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Nash and Stoudemire help Suns run away from Knicks

Jan 25, 2007 - 5:49 AM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- While the Phoenix Suns had an uncharacteristic start, Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash led them to a familiar finish.

Perfecting the two-man game down the stretch, Stoudemire had 30 points and 11 rebounds and Nash added 22 and 14 assists as the Suns tied a franchise record with their 15th consecutive win, 112-107, over the New York Knicks.

Shawn Marion added 20 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix, which has won 31 of its last 33 games, including two 15-game streaks. The Suns also reeled off 15 in a row from November 20-December 19.

"Especially (to have two 15-game winning streaks in the first 41 games) is tough," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We take care of business. Guys come out and play hard every night. We know when we should win. There are all kinds of reasons. We are taking care of the schedule. Hopefully, it keeps going, and we get better."

Nash was not as excited.

"I guess it's something. At the same time, we don't really draw a lot from the regular season," Nash said. "We are trying to do the best we can in the playoffs and win a championship and that is really our only focus."

Starting out playing sluggish, Phoenix committed six turnovers in the first quarter and was not forcing the tempo to get transition baskets. At the start, the Knicks turned it into a half-court contest and were trailing just 49-46 at halftime.

"I think there was a few factors (for the slow start)," Nash said. "Maybe the back-to-back was a bigger factor. It has been a while for us. I think maybe, after a big win that we had (Tuesday), there was a letdown a little bit, and I think we kind of, in some ways, bought into playing in the Garden a little bit early and tried to put on a show instead of just playing."

However, in the second half, the devastating combination of Nash and Stoudemire were too much for New York's defense. With other players on the floor becoming spectators, the duo ran pick-and-rolls that ended in numerous monstrous dunks by the 6-10 Stoudemire - demoralizing the Knicks.

"I thought we gutted it out," D'Antoni said. "We did a good job of taking care of business. We weren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination but we did what we had to do."

Phoenix outscored New York, 32-22, in the third quarter to take an 81-69 lead into the final period. Stoudemire, who was 9-of-14 from the floor and hit 12-of-16 foul shots, scored 16 points in the period.

"I came out in the third and wanted to get myself established," Stoudemire said. "I just wanted to get going, and that's what I was able to do. My teammates allowed me to get involved, and we were able to pull away with the win."

Nash was 7-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-6 from the arc. But his biggest contribution came with his unparalleled playmaking ability, recording his ninth double-digit assist game in his last 10 contests.

"We were just tough enough to get it done, but it was surely one of our of poorest efforts," Nash said. "It feels good."

Trailing, 89-72, with 9:19 left, New York went on an 18-8 spurt to make it 97-90 on Jamal Crawford's runner with 4:50 remaining. Crawford scored 15 points during the run to bring the Knicks close, but they could not overcome the high-powered Suns in the final minutes.

Crawford scored 23 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and Eddy Curry added 25 for the Knicks, who shot 47 percent (41-of-87) to absorb their fourth loss in their last five games. Curry left the game just a minute into the final period with a strained left calf.

"My first reaction was to try a foul and get him out of the game, and we'll see how he is (Thursday) and work from there," New York coach Isiah Thomas said. "I heard it was a strained calf, too. I don't know what the situation will be.

"It'd be tough but we'll manage. We'll find a way to make it work. We'll find a way to somehow scratch a win here or there."