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PHOENIX - When the Phoenix Suns big lead was fading away fast in the fourth quarter, P.J. Tucker put a stop to the collapse.The Suns forward, not usually a big part of the high-scoring teams offence, scored 10 of his 12 points and grabbed seven of his 10 rebounds in the fourth quarter to help Phoenix hold on for a 106-98 victory over the worn-out Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.P.J. doesnt get a lot of opportunities, Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. But late in the games, he really gets tuned in.Goran Dragic scored 20 points to lead five Phoenix players in double figures.The Wizards trailed by 22 in the first half and 18 early in the fourth quarter before twice cutting it to four.It was our fourth game in five nights and we were playing teams that were pretty fast, Washingtons John Wall said, Denver and L.A. and now them, so it was tough. Im not looking for excuses but we definitely didnt have the same energy as we usually do.The Wizards Otto Porter scored eight consecutive points to slice the lead to 101-97 with 1:17 left, but Markieff Morris high-arching 15-footer with 23.9 seconds to go put Phoenix up 103-97.But it was Tucker from long-range and on the boards that pulled this one out.He drilled two big 3s to extend the lead back out there, Hornacek said, and then P.J. does what he usually does — gets big rebounds at the end of games.Phoenix, which hadnt played since Sunday, improved to 5-2 with one to go in its franchise-record eight-game home stand.Isaiah Thomas had 18 and Morris 16 for the Suns.Porter and Marcin Gortat scored 14 each for the Wizards.Washingtons standout backcourt of Wall and Bradley Beal were a combined 10-for-31 shooting. Beal was 5 of 15 for 13 points. Wall, who tweaked his ankle the previous night against the Lakers and has been bothered by migraines, missed his first five shots and finished 5 for 16 for 11 points.Brandan Wright scored 13, his most since coming to Phoenix.We let our inefficiency from an offensive standpoint drain our energy in the first half, Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. You cant do that — missing some easy layups, missing some easy shots. It just kind of sucked the energy out of us.Washington scored the first seven of the second half, then later mounted a 9-0 run to cut it to 62-57 on Paul Pierces driving layup with 6:39 left in the third.Consecutive 3s by Dragic, Thomas and Marcus Morris restored the lead to 76-59 and the Suns were up 80-66 after three.A lineup entirely made up of Washington reserves went on a 17-3 run to cut the lead to 91-87 with 6:58 left. The Suns scored the next eight, four by Tucker, to go up 99-87, but Porters scoring binge made it close one last time.They had their bench come off with some energy, some unexpected energy, Tucker said. But you expect them to make a run. In those type of games, when theyre making runs you got to get offensive rebounds and make sure you secure defensive rebounds and make free throws.The Suns swept the season series from Washington for the sixth time in eight seasons.TECHNICAL ADJUSTMENTCoach Jeff Hornacek has softened his no-technical policy. Trying to eliminate the flurry of technical fouls his players draw, he decided to bench anyone who got one for the rest of that game. Dragic and Markieff Morris did and sat as Phoenix lost the last two. Now the benching is at Hornaceks discretion. He wants the players to police each other.TIP-INSWizards: Nene sat out the game with a sore right foot. ... Paul Pierce returned after missing the Lakers game with a sore right big toe. ... Washington is 8-4 in the second of back-to-back games.Suns: Phoenix is 15-6 since going with a starting lineup of Bledsoe, Dragic, P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris and Alex Len at Charlotte on Dec. 17. ... Suns are 8-1 when playing on two days rest. ... Suns practiced at owner Robert Sarvers house when US Airways Center was being used for Super Bowl media day on Tuesday.UP NEXTWizards: Return home to meet Raptors on Saturday.Suns: Conclude eight-game homestand against Bulls on Friday. Philipp Grubauer Jersey . Perhaps as important, shes sending a message to 17-year-old gold medal favourite Sara Takanashi of Japan. Iraschko-Stolz relegated Takanashi, who has 10 World Cup victories this season, to second place in two of three training jumps Saturday. Colorado Avalanche Jerseys . -- Mississippis Andrew Ritter said his game-winning, 41-yard field goal felt good off his foot. http://www.authenticavalanchepro.com/Nat...alanche-jersey/. Chan captured two silver medals at last months Sochi Winter Games — mens singles and the inaugural team event. But he doesnt have the urge to resume training to defend his world title when the event is held in Saitama, Japan, later this month. Matt Nieto Jersey .S. Basketball Writers Association. McDermott, who finished his career at Creighton as college basketballs fifth-leading scorer, accepted the honour from Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson at AT&T Stadium, site of the Final Four. John Wensink Jersey . "I just think what it does for everybody in life is real simple," said Babcock early on Friday afternoon. "You dont give in. You just keep on keeping on. Is it going to go your way every time? No. But you choose your attitude and how you perform and how hard you dig in." Nearly four years to the day of the 2010 gold medal match in Vancouver, his team dug in with its best effort of these Olympics, snuffing out the high-powered Americans for another opportunity at gold.DENVER -- Patrick Roy showed as much boldness behind the bench as he once did as a Hall of Fame goaltender. The first-year Colorado coach made some risky moves late in the game -- like pulling his goaltender with 3:01 remaining -- and yet the ploy worked out. Its been that kind of season for Roy and his youthful squad. Paul Stastny scored 7:27 into overtime after tying the game with 13.4 seconds remaining in regulation, lifting the Avalanche to a 5-4 win over the Minnesota Wild in the opener of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Thursday night. "We believe in ourselves," said Roy, who won two Stanley Cup titles for the Avalanche as a player and helped guide the team back to the playoffs for the first time in four years. "Sometimes, youre not playing your best game, but the quality of our team is we found a way to win this game. Thats what you want in the playoffs." Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan OReilly and Jamie McGinn also added goals for Colorado. Stastny beat Ilya Bryzgalov with a close-in wrist shot in overtime, the same type of play Stastny used to tie the game in regulation. Not that the Avalanche were too surprised by the late rally because, "weve done it all year," Stastny said. Its becoming their calling card. "Once again, it shows character in this dressing room," Landeskog said. "Theres no quitting in here. We all wanted this so bad and we worked so hard to get home ice advantage and we werent going to let this one slide." This was a stunner for the Wild. "Its really disappointing. Were in the drivers seat," said Zach Parise, who had two assists. "Were in a really good position going into the third and really throughout the third we were in a good position. We made some mistakes and it was in our net and thats the game." Erik Haula, Charlie Coyle, Ryan Suter and Kyle Brodziak scored for the Wild, who try to bounce back Saturday in Game 2. "You have to learn from it," Suter said. "Learn that the games not over until its over and you have the finish the games." Roy made a bold move with just over three minutes remaining, pulling Semyon Varlamov for an extra skater. Erik Johnson saved a potential empty-net goal wwith over a minute left as he raced down the ice and slapped away the puck just before it crossed the goal line.dddddddddddd Moments later, Stastny beat Bryzgalov with a shot over his shoulder -- the capacity crowd erupted. The Wild took a 4-2 lead after a three-goal second period. They spent the final period trying to play a prevent defence, not allowing the Avalanche to take advantage of their quickness. OReilly stole the puck from Brodziak and slid it over to McGinn, who batted it past Bryzgalov to make it a one-goal game at 12:47. Roy hardly played things by the book as the team tied a franchise record with 52 wins in the regular season. That gamblers mentality certainly didnt change in the post-season. Roy said before the game that it was his job to "have a B plan and a C plan in our pocket" in case of an emergency. In this case, it was pulling Varlamov with plenty of time remaining. "Almost did it at four minutes," Roy said, smiling. Roys strategy almost backfired when the Wild sent a puck rolling toward the goal. Johnson chased it down and knocked the puck away before it crossed the line. He also bumped the goal off its moorings. Matt Cooke took a shot on the goal with Johnson lying in front of the net, which upset a few Avalanche players and led to some pushing and shoving. A big play overshadowed a bit by Stastnys theatrics. "What a comeback," Johnson said. "Thats the kind of stuff you dream about when youre a kid, winning playoff games like that." Although the underdog in the series, the Wild were actually one of the hottest teams down the stretch as they fought just to get into the playoffs. Bryzgalov provided a spark after he was acquired from Edmonton in early March. He went 7-1-3 down the stretch. But Bryzgalov has been inconsistent in the post-season over his career. Hes 17-20 and has allowed 109 goals. "Ive got no problem with his game," Wild coach Mike Yeo said of Bryzgalov. "Were all sitting here disappointed we didnt win the hockey game." NOTES: Earlier in the day, Wild players wore shirts that featured a picture of the Stanley Cup on the back with the slogan, "Take it baby!" above the coveted trophy. ... Avs rookie Nathan MacKinnon finished with three assists. ' ' '