LOS ANGELES (NBA.com exclusive) --  With the score tied and the final seconds ticking down Wednesday night, Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash decided it was time to improvise.

He drove the lane against the Los Angeles Clippers, threw up a left-handed layup, and then watched it settle into the net with 5.5 seconds remaining at Staples Center. The Suns then bore down on the other end of the floor and forced Eric Gordon into an off-balance jump shot that missed badly, lifting the Suns to a 109-107 victory in their season opener.

"I went for the old-white-guy-at-the-YMCA shot," Nash said of his final basket.

In fact, the entire fourth quarter was vintage Nash. The two-time NBA most valuable player, who will turn 36 in February, scored 15 of his 24 points in the final quarter as the Suns beat the Clippers for the sixth consecutive time.

"He's a warrior," said Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry.

The accolades didn't stop there, however. All five Phoenix starters scored in double figures and the Suns also received key contributions off the bench.

Another veteran, Grant Hill, scored 19 points and grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds. Hill, who turned 37 earlier this month, had surpassed his scoring average from last season (12.0 points per game) by halftime.

Leandro Barbosa earned the start in the Phoenix backcourt after Jason Richardson was suspended for the first two games by the NBA after his conviction on drunken driving charges, and he made the most of the opportunity. Barbosa produced 10 of his 17 points in the second half, when the Suns chipped away at a 10-point defecit.

Amar'e Stoudemire, making his first start since last February after his season was ended with an eye injury, contributed 16 points and Channing Frye added 12 in his first game in a Phoenix uniform.

"We're not really sure how good we can be yet," Nash said. "This is a big win for our confidence, to win a tough game, one that wasn't necessarily to our favor."

One statistic that was glaringly un-Phoenix-like was the fast-break points. The Suns, who would like to return to the up-tempo pace that has been the signature of the franchise in recent years, had just one fast-break basket, compared to six for the Clippers.

"We've got to get out and run," Gentry said. "We get so conscious now of trying to guard the boards. Sometimes that limits us as far as getting out on the break. [The Clippers] did a good job getting back in transition defense. We didn't have very many easy baskets."

The Clippers, meanwhile, can look at poor free-throw shooting as one troublesome area. They made 15 of 27 from the free-throw line and ended up shooting a higher percentage from the field (55.8 percent) than the line (55.6 percent).

"We missed a lot of free throws," Gordon said.

Gordon also missed a layup on a nice pass from Chris Kaman with about two minutes remaining in the game, but he had a chance to make up for it on the final shot. He leaned into the defender and made contact, but no foul was called and Gordon was left sprawled on the floor.

About 10 seconds earlier, Clippers forward Rasual Butler had sank a 3-point basket to tie the score, 107-107.

"I had a good look and launched it," said Butler, who was traded to the Clippers from New Orleans in the offseason. "We were looking at the three, but if the drive was there we wanted to take the quick two and foul."

Butler was one of the bright spots for the Clippers, scoring 19 points off the bench on 7-for-10 shooting.

Marcus Camby had his best offensive performance in nearly three years, scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Camby had not scored more than 20 points since totaling 26 as a member of the Denver Nuggets in the 2006-07 season, the year he was NBA defensive player of the year.

Kaman just missed posting double figures in points and rebounds for the second consecutive night, totaling 22 points and nine rebounds.

Gordon added 16 points and point guard Baron Davis had another off shooting night, making just 4-of-11 field-goal attempts, but he handed out 12 assists.

"We need to play with energy, a sense of urgency," Butler said. "We need to continue to play hard, defend and make some free throws."