LATE FRIDAY Suns outlast Cavs in game of misses

The teams combined for 110 missed shots as Phoenix escaped, 78-74.
PHOENIX (AP) -- There wasn't much motion in the Phoenix Suns' new motion offense in their home opener -- just a lot of clanging as the ball bounced off the rim.
In a game where the two teams combined for 110 missed shots -- 60 by the Suns -- Phoenix escaped with a 78-74 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night.
"I'm glad that one's over with," Suns coach Frank Johnson said.
Bo Outlaw and Scott Williams supplied a much-needed burst of second-half energy as the Suns used a pressing defense to pull them through.
"They were our MVPs tonight," the Suns' Stephon Marbury said.
Johnson said Outlaw deserved the game ball. Williams, who played only in the fourth quarter and scored six points, said he just followed Outlaw's lead.
"Bo did a great job coming in with a lot of energy in the second half that gave us a lot of life," Williams said. "I noticed that and tried to pick up on that."
Marion sparkles
Shawn Marion had 21 points and 16 rebounds. Marion's 3-pointer, the Suns' first of the season after 14 misses, put Phoenix ahead 73-68 with 1:27 to play. His two free throws with 1:05 to go made it 75-68.
"They hit the big '3'," Cleveland coach John Lucas said. "That was the game, and we missed a couple of lay-ups that could have won it for us. We didn't shoot the ball well and it just got worse in the fourth quarter."
The Cavaliers, who finished their season-opening road trip 1-2, led 59-52 after three quarters but shot 4-for-18 in the fourth.
Neither team could find the basket most of the night. Phoenix shot 33 percent and Cleveland 35 percent.
"We weren't always making the right play out there, that's for sure," Williams said. "But a lot of good things can happen when you're playing harder than you're opponent, and I think maybe that's what happened."
Marbury's two missed free throws with 14.4 seconds to play gave Cleveland a chance to go for the tying 3-pointer, but Bimbo Coles lost the ball out of bounds against the pressure defense of Williams.
Stoudemire seals it
Rookie Amare Stoudemire clinched it by making one of two free throws.
Marbury, who sat out the Suns' opener in an NBA suspension for a drunk-driving conviction, had 15 points and 10 assists for Phoenix. Stoudemire had 10 points and eight rebounds but shot just 4-for-15.
Ricky Davis scored 21 for the Cavs. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 17 points and a career-high 22 rebounds for Cleveland but was only 6-for-22 from the field, 2-for-15 after the first quarter.
"I shot the worst," Ilgauskas said. "Six-for-22. That's bad. I missed shots I usually make, and I couldn't stop shooting because the team needed me to score."
The Cavs never trailed after the game's first two minutes until Stoudemire's three-point play put Phoenix ahead 64-62 with 7:56 remaining.
Williams, who scored six in the fourth quarter, made a 16-footer from the baseline to give the Suns the lead for good, 68-66, then Marbury found Outlaw for a layup that made it 70-66 with 2:52 to go.
Learning new offense
Marbury said the team is struggling to learn the new motion offense installed by Johnson and his trio of new assistants.
"It's tough. It's going to take time. You're not going to get it right away," Marbury said. "At a certain time, we'll get it down. But as long as we stay patient and make plays when we need to make plays, that's the important thing."