Nash and Suns outlast 76ers 119-115

The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — Jason Richardson scored 29 points, Steve Nash added 21 points and tied his season-high with 20 assists and the Phoenix Suns beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-115 on Monday night.

The Suns eclipsed the 100-point barrier for the eighth straight game to open a season, which hadn't happened since the 1990-91 season.

Jared Dudley contributed 18, Amare Stoudemire added 17, Grant Hill had 11 and Channing Frye 10 for the high-flying Suns, who entered the game averaging a league-high 109.7 points per game.

Phoenix, which hit 15-of-30 3-pointers, has won three straight and finished its five-game road trip at 4-1.

Andre Iguodala scored 24 points, Marreese Speights added 20, Thaddeus Young had 15 and Lou Williams 13 for the Sixers (3-4). Elton Brand also had 10 for Philadelphia.

Nash, who signed a two-year, $22 million extension in the summer, turned in another impressive performance after putting up 11 points and 17 assists in Sundays 102-90 win at Washington.

Nash sparked the Suns with nine points in the third quarter as they outscored Philadelphia 30-20 to get within 86-84.

With the score tied at 106, Dudley grabbed an offensive rebound and scored. The Suns then scored five of the next seven points as Richardson converted a three-point play and added a layup — both on assists from Nash — to take a 113-108 lead with 1:38 left and seal the game.

The Sixers took a 102-94 lead on a basket by Speights with 7:07 left. But the Suns responded with a quick 6-0 run on a pair of 3-pointers by Dudley to close within 102-100 less than a minute later.

Iguodala scored 12 points by halftime and helped the Sixers to a 66-54 advantage thanks to 61 percent shooting. Philadelphia made 14-of-21 from the field in the second quarter and led by as many as 16.

Notes: Suns G Leandro Barbosa was probable with an inflamed right hand. He played 21 minutes and scored eight points. ... The Sixers had only four turnovers at halftime. ... Philadelphia rookie Jrue Holiday had converted his first six field goals this season before finally missing in the second quarter. The Suns had 32 assists.

___

November 09, 2009 09:51 PM EST

Copyright 2009, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.