Steve Nash has won the MVP award in each of the last two seasons - with good reason. The Phoenix Suns have not experienced much success without their starting point guard.

The host Suns (4-6) hope Nash can continue to play through back spasms as they attempt to the New Orleans Hornets' four-game win streak when the teams meet on Wednesday at US Airways Center.

Nash returned from a two-game absence caused by his aching back on Monday, making a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left in a 113-110 win at Golden State. Nash finished with 19 points and a season-high 15 assists, helping the Suns for the third time in four games.

``Our record isn't where we want it to be, but it's only 10 games, and we're still learning how to play with this mix,'' Nash said after helping the Suns rally from a nine-point, third-quarter deficit. ``This one could have gone either way. We just hit that last shot.''

The Suns are 3-9 in the 12 games Nash has missed since the start of the 2004-05 season.

Nash has scored at least 11 points in all eight of his appearances this season, six of which have been double-doubles. He finished with nine assists each time he failed to record a double-double. His 18.8-point average is equal to the career high he posted last season.

Raja Bell had a season-high 22 points on Monday, shooting 5-for-11 on 3-pointers. Leonardo Barbosa, who scored 21, was 5-for-7 from 3-point range as Phoenix made 13 shots from beyond the arc as a team and earned its first road victory of the season.

With the Hornets' Chris Paul continuing his rise to become of the NBA's best point guards, the Suns might be in store for another fast-paced game. Paul had his sixth double-double this season with 11 points and 10 assists in the Hornets' 101-86 home win over Miami on Tuesday.

``I'm not sure we're that good,'' said Hornets (8-3) coach Byron Scott, whose team improved to 4-0 at home Tuesday. ``We're a pretty good basketball team, but we've still got a long ways to go.''

The Hornets' bench stole the show Tuesday. Reserves Bobby Jackson (14 points) and Rasual Butler(10) helped spark a 10-point run in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

``They came in and and really pushed the lead out for us,'' Paul said. ``That's what we needed.''

Peja Stojakovic, who made a late 3-pointer to help the Hornets beat Minnesota 99-96 on Saturday, scored 23 points to lead the team.

Marc Jackson scored 12 points in his first start of the season. Jackson replaced David West, who missed his fourth straight game with a strained right forearm.