Steve Nash scored 25 of his 30 points in the
second half to carry the Suns to a 104-96 victory over the Heat in a battle of
early undefeated clubs at American Airlines Arena.
"I didn't really play great in the first half," Nash admitted. "I wanted to be
aggressive and give my teammates a chance to get back in the game. I was just
trying to put more pressure on the defense."
Nash hit four three-pointers and doled out eight assists for Phoenix, which
has won its first four games of the year. Amare Stoudemire posted 16 points
and 11 rebounds, and Grant Hill also recorded a double-double with 10 and 12.
Jason Richardson netted 14 points for the Suns, who outscored Miami, 29-15, in
the fourth quarter.
Dwyane Wade's 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists weren't enough to
move the Heat to 4-0. Quentin Richardson ended with 18 points and 10 boards,
while Jermaine O'Neal and Michael Beasley chipped in 14 and 12 points,
respectively.
Udonis Haslem pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds to go with 10 points in the
loss.
The Suns trailed the entire second half until Jason Richardson buried a three
from the left corner to tie it, 84-84, with eight minutes left in the game.
Jared Dudley's three-point play gave the visitors the lead, and back-to-back
Nash and Jason Richardson three-balls around a Quentin Richardson jumper
extend the margin to 95-88.
Nash converted a three-point play after the teams traded points for a 102-93
cushion with two minutes left, and the Heat missed their final three attempts
from downtown to fall just short.
"It just came down to the Suns sustaining it," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra
said. "They got to their game more consistently and did better getting to
their game than we did getting to our game in the second half."
The Heat led, 26-23, after the first quarter. After giving up the lead early
in the second, a 17-1 run highlighted by two Beasley dunks and a Wade throw-
down made it 50-37 with under three minutes to play before intermission.
Phoenix trimmed its deficit to 52-44 at the break and made it a six-point
game, 81-75, heading to the game-altering final period.
Game Notes
Phoenix is 4-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season...Miami started 3-0
for the first time since the 2004-05 squad kicked off the campaign with four
consecutive triumphs...The Suns were without guard Leandro Barbosa (wrist)...
Miami's Daequan Cook sat out with a strained right shoulder...Louis Amundson
had 10 points off the bench for Phoenix, which shot 50.6 percent from the
field, compared to Miami's 40-percent effort.
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