Win Vaults Suns Into Tie Atop Division

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- This one didn’t earn the Suns any extra style points.

Considering how this fourgame road trip began, though, there were no complaints in the locker room afterward.

Phoenix slogged its way though the first quarter, found a groove in the second and third and then did just enough in the fourth after nearly fumbling away an 11-point advantage in a 110-104 victory Saturday over the New Jersey Nets at Izod Center.

“All in all, 2-2 on the road is definitely a success for us,” forward Amaré Stoudemire said.

“Right now we feel good about ourselves.”

“It wasn’t a bad trip,” added guard Steve Nash, who dealt with muscle spasms in his right shoulder to start the game. “We were very unlucky not to win three of four.”

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Stoudemire had a monster night, hitting 12 of 15 shots en route to 33 points and also grabbed 15 rebounds, his fifth 30-15 game this season. Twenty-nine of those points came in the final three quarters.

“He started off slow, so I kind of got into his ear and just told him you’ve got to pick it up,” said center Shaquille O’Neal, who finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. “I told him that he should be averaging 30 and 12 the rest of the year.”

Stoudemire also got plenty of offensive help as six players finished in double figures for the short-handed Suns. Grant Hill didn’t play because of a groin injury.

The game featured seven technical fouls and after a double-technical was called on Stoudemire and New Jersey’s Vince Carter with just less than eight minutes left in the third, the former went off, scoring 12 points on layups or dunks, the rest of the period.

“I was trying to dominate, trying to set the tone offensively for us and also on the boards,” Stoudemire said. “I guess he might have noticed that and wanted to stop what was going on. I wasn’t having it.

“Two Florida boys going at it,” he added. “He’s from Daytona, which is more of a nonchalant, soft part of town. I’m from Poe County, where we’re kind of a little more rugged down south.”

The night didn’t start well for Phoenix as it committed seven of its 17 turnovers in the first quarter and trailed 31-21. The Suns, though, rallied and grabbed the lead just before halftime, 52-51. They increased the advantage to 13 before the Nets got within three, 93-90, in the fourth. Phoenix, though, hit its free throws down the stretch — 8 of 10, including 2 of 2 by O’Neal — as New Jersey went cold (2 of 5 after hitting 16 of 20), hurting its playoff chances.

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