Suns blow lead then come back to beat Warriors 122-116
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Steve Nash had 14 assists, 13 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Suns past the Warriors 122-116 and eliminate them from the Playoffs.
Shaq added 19 points and 15 rebounds while Stoudemire led Phoenix with 28 points. The Suns also had 19 points from Barbosa off the bench as six players scored in double digits.
Phoenix shot well (52.4 percent to the Warriors 44.2) and controlled the boards, which is not an impossible task against a team playing without a center.
The Suns led 71-57 at the half before the Warriors came back in the third to take a 6-point lead (88-82) and a 11-point lead midway through the fourth. So, the Suns blew a 17-point lead but eventually emerged as winners after a 26-9 run to end the game.
Coach D’Antoni was a bit concerned about the Suns recurrent fourth quarter woes “I hope they’re waiting for the playoffs – I go to bed with that thought, because that’s the only way I can get to sleep. (…) But I’m kind of glad it happened that way – I thought we looked good at the end”.
“Hey, they’re good!” were the finishing words from Warriors coach Don Nelson. Thanks Nellie.
Grant Hill had to leave the game with a groin injury that’s been bothering him for the last couple of weeks. Grant should be ready for the Playoffs next weekend.
The Suns (54-27) still stand in sixth place in the West but are now tied with Houston and Utah while the Spurs are only a game ahead.
With only one game left in the regular season a few different scenarios are still possible. We’ll have to wait a couple of days as the Suns host the Blazers in the season’s finale on Wednesday (7 PM).
Yours truly, Steve Fan
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Posted by Steve Fan
Blogger and Steve Nash enthusiast. Don't get in his way, he'll MVP your ass.
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They cut it very close last night.
Did you see the guy in the stands holding up his personalzed suns license plate?
I had to pause my DVR and take a pic of my tv. I put it up on my blog.
www.platenuts.com
That’s a real fan ! Well done
Honestly I think the biggest story of this game was from the Golden State side. How do you bench your top player in Baron Davis for the entire second half in a must win game to prove a point about partying? Davis won’t be back next year.