Maggette, Ellis lead Warriors past Suns

[December 28, 2009]  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Corey Maggette scored a season-high 33 points and had eight rebounds, Monta Ellis added 33 points and 10 assists and the Golden State Warriors beat the Phoenix Suns 132-127 on Saturday to end a seven-game skid.

Stephen Curry added 13 points, including two free throws with 3 seconds remaining, as Golden State outlasted Phoenix in a game that featured little defense from either team. Six players scored in double figures for the Warriors, who had lost 13 of 15 before ending a four-game losing streak to the Suns.

Steve Nash had 36 points and nine assists for Phoenix, but the veteran point guard missed a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds that would have tied the game. The Suns have lost seven straight road games.

Maggette went 13 of 17 from the floor and scored four points in the final 90 seconds, including a follow-up dunk that gave Golden State a 127-123 lead after Ellis missed a jumper.

After Nash scored on a driving layup, Maggette made two free throws to make it 129-125. Nash, who had 19 points in the third quarter, scored on another layup but Anthony Morrow made a free throw before Nash missed the 3-pointer.

Anthony Randolph had 17 points, while Morrow and C.J. Watson had 14 points apiece for Golden State, who hadn't won since beating New Jersey 105-89 on Dec. 9.

Phoenix's Jason Richardson had 22 points against his former team while Amare Stoudamire had just nine points and seven rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

The Suns were coming off a 124-93 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Christmas Day, which might have had an effect late in the game against Golden State.

Phoenix led 108-104 after three quarters but was outscored 17-8 to start the final period and couldn't catch up after that.

Phoenix beat Golden State 123-101 when the two teams played at US Airways Center on Oct. 30. Warriors coach Don Nelson had a full roster to work with in that first matchup but since then the team has traded disgruntled forward and former team captain Stephen Jackson to Charlotte, lost Kalenna Azubuike to a season-ending knee injury and has been without injured starting center Andris Biedrins.

Surprisingly, the Warriors played better the second time around with less than a full roster of healthy players.

Neither team played much defense in the first half, a typical theme when the two Pacific Division teams meet. The Suns led 71-70 at the break.

The trend continued into the third quarter when Ellis and Maggette had 12 points apiece for Golden State. But the Warriors couldn't stop Nash, who made four 3-pointers, to give Phoenix a 108-104 edge.

NOTES: Golden State's Ronny Turiaf had seven points and five rebounds in his first game since Nov. 30. ... Biedrins (lower back strain) will try to play Monday when Golden State hosts Boston. ... Phoenix hasn't won back-to-back games since Nov. 27-29.

[Associated Press]

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