offseason.
He chose to ignore them.
Opting to re-sign with the Phoenix Suns sure looks to
have been the right decision for the All-Star point guard.
Jason Richardson scored 29 points, Steve Nash added 21
points and tied his season-high with 20 assists and the Phoenix Suns beat the
Philadelphia 76ers 119-115 on Monday night.
"I was a free agent and it was natural to explore my
options," Nash said. "Some people said I was a little crazy going back to
Phoenix because I wouldn't have as good a chance to win. I liked the team and
coaches and I was comfortable."
Was he ever.
Nash registered the first 20-20 in points and assists in
the league since he accomplished the feat in 2005-06 — a 28-point, 22-assist
performance Jan. 2, 2006 at New York. Those 22 assists still represents a
career-high.
"I felt good and had energy, even after a game last
night," Nash said. "I felt pretty energized in the fourth quarter when we made
our run and pulled away."
The Suns eclipsed the 100-point barrier for the eighth
straight game to open a season, which hadn't happened since the 1990-91 season.
Jared Dudley contributed 18, Amare Stoudemire added 17,
Grant Hill had 11 and Channing Frye 10 for the high-flying Suns, who entered the
game averaging a league-high 109.7 points per game.
Phoenix, which hit 15-of-30 3-pointers, has won three
straight and finished its five-game road trip at 4-1. The Suns are 7-1 overall.
Andre Iguodala scored 24 points, Marreese Speights added
20, Thaddeus Young had 15 and Lou Williams 13 for the Sixers (3-4). Elton Brand
also had 10 for Philadelphia.
"It's a little frustrating not to get the win," Brand
said. "We need W's."
Nash, who signed a two-year, $22 million extension in
the summer, turned in another impressive performance after putting up 11 points
and 17 assists in Sunday's 102-90 win at Washington.
Nash sparked the Suns with nine points in the third
quarter as they outscored Philadelphia 30-20 to get within 86-84.
With the score tied at 106, Dudley grabbed an offensive
rebound and scored. The Suns then scored five of the next seven points as
Richardson converted a three-point play and added a layup — both on assists from
Nash — to take a 113-108 lead with 1:38 left and seal the game.
"That was a big sequence for us," Stoudemire said. "It
got us a big win to finish the trip. The last game of a trip is one you always
want to get."
The Sixers took a 102-94 lead on a basket by Speights
with 7:07 left. But the Suns responded with a quick 6-0 run on a pair of
3-pointers by Dudley to close within 102-100 less than a minute later.
"We should have had it," Iguodala said. "We were up and
couldn't hold it."
Iguodala scored 12 points by halftime and helped the
Sixers to a 66-54 advantage thanks to 61 percent shooting. Philadelphia made
14-of-21 from the field in the second quarter and led by as many as 16.
"We have to play smarter and harder for 24 more
minutes," Sixers coach Eddie Jordan said.
Notes
Suns G Leandro Barbosa was probable with an
inflamed right hand. He played 21 minutes and scored eight points. … The
Sixers had only four turnovers at halftime. … Philadelphia rookie Jrue Holiday
had converted his first six field goals this season before finally missing in
the second quarter. The Suns had 32 assists.