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 The competition was less than impressive, but even though the Suns have the best record in the Western Conference, their lack of consistent effort has been a matter of much self-criticism. The recent performances left a better aftertaste.
"I just feel the mood's better," coach Mike D'Antoni said, "and now we get another road trip coming up, and we're going to take care of business. It feels pretty good."
Starting with a victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles, Phoenix takes a three-game winning streak into a four-game trip that starts Tuesday night in Milwaukee. The Suns could have Grant Hill back for that game. He's been sidelined for seven games while recovering from an appendectomy.
He will join a team gaining confidence.
"I don't judge us on how many shots we make," Steve Nash said. "It's just a matter of how much energy we bring. We played with consistent energy the last three games. That's important. The only way we can get better as a team is if we have that consistent energy."
Amare Stoudemire had 28 points and the Suns made it 14 in a row at home over New Jersey by handing the Nets their fifth straight loss.
Raja Bell added 20 points, including 5 of 10 3-pointers. New Jersey hasn't won in Phoenix since March 13, 1993.
Six players, including all five starters, scored in double figures for the Suns. Shawn Marion had 16 points and 11 rebounds and matched his season high with five steals. Boris Diaw had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Nash had 13 points and nine assists and Leandro Barbosa added 12 points as Phoenix matched its season high of five straight home wins.
Richard Jefferson scored 24 for the Nets, who lost 120-107 in overtime to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
"I think today was a valuable lesson for some of our young guys," Jefferson said. "First time playing against Phoenix, Josh (Boone) and Sean (Williams), to see how Amare runs the floor, to see the amount of communication that you need against a team like this."
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Phoenix led by 18 in the first half and was up 11 at the break. New Jersey, on the second stop of a six-game trip, never got closer than nine in the second half.
"Basically they were able to go where they wanted to go," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said, "Seventeen offensive rebounds, they shot 41 percent from 3, took us off the dribble, and then we ran out of points. It's hard to overcome 116."
The Suns took a 35-20 lead after one quarter and were up 38-20 when Barbosa opened the second quarter with one of Phoenix's 12 3-pointers
-- in 29 attempts.
Frank switched to a small lineup and it helped for awhile.
After the Nets cut it to 12, Phoenix scored six straight, capped by Bell's 3 to go up 54-36 with 2:49 left in the half.
New Jersey, though, scored the next seven, and Jefferson's three-point play cut the lead to 54-43 1:33 from the break. Phoenix led 56-45 at halftime. The Suns were 8-for-17 from 3-point range in the first half, compared with New Jersey's 1-for-7.
Jason Kidd's 20-footer brought the Nets as close as they would get, 65-56, with 7:39 left in the third. Stoudemire, though, scored the next six points to boost the lead to 71-56 on his emphatic driving dunk over Williams.
In all, Stoudemire scored 10 consecutive Phoenix points. His dunk on a feed from Nash made it 73-60 with 5:53 left in the third. The Suns ended the quarter with a 7-2 spurt, the final two on Barbosa's 22-footer with 5.8 seconds left, and led 89-73 entering the fourth.
New Jersey never got closer than 14 after that.
Notes: Phoenix is 15-2 against the Eastern Conference. ... Marion has had five steals in a game four times this season. ... Frank is the sixth coach for the Nets since New Jersey last won at Phoenix. ... Hall of Famer Bill Russell, part of a Martin Luther King symposium before the game, drew a standing ovation when introduced in the first quarter.
[Associated Press; By BOB BAUM]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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