Suns knock off Nuggets, grab fourth straight victory

By Michael Kelly, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday February 4, 2010 2:31AM

DENVER (NBA.com exclusive) -- The Suns have been unbeatable and easy prey, and it's not even the All-Star break yet.

Unfortunately for the Nuggets, Phoenix is on one of those unbeatable rolls, and it showed Wednesday night in a 109-97 loss. Suddenly, the Suns (30-21) have won four straight and are a force again in the Western Conference playoff race.

"In the West it's going to be that way the rest of the season," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. "You're going to be in sixth place and out of the playoffs the next, and out of the playoffs one week and in fifth the next."

Two weeks ago, Gentry's team was falling fast. The Suns had lost seven of nine games, including a sweep at the hands of Charlotte. But something changed -- they started winning, and winning on the road.

Victories at Houston and New Orleans preceded Wednesday's game against the hot Nuggets, who, despite playing without Carmelo Anthony for five games, had won 13 of 16 since the start of 2010. But the Suns controlled the tempo and the play for most of Thursday's game.

It's been a theme of late.

"I just think we're playing a little harder, a little grittier, the same characteristics when we were playing well in November," said point guard Steve Nash, who had 17 points and 10 assists. "I just think we're a little tougher."

No one has exhibited that more than Amar'e Stoudemire. The 6-foot-10 power forward has been playing well of late, and he turned in another strong performance against the Nuggets, going for 20 points and 17 rebounds.

"The thing was most impressive in this game was rebounding," Gentry said. "He had struggled the previous games at home and I think he picked it up. He did a good job defensively. I think he's much more relaxed."

Stoudemire found relaxation on the road. With the trading deadline two weeks away, Stoudemire has been the subject of rumors, and Gentry thinks it has seeped into his play.

"It's tough and I think it did affect him last week," Gentry said. "One of the things that he said to me is being on the road makes it a little bit easier. You're not right there in Phoenix, and he's played great on the last two road games."

Stoudemire agrees.

"It's definitely great to be on the road and get away from all the trade talk for a while," he said.

Stoudemire said after the game he is leaning towards opting into the final year of his contract, which would be worth $17.69 million for next year. While he has until the summer to decide, he said he is looking at all options.

"It's in my contract so I have to make sure every option's available," he said. "That is an option of mine to opt in for another year. There's nothing more or less to it, I just have the opt-in clause."

The way he played against the Nuggets, the Suns probably wouldn't mind paying the money. He was aggressive in the low post while notching his 17th double-double of the season.

With 4:32 left in the third quarter, he posted up Nene and used a spin move and hit an 11-foot fadeaway jumper along the baseline that gave the Suns a 73-63 lead.

With 14.9 seconds left in the period he dunked off an offensive rebound and completed three-point play to give Phoenix an 86-72 lead heading into the fourth.

"When he rebounds we're a much better team," Nash said. "We know he can score the ball, but when he can get on the glass and do other things we become a little more dynamic."

It took more than a big game from Stoudemire to beat the Nuggets. The Suns had to make sure Chauncey Billups didn't celebrate his invitation to the All-Star Game with a big night against them. They effectively shut down the Billups, who was named the Western Conference Player of the Week at the end of January. Billups scored just 11 points and nobody else could pick up the slack in the absence of Anthony, who missed his sixth game with a sprained left ankle.

"It was tough all night," Billups said.

Phoenix has left a lot of teams feeling that way recently.

• Suns: Barbosa
• Nuggets: Anthony

• Suns: --
• Nuggets: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta, #52 Pat Fraher, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 19155
• Duration: 2:19