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Nash helps Suns edge Knicks

Jan 19, 2012 - 7:03 AM New York, NY (Sports Network) - Steve Nash scored 26 points, dished out 11 assists and went 6-for-6 from the foul line down the stretch to help the Suns snap a five-game losing streak with a 91-88 victory over the New York Knicks.

Carmelo Anthony, battling a sore ankle and wrist, shot just 5-of-22 from the floor, but made a three-pointer with 6.9 seconds left to pull New York within 89-88.

Nash was quickly fouled and made both free throws, the third straight possession the two-time MVP sank two at the stripe. New York, with no timeouts remaining, was forced to rush the ball up the court, and Iman Shumpert's off- balance runner was way off the mark, sending the Knicks to their fourth straight loss.

Marcin Gortat posted his sixth straight double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Grant Hill and Shannon Brown each netted 14 points in the win.

"It wasn't a pretty game," Hill said. "But it felt good to get a win."

Amare Stoudemire posted 23 points against his former team, Shumpert finished with 20 and Landry Fields chipped in 17 in the setback.

"We have to have more energy," Stoudemire said. "We didn't have enough to get a win tonight."

Brown scored nine points in the final 4:07, with his reverse layup putting the Suns on top, 78-71. Consecutive jumpers by Shumpert cut the deficit to three, but Nash and Brown each hit fadeaways around an Anthony putback for an 82-77 cushion.

A three-pointer by Shumpert was answered by Brown's baseline three-point try that hit the front of the rim, bounced high off the backboard and somehow went through with 35 seconds left.

Shumpert drained another from behind the arc to keep the hosts alive, but Nash's free throw prowess kept the Knicks from pulling even.

Phoenix led 20-19 behind Nash's 11 first-quarter points, and a back-and-forth second quarter ended with the Suns clinging to a 45-42 advantage.

There were six lead changes in an evenly-play third, with two jumpers by Hill in the final minute giving Phoenix a 64-61 edge.

Game Notes

There were 19 lead changes and 10 ties...Anthony scored 12 points and has 15,006 in his career...The Knicks shot 20-of-30 from the foul line...New York owned a 54-38 rebounding advantage but scored just four more points in the paint (36-32).