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Gortat helps Suns down Bucks

Feb 3, 2011 - 5:17 AM Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Marcin Gortat came off the bench to score 19 points and grab 11 rebounds as Phoenix pulled away early to defeat Milwaukee, 92-77, at U.S. Airways Center.

Grant Hill posted 16 points and Jared Dudley scored 15 and collected seven rebounds for the Suns, who have won three straight. Channing Frye added 14 points and 13 boards in the win.

"It was a good win," said Phoenix head coach Alvin Gentry. "I think, defensively, we're getting better. The last 10 games we have given up less than 45 percent shooting; that puts us in the top 10 and I thought we started out the game really focused and doing what we needed to do."

Corey Maggette and Ersan Ilyasova each had 15 points for the Bucks, who were held to just 31.1 percent shooting and have dropped two straight since a three-game win streak. Earl Boykins chipped in 14 points and Carlos Delfino scored 10 in the loss.

Phoenix held onto a 25-17 lead after the opening quarter, and built onto that edge early in the second period with an 8-2 run finished by Dudley's mid- range jumper to make it a 33-19 contest.

The final eight points of the half were scored by the Suns as Hill's jumper with 23 seconds left made it a 52-31 game at halftime.

Phoenix held onto a 20-plus point lead for most of the third quarter and took a 71-53 lead into the final frame.

The fourth quarter started with a 12-3 Bucks run to cut the margin under double-digits, 74-65. Maggette had five points during the spurt and his jumper capped it off with 8:32 left to play.

But a few minutes later, Steve Nash's driving finger roll layup pushed the margin back to 15, 82-67.

From there, the Suns were able to close out the game with a double-digit lead.

"The game was decided before the fourth quarter," Boykins said. "The game was decided in the first half. When you play a team like Phoenix you can't allow them to get out to a 20-point lead and try to fight back, they're just too good of a team."

Game Notes

Milwaukee has lost 23 straight games at Phoenix...The Suns shot 50 percent from the field...Nash finished the game with nine points, 13 assists and six rebounds...Phoenix dominated the glass with 54 rebounds as opposed to the Bucks' 39 boards...Andrew Bogut did not play for Milwaukee because of a bruised right knee.