Stoudemire leads Suns over Rockets
Suns 111, rockets 105
Phoenix Suns' Grant Hill shoots over Houston Rockets' Aaron Brooks in the first quarter during a NBA basketball game on Tuesday Nov. 17, 2009 in Houston.(AP Photo/Bob Levey)
(Bob Levey - AP)
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009; 11:16 PM
HOUSTON -- Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points, Steve Nash had 16 assists and the Phoenix Suns recovered from a slow start to beat the Houston Rockets 111-105 on Tuesday night.
Jason Richardson scored 20 points for the Suns, who have won eight of their last 11 games against the Rockets in Houston.
Carl Landry scored a career-high 27 points off the bench and Aaron Brooks had a career-best 13 assists for the Rockets.
The Suns (10-2) rallied from a double-digit deficit to win for the fifth time this season. They're the only team to reach 100 points in all of their games so far.
Richardson's three-pointer with 8 minutes 11 seconds left in the third quarter gave the Suns their first lead since the opening minutes. Brooks hit a shot from the baseline before Nash made a pull-up jumper for his first field goal of the game, giving Phoenix a 63-62 lead.
The pace of the game picked up and the lead changed hands eight more times over the next 6 minutes. Landry dunked and Luis Scola sank a baseline jumper in the last minute of the quarter to give Houston an 82-78 advantage.
Nash returned from a short rest with 9 minutes left in the game and the Rockets leading 85-84. He immediately found Leandro Barbosa cutting inside for a layup, and the Suns moved back in front.
The teams traded baskets into the final minutes before Nash delivered his 15th assist to Richardson for a layup with 2:59 left that put the Suns up 100-98.
Brooks missed a short jumper and Channing Frye sank a three-pointer from the top of the key with 1:51 remaining that made it 103-98. Landry split two free throws and Jarron Collins converted a three-point play to put it out of reach.
The Rockets finished 9 for 26 from three-point range, after hitting five of their first seven attempts to take a 21-9 lead. Houston (6-5) also outrebounded Phoenix 14-5 in the opening quarter and led 34-22.
NOTES: The Rockets have reached 100 points in 10 straight games, the team's longest streak since a 12-game run in 1995-96. ... Phoenix is 10-2 for the third time in six seasons. ... The Suns' 22 first-quarter points were a season low. ... Hall of Famer and former Rockets C Hakeem Olajuwon had a courtside seat. He shook hands with referee Joe Crawford during a timeout in the first quarter.
