Nash's 20-20 lifts Suns over 76ers
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Steve Nash heard the whispers in the 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, 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 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.
Phoenix, who hit 15-of-30 3-pointers, have won three straight and finished their 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 Ws."
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."
