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 NFL Jerseys China . Parker had 22 points in his return from an eight-game absence, Tim Duncan added 19 points and 16 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs escaped with a 104-97 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz on Friday night. Jerseys NFL Cheap . - A well-known member of the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame will speak out against racism later this month in a southern Manitoba town thats trying to shed any image that its racist. http://www.jerseysnflcheap.us.com/ . Kubel hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to rally the Diamondbacks past Aroldis Chapman and the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 Saturday night for their fourth straight victory. Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale .Y. -- Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta was released from the hospital Wednesday, after absorbing a hard hit late in the first period of Buffalos 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs Tuesday in Toronto. Cheap Jerseys China . The Rock and Knighthawks will play Dec. 15 at the Bell Centre. It will be the first pro lacrosse played in the city since the short-lived Montreal Express left a decade ago. "The Quebec Lacrosse Federation got involved with this event because we want to contribute in a concrete way to getting a professional lacrosse franchise back in Montreal," federation director Pierre Filion said in a statement.VANCOUVER - The opportunity to play one of the best soccer clubs in the world is generating restrained enthusiasm from a Vancouver Whitecaps team more focused on trying to gain some traction in an MLS season that is slowly slipping away from them. The Whitecaps will play FA Cup champion Manchester City this evening. The friendly is expected to draw over 20,000 fans to Empire Field hoping to watch big names like English international goalkeeper Joe Hart and Spanish midfielder David Silva. Dont miss a minute of the action, live on TSN at 10pm et/7pm pt. Also available on TSN Mobile TV. Some of the younger Whitecaps might have stars in their eyes, but veterans like Joe Cannon are not mustering the same excitement. "These games are good for the fans, but thats about it," said the Whitecaps keeper, who has faced English Premier League teams like Chelsea and Tottenham while playing for other Major League Soccer clubs. "Im over the whole this is Manchester City thing. Some of the guys who get on the field will appreciate it a lot more than I would. I think because of how we are doing right now, that game is not important at all to me. Im more focused on how we do in league play and trying to get us higher on the table. Defender Alain Rochat, who has played in the UEFA Champions League as a member of the Swiss club FC Zurich, questioned the timing of the game. The friendly was supposed to be sandwiched between league matches against Real Salt Lake at home Saturday and in San Jose on Wednesday. However, the Real game was postponed due to wet field conditions directly related to the laying of sod for the friendly against City. Team officials said they were still working on removing water from the pitch Sunday, but were cautiously optimistic that the game would go ahead as planned. A combination of five flood trucks, sub pumps and suction, are being used to assist with the natural drying process of the pitch. "Weve covered the pitch and protected it as much as possible," said Whitecaps CEO Paul Barber. "(Sunday) morning we lifted as much water off the covers as we could. Every moment of the afternoon has been spent getting more water off of the surface and that work will carry on into the night and into (Monday). "Were increasingly confident that the game will be fine for (Monday) night." A final decision on whether the pitch is suitable will be made sometime Monday. There is some good news, as the early forecast calls for sun with a high of 16 C. "Were going to be looking to make a final decision around mid-afternoon,” Barber said. "Obviously we need to talk with Manchester City, we need to consult with the referees and we also need to consult with Major League Soccer — well do everything possible up until the last possible moment to make sure the game goes ahead." Whitecaps FC captain Jay DeMerit didnt think the condition of the pitch was going to be an issue. "The thing about fields like that is both teams have to play on it," DeMerit said. "Its not necessarily a disadvantage, its just about making sure guys are doing the right things on the field. "The field itself, hopefully through the next 24 hours can get a lot of maintenance done on it and it should be fine." The rain was nothing new to the Manchester players. "We landed in (Los Angeles) and it was sunny, we come here and its straight to rain so its just like Manchester," defender Micah Richards said. It wouldnt be the first time rain has caused a hitch in the Whitecaps plans this season. On May 25, Vancouver was leading the second leg of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship 1-0 over Toronto FC when the game was abandoned after 60 minutes and had to be replayed in its entirety. TToronto won the replay 2-1.dddddddddddd The first-year Whitecaps have one of the worst records in MLS and their chances of making the playoffs are fading. The match may be a bit of a busmans holiday, allowing the Whitecaps a chance to play for fun. "Its something we can put our problems and the league away and just enjoy this game," said Rochat. "Right now, it doesnt mean nothing." Whitecaps coach Tom Soehn sees the match as more of an opportunity. "I think through my days in (DC United) we played Real Madrid a couple times, Chelsea and now Man City – its an unbelievable opportunity to play against some of the best players in the world and showcase your talent against them," he said. Manchester City has earned the reputation of a rich team not afraid to throw around money. Owner Sheikh Mansour comes from an Abu Dhabi royal family that has an estimated fortune of US$1 trillion. Mansour has spent around $1 billion overhauling Manchester Citys roster in less than three years. The Whitecaps play under a salary cap of $2.6 million a year. Vancouver striker Eric Hassli, one of the Whitecaps two designated players, is paid $900,000 a season. Defender Bilal Duckett, a 22-year-old from Peachtree City, Ga., earns $32,600. Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy collects $129,000 a week. "It is what it is," shrugged Duckett, one of the young players likely to see action Monday night. "If you get caught up thinking in terms of salary, things will become a little overwhelming. "Nobody on the field sees dollar signs while you are playing. You can play just as well as any of these guys, and your day will come eventually." Manchester City is touring North America as part of its pre-season training. Brian Kidd, the teams assistant manager, said players will be fighting for jobs and looking to perform on the pitch. "Players are playing for their places," Kidd said during a telephone conference call. "They cant afford to sit back and relax. "There is very good competition for places on the squad. Everybody will be trying. The boss (manager Roberto Mancini) will be going with a strong team. All the so-called, well-known players will be playing. Other Manchester City stars making the trip include recently acquired French defender Gael Clichy, England international Shaun Wright-Phillips and Yaya Toure. "Its another opportunity for us to see new teams, play new players and experience new experiences," Hart said. "The goal is to try and get fit ultimately." Duckett admitted its hard not to be impressed. "Some of these guys are guys I watched and studied when I was much younger, he said. "You are watching the World Cup and these are all the guys you are looking at. Over 20,000 tickets have been sold for the match. The Whitecaps added an extra 3,000 last week. Fans attending the game will have a chance to have their photo taken with the FA Cup, which Manchester City captured this year for the fifth time in club history. A $5 donation is required, with the money going to charity. The Whitecaps are paying $200,000 to lay temporary grass on the artificial turf at Empire Field for the game. A lot of the noise being generated around the game will disappear once the players take the field. "After that first tackle, the competitive nature comes out and people start playing harder and harder," said Vancouver defender Jordan Harvey. "They have guys competing for jobs. It will be fun." Even Duckett says he wont be intimidated. "As soon as the whistle blows they are just like anybody else," he said. "During the game, I kick them just like I kick anybody else." - With files from Dhiren Mahiban. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '