CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek would have preferred to coast to the finish Friday night. His young players seemed determined not to make it that easy on him. The Suns nearly squandered a 17-point lead in the final 4 minutes before escaping with a 98-91 victory over Charlotte. The Bobcats got within five in the final minute, but couldnt get over the hump. "Im not sure what we were doing out there for a while, but well take it," Hornacek said with a sense of relief in his voice. "We lost the last four games so well take any win regardless of how it looks." Channing Frye scored a season-high 20 points and P.J. Tucker was perfect from the field as the Suns beat the Bobcats for the fourth consecutive time. Tucker scored 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting. He drained three 3-pointers and his only miss of the night came on a late free throw. Goran Dragic added 14 points and eight assists two nights after scoring 31 in a loss to Sacramento. Gerald Green chipped in with 14 points and Markieff Morris had 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench. "Man, Ill take a win but that was pretty sketchy at the end," Frye said of the series of missed shots and turnovers in the final 4 minutes. "Were young and still trying to figure out (how to close games), but winning is winning. Ill take that any day of the week." Gerald Henderson scored 17 points and Kemba Walker had 16 to lead the Bobcats, who have lost three of four. Al Jefferson returned to the starting lineup and had nine points and six rebounds after missing the previous four games with an ankle injury. The Suns led 74-63 early in the fourth quarter when they went on a 10-0 run, with Green knocking down a baseline jumper and Frye and Marcus Morris connecting on 3-pointers to push the lead to 21. That brought boos from the home crowd in Charlotte for the first time under new coach Steve Clifford with 9 minutes left in the game. "It was like we were a step slower and we made some mental mistakes and turned the ball over," Jefferson said. "We just didnt have it tonight." Still, the Bobcats showed theyre starting to get used to playing with a low post presence like Jefferson, something Clifford has said would take some time given how little Jefferson played in the preseason due to ankle issues. On one possession, Henderson fed Jefferson in the low post, got the ball back and then returned it to Jefferson, who scored on a layup while drawing a foul. "We have to learn to play off Al," Clifford said. "They played small and when teams play like that we need to be able to pound them. We have to be able to get him the ball. Again, thats not an easy thing. Post-up basketball, as Ive said before, is the hardest thing to get good at." Said Jefferson: "I think its just a matter of game reps. (But) its not something Im panicking about." The Suns jumped out to a 55-44 lead in the first half behind 11 points from Frye. Miles Plumlee was strong on the boards early for the Suns and finished with 11 rebounds. Walker, who excited Bobcats fans Wednesday night with 31 points against Brooklyn, scored just three on 1-of-3 shooting in the first half and Charlotte didnt make a 3-pointer. The Suns continue their road trip with stops in Orlando and Miami. "We needed a win," Tucker said. "Its been a tough four games for us. Were on the road now and needed to get a win. It got a little crazy at the end out here, but we finished and got the win." Frye said it helped that the Suns didnt put pressure on themselves for a change. "Were just having fun out there," he said. "I think I was more relaxed today. When you start losing everything you start to get real tight, so we cant be like that. We just have to get out there and have fun." NOTES: With Jefferson back in the lineup, Bobcats centre Bismack Biyombo didnt play after averaging more than 20 minutes over the previous four games. ... Charlotte finished 3 of 14 from 3-point range -- with all the field goals coming in the fourth quarter. ... Dragic has scored in double figures in six straight games. cheap world cup jerseys . LUCIE, Fla. cheap soccer jerseys . The Jets parted ways with wide receiver Santonio Holmes on Monday, cutting the talented but injury-plagued playmaker after four seasons. http://www.cheapsoccerjerseys.us.com/... . Canada improved to 2-0 with the win after shutting out Finland 3-0 in the tournament opener two days earlier. Matheson opened the scoring against the Italians by converting a cross in the 33rd minute. [url=http://www.cheapsoccerjerseys.us.com/]cheap soccer jerseys from china . Salamida, 29, has played the last four seasons with the Goldeyes. Returning to the team halfway through last season, he went 7-1 with a 2. cheap soccer jerseys for sale . Frans Nielsen also scored twice, Kyle Okposo had a goal and two assists, and Thomas Vanek had a pair of assists for the Islanders, who scored four straight goals after falling behind 3-1 with 8:02 left in the second.CHICAGO -- Kobe Bryant is riding a bike. Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant broke a bone in his left knee Dec. 17 at Memphis while playing his fourth game in five nights, likely sidelining the superstar guard for six weeks. The injury against the Grizzlies occurred in his sixth game back after he missed the start of the season while recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon. The pair of injuries for the 35-year-old Bryant raised questions about whether he would ever return to his previous form. But he said Monday night he had no doubt he would play at a similarly high level again. "There was before I came back the first time because I didnt know how my Achilles was going to respond to playing and changing directions," Bryant said before the Lakers played the Bulls in Chicago. "The game in Memphis I had a pretty good feel for it, getting back to being able to do what I normally could do. I feel confident about it. I did play that second half on a fractured leg and played pretty well. I feel pretty good about my chances." But the rehab from the knee injury has been slow going so far. The 15-time All-Star said he is limited to mostly bike work right now and any talk of a return is up in the air until he returns to the court. "Try not to think about it too much," he said. "Just go day to day." Playing without Bryant and Steve Nash, the Lakers had lost 12 of 15 heading into the game at Chicago. But Los Angeles had won two in a row since a six-game losing streak, with Nick Young and Kendall Marshall helping fuel the mini-recovery. The Lakers still face a long road back to contention in the loaded Western Conference, especially with their injury issues. Nash is out with a back problem, and the team also is missing guards Jordan Farmar (torn left hamstring), Steve Blake (torn elbow ligament) and Xavier Henry (right knee bone bruise).dddddddddddd "It just makes it harder," coach Mike DAntoni said of playing without two of the teams biggest stars. "Youre not quite as good as you were when you had the guy. The biggest thing is how to finish games off because you know where youre going if theyre on the floor. Youve got to figure that out." Henry could return soon. He is expected to step up his rehab work when the Lakers practice Wednesday in Miami. Even with his limited action, Bryant remains one of the most popular players in the league. He had the most All-Star votes among the Western Conference guards when balloting was announced Jan. 9. The fan voting was set to close Monday night, and the starters for the Feb. 16 game in New Orleans will be announced on Thursday. "Ive always looked forward to playing in All-Star games. Its always something thats been a huge honour," Bryant said. "With that being said, I havent played. I think some of the other guys who have been out there performing and playing well and are All-Star worthy should be the ones out there playing." Bryant isnt taking anything for granted in his 18th NBA season, especially with his injury problems over the last two years. All the time on the sideline also has provided more perspective on how the game has changed since he was a rookie in the 1996-97 season. "Its much, much less physical," he said. "Some of the flagrant fouls I see called nowadays makes me nauseous. You cant touch a guy without it being a flagrant foul. I think some of that are some of the negatives Ive seen change. But theres positives, too." 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