Stoudemire Leads Suns

[December 28, 2007]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Amare Stoudemire had 30 points and 15 rebounds and played stifling defense against Chris Kaman to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 108-88 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.

Stoudemire scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds in the first half as Phoenix opened a 59-40 lead, and the rout was on.

The Suns built the lead to as many as 36 points, the last time at 79-43 midway through the third quarter as they handed the outmanned Clippers their fifth consecutive loss and 14th in 17 games.

Stoudemire, who left the game with 3:25 to go in the third quarter and didn't return, finished 11-of-14 from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line.

Grant Hill and Leandro Barbosa both added 16 points for Phoenix, while Steve Nash had nine points and 12 assists.

Kaman, held to two points on 1-of-11 shooting in the first half, scored seven in the second half and finished with nine rebounds to end his streak of 12 consecutive double-doubles. He went 4-of-17 from the field.

Corey Maggette, back in the lineup after missing a game with a sore right knee, led Los Angeles with 21 points. Cuttino Mobley and Al Thornton both added 14.

Stoudemire dominated inside after being outplayed in the same arena two days earlier by Andrew Bynum, the Los Angeles Lakers' 20-year-old center. Bynum scored a career-high 28 points and had 12 rebounds in the Lakers' 122-115 win over Phoenix on Tuesday, when Stoudemire had 19 points but only six rebounds.

Maggette led the Clippers in the first half with 12 points and Mobley had 10.

The Suns were up 27-20 at the end of the first quarter and opened the lead to 54-32 on Barbosa's 3-pointer 2:39 before halftime.

Los Angeles' Tim Thomas sat out with a sprained left knee. He was hurt in the first quarter of Saturday's 99-90 loss in San Antonio.

Stoudemire had 11 points to help the Suns to their seven-point lead at the end first quarter, and Phoenix went 9-of-20 from the field to Los Angeles' 8-of-27. Kaman missed all five of his shots.

Mobley led the Clippers with eight points in the opening quarter.

Notes: The teams play again at Phoenix on Friday night. The Suns won the first meeting this season, 113-94 at home on Nov. 23. ... The Suns are 110-62 all-time against the Clippers in a series that dates to 1970-71, when the Clippers were the Buffalo Braves. Phoenix has won 11 of the last 13 regular-season meetings.

[Associated Press; By KEN PETERS]

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