fox returned for host Los Angeles.

O’Neal, who missed 12 games with a strained right calf, had seven points and five rebounds in 18 minutes. Fox, playing for the first time since tearing a tendon in his left foot nine months ago, scored two points in eight minutes.

Kings 99, Rockets 94: Ex-Arizona Wildcat Mike Bibby equaled a season high with 28 points as host Sacramento rallied after trailing for most of the game.

Jazz 91, Mavericks 88: Raja Bell made two free throws with 12.3 seconds left and finished with 18 points against his former team to help host Utah beat Dallas.

Warriors 97, Timberwolves 90: Erick Dampier had his 23rd double-double with 21 points and 19 rebounds as host Golden State snapped Minnesota’s five-game winning streak.

Nuggets 115, Bulls 99: Marcus Camby grabbed a career-high 24 rebounds, and Carmelo Anthony added 21 points against Chicago, helping host Denver snap a seasonlong three-game losing streak.

Trail Blazers 88, Grizzlies 76: Zach Randolph had 21 points and nine rebounds as Portland snapped the Grizzlies’ longest winning streak at eight games.

Hornets 101, Bucks 100: Jamal Mashburn scored New Orleans’ final 13 points and finished with 24 in his first game this season after knee surgery. Baron Davis added 23 points.

Cavaliers 94, Heat 93: Ira Newble blocked Dwayne Wade’s shot in the final second, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 30 points as host Cleveland matched its win total (17) from last season. LeBron James added 27 points.

Magic 104, Wizards 100: Tracy McGrady had 39 points and nine rebounds to pace Orlando.

Pistons 106, Celtics 103: Chauncey Billups scored eight of his 21 points in the final 5:00 as the Pistons spoiled John Carroll’s debut as coach of the Celtics.

Raptors 94, 76ers 84: Donyell Marshall had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors ended a five-game losing skid. Allen Iverson missed his second straight game because of a sprained right index finger.

Tucson Ties

How former UA players in the NBA fared yesterday

Yesterday Season Averages

Player, team Vs. Pts. Reb. Ast. Pts. Reb. Ast

Gilbert Arenas, Wizards Injured – - – 18.3 5.0 4.8

Mike Bibby, Kings Rockets (W) 28 5 2 17.3 3.3 53

Richard Jefferson, Nets No game – - – 17.0 5.7 3.5

Chris Mills, Celtics Injured – - – 0.0 0.0 0.0

Sean Rooks, Hornets Bucks (W) 3 0 1 2.4 1.5 0.3

D. Stoudamire, Blazers Grizzlies (W) 10 4 5 12.6 3.3 5.8

Jason Terry, Hawks No game – - – 15.8 4.0 5.0

Luke Walton, Lakers Sonics (W) 4 4 4 1.8 1.2 1.5

Loren Woods, Heat Cavs/DNP – - – 3.3 3.4 0.2

Phoenix overcomes a three-point barrage by the depleted Lakers for an 88-85 win.

By BOB YOUNG

The Arizona Republic

LOS ANGELES – The Staples spell is broken.

The Phoenix Suns survived two long three-point shots by Lakers guard Derek Fisher that rimmed out in the final eight seconds last night and beat the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time at Staples Center.

The 88-85 victory extended the Suns’ winning streak to four games, and it snapped a 12-game losing streak they had in the building against the Lakers – although they had beaten the Clippers here.

The last time Phoenix won in Los Angeles over the Lakers was March 24, 1999, at the Great Western Forum.

The losing streak included the entire coaching tenures of Scott Skiles and Frank Johnson. Danny Ainge resigned before the Suns visited the Lakers in 1999-00, the first year Staples Center was open.

The Lakers played without Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone, all out with injuries.

“You don’t think they’ll put an asterisk next to it, do you?” Suns coach Mike D’Antoni asked.

Jake Voskuhl had season highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds and Joe Johnson scored 26 to lead the Suns.

Voskuhl scored twice in the final 1:24 on offensive rebounds and the Lakers missed three free throws down the stretch as the Suns escaped on a night when Shawn Marion made just 3 of 14 shots.

“I couldn’t get into a rhythm, but I tried to do other things and just lead my team,” Marion said. “We had a lot of guys step up.”

With Amare Stoudemire in Phoenix nursing a sore big toe on his left foot and a sore left ankle, Marion slid into the power forward spot and the Suns went small.

The Suns sprinted to a 17-6 lead in the first six minutes of the game, but the Lakers got back into it by firing three-point shots.

Marion had a forgettable first half, missing all five shots and scoring two points. He had two rebounds. As a result, the Lakers led 46-41 at the break.

But with Donnell Harvey replacing Casey Jacobsen to start the second half, the Suns picked up the defensive pressure and went on an 18-6 run to start the third quarter.

“We’re still playing for a purpose,” the Suns Joe Johnson said. “Somebody different is stepping up every night, and that’s what we need.”

Pistons 85, Spurs 77: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Chauncey Billups scored 18 to help Detroit beat reigning NBA champion San Antonio for its franchise record-tying 13th straight win.

The last time Detroit won 13 straight was 1989-90, the season it won its second straight NBA title. Pistons coach Larry Brown had not won 13 straight in his Hall of Fame career until yesterday.

Knicks 90, Raptors 79: At New York, Stephon Marbury had 28 points and 14 assists to keep coach Lenny Wilkens undefeated in his new job, extending the Knicks’ winning streak to four games.

The Knicks improved to 3-0 under Wilkens by defeating the team he coached the past three seasons.

Pacers 100, Hawks 97: At Atlanta, Reggie Miller hit a go-ahead three-pointer and added two free throws in the final minute to lead the Pacers to their fourth straight win.

With the score tied at 93, Miller made an open three with the shot clock winding down. Miller’s free throws with 5.1 seconds left put the Pacers back up by three, and they hung on from there.

Kings 125, Clippers 100: At Los Angeles, Peja Stojakovic had 31 points to help the Kings win their fifth straight and ninth in 10 games.

The Kings had a season-high 38 assists on 49 field goals, including eight each by Doug Christie and Vlade Divac.

Magic 106, Bucks 99: At Orlando, Tracy McGrady scored 34 while Juwan Howard added 19 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Magic.

Joe Smith led Milwaukee with 19 points and eight rebounds.

SuperSonics 90, 76ers 81: At Philadelphia, Ray Allen got 28 points and hit two late off-balance shots to help the Seattle Supersonics end a four-game losing streak.

Wizards 93, Bulls 83: At Washington, the Wizards overcame an 18-point deficit to win consecutive games for the first time in two months.

Timberwolves 97, Hornets 90: At Minneapolis, Sam Cassell had 22 points, including seven in the final 2 1/2 minutes, leading the Timberwolves to their ninth straight home win.

Kevin Garnett led Minnesota with 29 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. He drew a foul with 18.2 seconds left that led to New Orleans coach Tim Floyd’s ejection.

Grizzlies 88, Rockets 83: At Memphis, Tenn., Pau Gasol had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and James Posey got 13 of his 17 points in a fourth-quarter comeback to lead the Grizzlies to their fifth straight win.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Houston. Memphis trailed by eight early in the fourth quarter but went on a 16-2 run to take the lead.

Warriors 101, Jazz 85: At Oakland, Calif., Erick Dampier had his 20th double-double with 18 points and a career-high 24 rebounds.

Calbert Cheaney scored 20 points and Jason Richardson added 18 for the Warriors.

PHOTO CAPTION: The Associated Press

Los Angeles Lakers’ Brian Cook (left) and Devean George surround Phoenix Suns’ Jahidi White during the first half in Los Angeles.

The Suns play as if they were strangers to each other, which they are, in loss to Bucks.

By BOB YOUNG

The Arizona Republic

MILWAUKEE – The Phoenix Suns loaded a whole different team onto their charter flight back home than the one that boarded a week ago for a four-game Eastern Conference road trip.

Antonio McDyess, Howard Eisley and Maciej Lampe, who were traded by the Knicks to the Suns on Monday, barely had time to introduce themselves before the Suns ended a winless trip with a 95-87 loss to the Bucks last night at the Bradley Center.

McDyess played 21 minutes and scored four points with three rebounds and two assists.

Eisley played 17 minutes and made 1 of 9 shots. Lampe, the 18-year-old center from Poland, didn’t play.

“It’s a whole different team, but this is what we’ve got right here, and we’ve got to find some way to get a winning streak going,” said guard Joe Johnson, who scored a season-high 25 points in the loss.

That’s something the Suns have never done this season. They’ve been through five trades involving 17 players, plus a coaching change.

There are only seven players on the roster who were with the team last year, and two are on the injured list.

But help is on the way. Rookie forward Zarko Cabarkapa will undergo X-rays today on his injured right wrist, and if it checks out well, he will be activated for tomorrow night’s game against Sacramento.

And Amare Stoudemire, out with a grade-three ankle sprain, could be activated by Tuesday night, when Denver visits.

“I’m still pretty optimistic,” Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said. “I liked what both (new players) did. Once Dice gets his legs back and we get into some offense where we can take advantage of him, he’ll be nice to go into in the post.

“And Howard can run a team. He didn’t know what we were running out there, and he can shoot. He just didn’t know where his shots were coming from. I still think we can be pretty good. I’m still excited.”

The Suns weathered a 13-0 Milwaukee run in the third quarter and trailed by a point with 8:13 to play after Johnson’s step-back jumper. But the Bucks got back-to-back three-point plays from Toni Kukoc and Desmond Mason and scored 12 unanswered points to blow it open.

Kobe booed in loss at Denver

DENVER – Carmelo Anthony and Denver’s fans made sure Kobe Bryant didn’t enjoy his return to Colorado.

Anthony had 20 points and helped harass Bryant into a poor shooting night, leading the Nuggets to a 113-91 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers in Bryant’s first game in Colorado since he was accused of sexual assault last summer.

Bryant was booed from the start and never found a rhythm offensively, finishing with 27 points on 8-of-23 shooting with five turnovers.

“I’ve been booed before,” Bryant said afterward. “I don’t listen to that. I just go out there and play basketball.”

A Nuggets-record crowd of 19,739 started booing Bryant during the introductions and continued every time he touched the ball. A chant of “Guilty! Guilty!” rang out midway through the third quarter, and several fans made sexual references throughout the game.

Bryant kept calm in the first half, but his frustration boiled over in the third quarter when he grabbed Anthony under the basket and both players were called for technical fouls. Bryant regained his composure quickly, patting Anthony on the back of the head and asking if he was all right after the whistle.

“Every shot he took, you could tell he really wanted this game,” said Anthony, who added eight rebounds and six assists.

Bryant didn’t get much help with Shaquille O’Neal and Karl Malone sidelined with injuries.

Last night’s other games

Mavericks 105, Warriors 99: Dirk Nowitzki scored eight of his 23 points in the final 3:56, including a layup that put host Dallas ahead for good. Golden State’s Nick Van Exel had 15 points and nine assists against his former team.

SuperSonics 104, Kings 93: Ray Allen scored 10 of his 22 points in the second quarter, and Vladimir Radmanovic scored 21 as host Seattle snapped Sacramento’s four-game winning streak. Peja Stojakovic and ex-Arizona Wildcat Mike Bibby each scored 19 to lead the Kings.

76ers 100, Clippers 80: Allen Iverson scored 20 points, and host Philadelphia reached 100 points for the first time in nearly two months. Elton Brand’s 26 points and 12 rebounds led Los Angeles.

Celtics 101, Magic 93: Paul Pierce had 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for host Boston. Tracy McGrady had 28 points in Orlando’s sixth straight loss.

Raptors 75, Cavaliers 69: Vince Carter scored 11 of his 14 points in the final eight minutes, including a clinching windmill dunk with 21 seconds left. Carter was 1 for 12 from the field and hadn’t scored since the first quarter before putting host Toronto ahead on a 3-pointer with 7:34 left. LeBron James had 21 points and five assists for Cleveland but shot 2 for 8 in the fourth quarter.

Pistons 85, Rockets 66: Richard Hamilton scored 16 points, and host Detroit held Houston to its lowest point total while extending its NBA record of holding teams under 100 points to 38 straight games.

Heat 102, Bulls 95: Eddie Jones scored 27 points, and Lamar Odom added 25 as host Miami, coming off its lowest-scoring game of the season, held off Chicago. The Heat, who lost 87-65 to Indiana on Monday, won for the sixth time in nine games. Bulls rookie Ronald Dupree was impressive in his NBA debut, scoring a team-high 18 points.

Hornets 97, Wizards 87: Baron Davis had 28 points and 10 assists, and David Wesley broke out of a slump with 20 points. Wesley, who scored a total of 13 points and shot only 21 percent in his previous two games, was 7 of 13, including three 3-pointers.

Note: Memphis’ game at Utah was postponed because snow and ice kept the Grizzlies from leaving Portland, Ore. No makeup date was set yet.

Contributing: The Associated Press

PHOTO CAPTION: The Associated Press

Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony (right) looks to pass against Lakers forward Kobe Bryant in the third quarter of the Nuggets’ 113-91 victory.

The Suns give up Marbury and Hardaway in eight-player deal with the Knicks.

By BOB YOUNG

The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns are starting over.

Again.

The team shipped All-Star point guard Stephon Marbury and former All-Star Penny Hardaway to New York in an eight-player trade that brings former Phoenix forward Antonio McDyess back to the team.

The Suns also get point guards Charlie Ward, who is expected to be waived, and Howard Eisley, rookie center Maciej Lampe, the rights to Yugoslavian guard Milos Vujanic, cash and two first-round draft picks.

The 2004 pick is unconditional, so if the Knicks fail to reach the playoffs, it would be a lottery pick. The second pick is a conditional future choice.

“The reasons for the deal are, effectively, as much about economic viability as they are basketball, perhaps more so,” said Suns president and general manager Bryan Colangelo. “When you look at the impact from a financial standpoint, the numbers are staggering.

“When you look at the basketball impact, you can’t argue that we haven’t taken a step back. But when you look at what the prospects for future are, you get excited.”

The big savings could come this summer when the Suns could shed more than $25 million by not re-signing all of the their free agents.

“It creates the financial flexibility that we need to move forward,” Suns chairman Jerry Colangelo said in a statement.

Depending on where the salary cap is calculated for next season, the Suns could go shopping for a major free agent, although probably without a maximum contract in hand to pursue a superstar such as the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant.

The trade comes with the Suns mired in last place in the Western Conference and less than three months since the team signed Marbury to a four-year contract extension.

With the trade, the Suns have essentially given up on the deal that sent Jason Kidd to New Jersey for Marbury.

They made the Kidd-for-Marbury deal believing Kidd would test free agency – which he did last summer – and the club would have to dole out a $100-million contract to keep him at age 31. The Nets did just that.

Now, Marbury is gone, too.

Center Cezary Trybanski was also sent to New York.

The Suns have talked often about keeping the core of Marbury, Shawn Marion and last season’s Rookie of the Year, Amare Stoudemire, together.

But Bryan Colangelo said the team is in a better position to build around Marion and Stoudemire now without the salary cap restraints.

PHOTO CAPTION: The Associated Press

Phoenix’s Penny Hardaway (front) was traded to the Knicks along with teammate Stephon Marbury.

By BOB YOUNG

The Arizona Republic

CHICAGO – Maybe nobody took yesterday’s major trade harder than Phoenix Suns rookie Leandro Barbosa, who saw his friend and mentor Stephon Marbury shipped to New York.

And maybe nobody stands to gain more from the deal than Barbosa.

The Brazilian point guard had a career-high 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting, four assists, three rebounds and two steals in a breakout performance at the United Center.

It wasn’t enough for the shorthanded Suns to avoid an 87-82 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

The Suns had a chance to tie it, but Shawn Marion’s three-point attempt missed in the final 10 seconds.

“It’s a good situation for me and a bad situation because of the guys who were traded,” Barbosa said. “I’m very sad about this. I never see this. But we have to keep our head up and keep going.”

Nobody was closer to Barbosa than Marbury, who bought him a sport utility vehicle early this season and took him under his wing.

“A lot of guys say in the NBA, and I believe this, ‘It is business,’ ” Barbosa said. “I cried when I know (Marbury) is traded. And P (Penny Hardaway), too. I’m very sad after this game. I will go call him.”

Pacers 87, Heat 65: At Miami, Jermaine O’Neal had his eighth consecutive double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds and Indiana earned its fifth win in a row.

Ex-Arizona Wildcat Loren Woods wasn’t with the Heat after being suspended for one game for unspecified conduct detrimental to the team during Friday’s win.

Spurs 98, Nuggets 74: At Denver, Tim Duncan had 30 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and San Antonio won for the 14th time in 15 games.

Duncan shot 10 for 15 from the field in recording his 28th double-double of the season and the 373rd of his career.

Jazz 108, Mavericks 94: At Salt Lake City, Raja Bell matched his career high with 25 points and Andrei Kirilenko added 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz.

Utah played without head coach Jerry Sloan and leading scorer Matt Harpring. Sloan missed the game to be with his wife, Bobbye, who has been ill. Harpring sat out his third straight game while resting a strained right knee.

SuperSonics 119, Trail Blazers 108, OT: Seattle’s Ray Allen scored a season-high 42, including seven points in overtime, to help the SuperSonics overcome a 23-point deficit.

The Trail Blazers led 87-69 after the third quarter but Allen scored 20 in the fourth, when Seattle outscored the Blazers 35-17 to send the game to overtime.

76ers 88, Bucks 76: At Philadelphia, Desmond Mason spoiled Allen Iverson’s return to Philadelphia’s lineup, scoring a season-high 24.

Pistons 78, Celtics 68: At Boston, Tayshaun Prince got seven of his 13 points during a key 11-0 run in the fourth quarter and Detroit held Boston to a season-low point total.

Rockets 83, Warriors 65: At Houston, Maurice Taylor scored a season-high 25 points for Houston.

Tucson Ties

How former UA players in the NBA fared yesterday

Yesterday Season Averages

Player, team Vs. Pts. Reb. Ast. Pts. Reb. Ast

Gilbert Arenas, Wizards No game – - – 18.9 4.9 5.1

Mike Bibby, Kings No game – - – 17.1 3.4 5.5

Richard Jefferson, Nets No game – - – 16.5 5.7 3.5

Chris Mills, Celtics Injured – - – 0.0 0.0 0.0

Sean Rooks, Hornets No game – - – 2.6 1.6 0.3

D. Stoudamire, Blazers Sonics (L) 22 5 6 12.9 3.5 5.9

Jason Terry, Hawks No game – - – 16.4 4.1 4.9

Luke Walton, Lakers No game – - – 1.8 0.7 0.8

Loren Woods, Heat Pistons/DNP – - – 3.1 3.3 0.2

PHOTO CAPTION: The Associated Press

The Suns’ Leandro Barbosa shoots despite having the hand of Bulls defender Rick Brunson in his face during the third quarter.

Suns at 10 games below .500 after road loss

By BOB YOUNG

The Arizona Republic

TORONTO – Despite blowing a lot of early opportunities, the Phoenix Suns were in position to win another game in the fourth quarter.

But they fell apart and lost, this time in an 83-73 matinee to the Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The performance left the Suns 0-2 in a four-game trip to the East.

The Suns move on to Chicago, where they face former Phoenix coach Scott Skiles and the Chicago Bulls tonight at the United Center. The Suns go in 10 games below the .500 mark in a season with a recurring theme: close but not quite.

“We just can’t close games out,” Phoenix guard Stephon Marbury said.

The Raptors went on a 10-2 run early in the final period to turn a one-point lead into a nine-point advantage.

In a game in which points were harder to come by for the Suns than a warm Canadian breeze in January, it might as well have been a 20-point difference.

Raptors guard Jalen Rose got eight of his 16 points in the final quarter. Vince Carter led Toronto with 23 points.

The Suns barely bettered their season low for points – 72 against Miami.

At least Toronto is a better team than the Heat.

Phoenix played pretty good defense until breaking down in the fourth quarter.

But the Suns were unable to solve Toronto’s switching defense, intended to keep Marbury out of the paint.

Normally, that would leave a Phoenix big man on a smaller defender and Marbury on a bigger defender.

The Suns have to rely on small lineups without the injured Amare Stoudemire and have virtually no post-up game.

The Raptors switched off on the Suns’ bread-and-butter play, the pick and roll, sagged off and dared Marbury to beat them from the outside.

“I thought our big guys did a good job on containing (Marbury) after some pick and rolls and took him out of their action,” said Raptors coach Kevin O’Neill, a former University of Arizona assistant coach. “It forced him to take jump shots, and that’s what we wanted to do.”

Marbury made five of 17 shots. And nobody picked up the slack.

Clippers 101, Lakers 98: At Los Angeles, the short-handed Lakers didn’t have quite enough to beat the Clippers despite 44 points and 10 rebounds by Kobe Bryant, season highs.

Elton Brand had 30 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots to lead the Clippers to the win, their third in the last 26 games between the crosstown rivals.

The Lakers played without Shaquille O’Neal, who strained his right calf Friday night in a 111-109 loss at Seattle and is listed as day to day.

In addition, the Lakers Karl Malone was placed on the injured list for the first time in his 19-year career.

Malone hasn’t played since spraining a ligament in his right knee Dec. 21 in the Lakers’ 107-101 victory over Phoenix.

Bucks 100, Wizards 94: At Washington, Michael Redd had 18 of his 27 points in the second half to lead Milwaukee over Washington.

Tim Thomas added 23 points for the Bucks, who followed Friday’s big home win over Dallas by breaking a three-game road losing streak.

Ex-Arizona Wildcat Gilbert Arenas, who didn’t start, scored 18 for the Wizards but was called for a technical for arguing a foul call with one minute to play, costing Washington a vital point.

Nets 95, Knicks 85: At New York, Jason Kidd dominated the fourth quarter, getting 19 of his season-high 35 points and engineering a 17-2 run.

Dikembe Mutombo tied a Knicks record with 10 blocked shots. New Jersey won its fourth straight and for the 12th time in 15 games.

Kings 130, SuperSonics 99: At Sacramento, Calif., Peja Stojakovic hit six three-pointers among his 24 points for the Kings, and Bobby Jackson had 21 points and seven assists.

Brad Miller had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who improved the NBA’s best record to 23-8 with the blowout win. The Sonics’ three-game winning streak was snapped by the Kings’ third straight victory.

Tucson ties

How former UA players fared in the NBA yesterday

Yesterday Season averages

Player, team Vs. Pts. Reb. Ast. Pts. Reb. Ast

Gilbert Arenas, Wizards Bucks (L) 18 3 3 18.9 4.9 5.1

Mike Bibby, Kings Sonics (W) 13 2 6 17.1 3.4 5.5

Richard Jefferson, Nets Knicks (W) 15 3 3 16.5 5.7 3.5

Chris Mills, Celtics Injured – - – 0.0 0.0 0.0

Sean Rooks, Hornets No game – - – 2.6 1.6 0.3

D. Stoudamire, Blazers No game – - – 12.6 3.5 6.0

Jason Terry, Hawks No game – - – 16.4 4.1 4.9

Luke Walton, Lakers No game – - – 1.8 0.7 0.8

Loren Woods, Heat No game – - – 3.1 3.3 0.2

PHOTO CAPTION: The Associated Press

Phoenix’s Casey Jacobsen (left) picks up a charging foul when he collides with Toronto’s Michael Curry during the Suns’ 83-73 loss.