Against the Lakers, Amar'e Stoudemire looked like crap, scoring a measly eight points. On Sunday night against Toronto, the star atoned for his worthlessness in L.A. by playing one of his all-around best games of the season. Stoudemire scored 30 points and had eight rebounds as the Phoenix Suns beat the Raptors 101-100 at US Airways Center.
The win gives the Suns a 9-2 record, best in the NBA. It is their 13th straight home win, dating back to last season, and it is their 18th straight home game in which they've scored at least 100 points.
The 5-5 Raptors definitely made this one interesting, though. The two teams seemingly traded baskets all night long, with the Raptors outscoring the Suns by only four points at halftime. The second half featured more of the same, with the Suns grabbing the lead with just under two minutes to play in the game. The Raptors' Hedo Turkoglu nailed a three-pointer with 1:34 remaining to tie the game at 98. Then, Turkoglu, who finished with 20 points, hit another basket to give Toronto a 100-98 lead.
With 38.9 seconds left, Steve Nash took control with one of his patented slashing layups. On the play, he was fouled by Jose Calderon. Nash made the free throw and the Suns had a 101-100 lead. Turkoglu then took what would've been a last-second, game-winning shot, but he missed. Game over.
Nash was brilliant once again, scoring 23 points and dishing out nine assists. Channing Frye stepped up again, too, proving to be a huge spark plug for this year's Suns. In 30 minutes of playing time, Frye was six-for-nine shooting to finish with 20 points. He also had seven assists. Meanwhile, Jason Richardson had a bad night shooting, but he pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.
On Tuesday, the Suns travel to Houston to take on the Rockets. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. TV: My45 (cable 9). Radio: KTAR-AM 620. More info: www.suns.com
