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Suns break into win column, down Hornets

Dec 31, 2011 - 5:52 AM New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Hakim Warrick netted a game-high 18 points, while Steve Nash had seven with 12 assists to lead the Phoenix Suns past the New Orleans Hornets, 93-78.

Jared Dudley added 16 points, Marcin Gortat had 12 and Channing Frye had 10 to go with 16 rebounds in the Suns' first win of the season.

"I think the whole team was outstanding today," said Gortat. "We had a lot of energy and we were focused on what we were doing. My belief is we will keep playing like that."

Carl Landry paced the Hornets with 17 points, Jarrett Jack followed with 12 and Emeka Okafor wrapped up New Orleans' double-digit scorers with 10. Okafor also had 16 rebounds.

New Orleans jumped out to a 10-4 lead early in the first quarter, but a pair of three-pointers by Dudley and Frye sparked the Suns, as they scored the next 10.

Four straight free throws by Landry then knotted the game, and the game was tied at 22 entering the second, which Phoenix opened with a 7-0 run. Shannon Brown ended the burst by hitting a three, then stealing the ball and slamming it home.

The Hornets stayed close, but Phoenix used an 8-2 run to stretch its lead to 43-33. The Suns carried a 52-45 lead into the break and dominated the second half thanks to defense.

While they shot 42.5 percent from the floor, including 4-for-12 from beyond the arc, over the final two periods, New Orleans shot just 26.7 percent (12- of-45).

A Nash three-pointer early in the third sparked a 10-0 run to put the Suns ahead, 68-51, and they never looked back, leading by double digits for the remainder of the third quarter.

The Hornets cut their deficit to single digits once in the fourth quarter. A 10-2 run had them within 82-73 with 6:04 left in the game, but Phoenix scored six of the next seven points to run away with the win.

"I didn't have the team ready to play tonight," Hornets head coach Monty Williams said. "I thought we didn't play hard, and that's a sign that I didn't do what we needed to do yesterday to have the team ready."

Game Notes

New Orleans held a 57-47 rebounding advantage...Brown finished with 11 points...Phoenix outscored New Orleans in the paint, 38-28...The Hornets grabbed an NBA season-high 24 offensive rebounds.