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Nash leads Suns over Warriors

Jan 3, 2012 - 2:17 AM Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Steve Nash netted 13 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter to go with nine assists, as the Phoenix Suns topped the Golden State Warriors, 102-91, at US Airways Center.

Markieff Morris finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Jared Dudley scored 15 points for the Suns, who bounced back from a 107-97 loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday.

Channing Frye contributed a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Shannon Brown had 10 points and five boards.

"I thought we did a good job of just grinding it out. We're still not shooting the ball the way we're capable of shooting it, but I thought we came up with big shots when we had to tonight," Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said. "Obviously, Steve shot the ball much better. I thought overall we did a good job."

Monta Ellis led the Warriors with 18 points and 11 assists, while Dominic McGuire had 14 points and nine boards. Brandon Rush scored 13 and Ekpe Udoh netted 11 for Golden State, which had its two-game winning streak halted.

After a tightly contested first quarter that was tied twice and featured five lead changes, the Warriors held a 26-25 lead.

Golden State shot 67 percent and was paced by Ellis, who netted seven points in the frame, while Phoenix shot 34 percent and were led by Nash, who finished the quarter with six points.

The Warriors built their lead to five early in the second stanza, but Phoenix responded with a 9-0 run to take a 34-30 lead with 8:49 to play before halftime.

The Suns then built a 41-36 lead with just over five minutes left, but the Warriors scored the next five point to tie the game, 41-41. The Suns led by as many as six in the frame, and held a 51-47 edge at the break.

Golden State opened the second half with an 8-0 run to take a 55-51 lead three minutes in before the run was snapped by a Nash jumper.

A three-pointer by Dudley tied the game at 55, and a 13-4 run by the Suns pushed the margin to nine with under four minutes left in the quarter.

A 10-4 push by the Warriors to close out the third frame left them trailing by only three heading into the final 12 minutes.

Phoenix pulled away in the fourth, opening the quarter with a 9-0 run to take an 81-69 lead with 9:25 to play in regulation.

Golden State came back with an 11-2 burst to make it 83-80, but the Suns answered with an 11-3 spurt of their own to push the lead back to 11 with 2:25 to go.

"You know, disappointing loss. You shoot 50 percent on the road you should come out ahead with a win," Warriors head coach Mark Jackson said. "Put teams on the foul line, turn the basketball over and give up 16 offensive rebounds, it's a recipe for disaster. I understand this is a process but this is a 66- game season and we need to speed up the process."

Game Notes

The Suns lead the all-time series between the teams, 134-80...Phoenix shot 45 percent from the floor and 35 percent from beyond the arc, while Golden State shot 41 percent from three-point range...Suns forward Grant Hill chipped in with eight points and eight rebounds...Warriors forward Kwame Brown scored nine points...Phoenix outrebounded Golden State, 49-36...The Suns turned 17 Warriors turnovers into 18 points...The Warriors have dropped seven in a row to the Suns and are winless in the last 13 meetings as the visitor in this series. They haven't won in Phoenix since a 110-100 victory back on March 18, 2005.