Nash, Warrick lead Suns past Wizards 125-108

[December 06, 2010]  PHOENIX (AP) -- Steve Nash had a perfect shooting game and the Phoenix Suns are a perfect 3-0 in December for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

Nash was 8 of 8 from the field, including a 3-pointer, made all three of his foul shots, scored 20 points and had a season-high 17 assists to help the Suns beat Washington 125-108 on Sunday night, keeping the Wizards winless on the road this season.

Hakim Warrick had a season-high 26 points, and the Suns won for the fourth this season after trailing by 10 or more points.

"He's the reason I came here," Warrick, who signed as a free agent during the offseason, said about Nash. "It makes it easy playing with Steve. All you have to do is roll to the basket and he'll find you."

Nash was bothered by various injuries earlier in the season, but now appears to be healthy and at the top of his game.

"When he's feeling well, he's as good as any point guard in the league," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. "That was as efficient a game as you could have."

Wizards coach Flip Saunders and rookie John Wall also were duly impressed with Nash.

"He just killed us on the pick and roll," Saunders said. "Warrick came in and set screens and rolled to the basket and we did a poor job of handling at the point of attack.

"When you make a mistake against a good player, a good point guard like Steve, he's going to make you pay, and that's what he did."

Wall said, "You can learn a lot from him (Nash). He always finds people at the last second, always finds an easy shot. He's tough. He knows all the tricks of the trade and keeps you on his hip. He finds his teammates. There's a whole lot you can learn from him."

Washington is 0-10 away from home and has lost eight straight games to the Suns.

Jason Richardson had 21 points for the Suns, the seventh straight game he has scored at least 20, and their reserves chipped in with 58 points.

Warrick, who was scoreless in 7 minutes in his previous game, played nearly 29 minutes off the bench against the Wizards and shot 10 for 13 from the field.

"He was playing well, so he stayed in there," Gentry said. "He was more aggressive on the screens and freed Steve up."

Gentry pointed out that last season the Suns had a set rotation coming off the bench.

"I don't see this as that kind of a team," he said. "I think every night someone else will play well. As long as we have one or two guys who can step up we'll be OK."

Andray Blatche topped the Wizards with a season-high 24 points, Nick Young scored 20 points, Gilbert Arenas had 13 and rookie John Wall added 12 points and 12 assists.

Nash was spectacular in the first half, hitting all seven of his field-goal attempts and both of his free throws for 16 points, while adding six assists as the Suns took a 64-61 lead. Warrick also was outstanding, making seven of nine field-goal attempts and four free throws for 18 points.

The Suns trailed for most of the half, falling behind by 10 at one point, before outscoring the Wizards 14-8 in the closing 4 minutes, with Nash and Warrick accounting for 13 of their points.

The Suns trailed for most of the half, by as much as 10 points, before outscoring the Wizards 14-8 in the closing four minutes, with Nash and Warrick accounting for 13 of their points.

Blatche also had an accurate shooting percentage during the fast-paced first half, scoring 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor, and Young had 12 points in 7 minutes.

Wall was the ringleader of the Wizards' offense with 10 assists. He also hit a 22-foot bank jump shot with a tenth of a second remaining before halftime.

The Suns continued to display their high-octane offense in the third period while locking down on defense for the second straight game, and by the end of the quarter had opened a commanding 95-78 lead. During the period, Nash executed four perfect alley-oop passes, two to Richardson, and one each to Warrick and Channing Frye.

Overall, Nash assisted on eight of the Suns' 11 baskets in the quarter.

NOTES: Grant Hill, the Suns' 38-year-old forward, is averaging more than 14 points. If he continues that pace through the end of the season that would put him in select company. Only five players in NBA history -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Reggie Miller and Robert Parish -- have averaged 14 or moe at the age of 38 or older. ... Wall, who had played 12 games before Sunday, is the fifth NBA rookie to record 100 assists in 12 or fewer games, joining Oscar Robertson, Phil Ford, Damon Stoudemire and Breven Knight. ... Young has scored at least 20 points in a game five times this season, all off the bench, which leads the NBA.

[Associated Press]

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