Nash Spreads Scoring Wealth

With five prolific scorers in the starting lineup, the onus falls on Steve Nash to satisfy and showcase each of them.

Every starter had between 14 and 19 shots in Wednesday's victory, the Suns' sixth straight.

"If we have patience, understanding and play the game the way it should be played, everybody will be involved," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Everybody will have their chances. Being 10-2 is worth the sacrifices they have to make."

Nash is making sure nobody has to sacrifice on offense, including himself. With a league-leading 11.7 assists per game, he has every starter averaging in double figures and picks his spots aptly, with a team-high .585 shooting percentage.

"It's a lot of fun to play with so many terrific offensive players," Nash said. "In some ways, it's difficult to get everyone involved, but at the same time it's a lot of fun."

Leandro Barbosa showed glimmers of the offensive game that made him a summer league star. His 12 points in 22 minutes Wednesday were a good sign that he will be able to spell Nash. Nash and Barbosa also shared the backcourt.

"I feel very confident," Barbosa said. "My ankle feels a lot better. I want to help give rest for Steve. I don't care about a lot of minutes. I care about helping the team win."

Q rating

For those who ignored the Suns' 7-1 preseason, Wednesday's game was an example of how Quentin Richardson played then.

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Marion the 4

Shawn Marion's 6-foot-7, 228-pound frame and penchant for three-pointers and fast-break dunks once made him look like a small forward playing against power forwards.

Now that he is one of the league's top rebounders (third in the NBA at 12.1 per game), there appears to be nothing makeshift about Marion's move to power forward.

There are no worries about how Marion can withstand matching up against bigger players, although he said it was difficult last season.

"I really feel like he gets banged up less than when he's running through picks and screens," D'Antoni said. "He's just standing behind guys because we're doubling down."

Free throws

Center Steven Hunter could not play Wednesday because of a strained tendon in his right wrist.