Suns scorch Spurs to stay alive, Hornets, Cavs, Pistons win

Frenchman Boris Diaw collected 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and the Suns staved off elimination on Sunday with a resounding 105-86 home victory over the San Antonio Spurs in game four of their opening round Western Conference playoff series.

 On the brink of becoming the first team to be eliminated in the post-season, the Suns came out on fire with arguably their best game of the season in the wire-to-wire wipeout.

 "We came out and said, 'OK, the series is not over,'" said Diaw, filling in for injured Grant Hill (groin) at the small forward spot. "We came out fired up and as the game was going, we tried to keep that fire up."

   Though the Suns pulled within 3-1, they still face the unprecedented task of attempting to become the first team in NBA playoff history to overcome an 0-3 deficit as the series returns to San Antonio on Tuesday night.

 However, they have handed the defending NBA Champions two of their seven regular-season home losses and dropped an instant classic double overtime heartbreaker in the opener.

 "We think we can win down there because we've won in the regular season twice," said Suns point guard Steve Nash, who finished with 15 points. "But we have to play better because this is a championship team."

   Diaw also slowed down speedy guard Tony Parker, who had averaged 33 points in the series, including a career-high 41 in the 115-99 game three rout.

 Utilizing his long 6-foot-8 frame, Diaw held his smaller French countryman to just 18 points.

 "Mostly it was the pick-and-roll that hurt us," Diaw said. "I stayed close to him all the time and I tried to use my length to bother his passes and shots."

   Raja Bell topped the Suns with 27 points, including five three-pointers. Brazilian Leandro Barbosa had 15 points off the bench while Shaquille O'Neal finished with 14 and 12 rebounds.

 "We had a lot of good performances from different people and a sustained performance," Nash said. "Raja was fantastic, obviously Boris was great at both ends, and guys came in and made shots off the bench."

   The Suns raced to a 34-13 lead after the opening quarter and 65-43 at halftime sparked by Bell's 21 points.

 "They came out on us early, they were very aggressive, focused and we never recovered from that," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They just played their butts off."

   The Suns' assault continued as the gap widened to 79-49 when Nash nailed a mid-range jumper with 5:50 left in the third period. They took a 93-65 cushion into the final frame before completing the romp.

 Tim Duncan had 14 points while Argentine Manu Ginobili finished with just 10 for the Spurs, who shot a frosty 39 per cent from the field.

 Elsewhere:    New Orleans Hornets 97, Dallas Mavericks 84    David West scored 10 of his 24 points in the decisive third quarter, and the Hornets pulled away to grab a 3-1 lead in the first-round of their Western Conference series.

 Peja Stojakovic netted 19 points, MVP-favourite Chris Paul had 16 and eight assists for the Hornets, who snapped a 13-game losing streak in Dallas dating back to January 24, 1998.

 New Orleans can close out the series at home on Tuesday night.

 Reigning league MVP Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points with 13 rebounds while Jason Terry added 20 points for the Mavericks, who have lost eight consecutive road playoff games.

 Cleveland Cavaliers 100, Washington Wizards 97    LeBron James had 34 points, 12 rebounds, and assisted on Delonte West's game-winning three-pointer with 5.4 seconds left, sending the Cavaliers to 3-1 lead over the Wizards in their Eastern Conference series.

 The visiting Cavaliers led by 15 in the third-quarter, but found themselves tied at 97, after Gilbert Arenas banked in a off-balance eight-foot jumper with 28 seconds left.

 With the game in the balance, James dribbled down the clock before finding a wide-open West in the left corner for his fifth three-pointer, capping a career playoff-high 21 point night.

 Arenas looked to send the game into overtime, but his three-point try missed badly at the final buzzer.

 Antawn Jamison led the Wizards with 23 points with 11 rebounds and Caron Butler scored 19.

 The reigning Eastern Conference champions can eliminate the Wizards for the third straight season when they host game five on Wednesday night.

 Detroit Pistons 93, Philadelphia 76ers 84    Tayshaun Prince scored 23 points on 11-of-12 shooting, and the Pistons took control in the second half, to square their Eastern Conference first-round series at 2-2.

 Rasheed Wallace had 20 points with 10 rebounds for the Pistons while Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton chipped in with 18 points apiece.

 Trailing by 10 at halftime, Wallace tallied 11 points with three triples as the Pistons outscored the Sixers 34-16 in the third quarter. They took a 70-62 advantage into the final frame and stayed in front the rest of the way.

 Detroit hosts pivotal game five on Tuesday night.

 Thaddeus Young led the Sixers with 15 points while Samuel Dalembert had 12 points and 12 boards.

By Paul Levine, dpa