Two-times MVP Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns humiliated the
Washington Wizards 127-105 on Tuesday to win their 14th straight
game and avenge a demoralising early season loss to the Southeast
Division leaders.
Nash had 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting and handed out 14
assists to lead seven Suns scoring in double figures.
"Steve Nash is the ultimate playmaker," Wizards coach Eddie
Jordan told reporters.
"He is the MVP for reasons we saw tonight. He was picking us
apart."
Washington snapped the Suns' 15-game winning streak with a
144-139 overtime victory in December before a raucous sellout crowd
of more than 18,000 at the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix.
This time, with a 13-game winning streak on the line, the Suns
outplayed, outworked and outhustled the Wizards from the opening
tip-off.
"We have nights like this," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said.
"We can score. Some nights are better than others and tonight we
just hit all our shots."
Phoenix (33-8) raced to a 25-11 lead, deploying its run-and-gun
offense to perfection while the Wizards misfired on 12 of their
first 15 shots.
The Suns had a 41-20 lead after the opening quarter and the
Wizards spent the rest of the game trying to play catch-up.
"That first quarter was as good as it gets," Nash said.
"We've had a number of quarters like that this season. But that
was about as well as we can play offensively."
The Suns' lead grew to as many as 29 before the Wizards staged a
modest comeback to trim the lead to 13 midway through the final
period.
Washington (24-17) leads the Southeast Division and entered
Tuesday's night's play with the best record in the Eastern
Conference.
"They beat us, plain and simple," Wizards guard Antonio Daniels
said. "There are no excuses and we had no distractions.
"It is a maturing process and they are at a point where we are
trying to get. It is not something that happens overnight."
The Suns, the league's highest scoring team, trail the Dallas
Mavericks by just one game for the NBA's best record.
Guard Raja Bell and forward Shawn Marion each had 21 for the
Suns, who opened their five-game road swing before a sellout crowd
of 20,173 at the Verizon Center.
"This was an important game for us to start the road trip,"
D'Antoni added.
"We respect the Wizards. We had to play our 'A' game and we
played our 'A' game. Steve (Nash) was unbelievable tonight."
Gilbert Arenas scored 31 points for the Wizards, but by the time
he started hitting his rainbow jump shots, the Suns' victory had
already been sealed.
"We are not worried about it -- it's the NBA and you're going to
lose games," said Arenas, who scored 54 in the Wizards' December
victory over the Suns.
(China Daily via Agencies January 25, 2007)