Nash has 20 assists, Suns rout Warriors 123-101

By BOB BAUM, AP Sports Writer Oct 31, 1:42 am EDT

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PHOENIX (AP)—Anybody waiting for Steve Nash(notes) to show his age, well, keep waiting.

The 35-year-old point guard scored 18 points and had the sixth 20-assist game of his career Friday night in Phoenix’s 123-101 rout of the Golden State Warriors in the Suns’ home opener.

The performance came two nights after he scored 14 fourth-quarter points, including the game-winning basket, in the Suns’ season opener at the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I’ll wait for you guys to decide when I’m over the hill,” Nash said.

All five Phoenix starters scored in double figures, led by Leandro Barbosa’s(notes) 24 points. Channing Frye(notes), the former University of Arizona star making his home debut for the Suns, added 22, including making 6 of 7 3-pointers, four in the fourth quarter.

Amare Stoudemire added 20 points and Grant Hill(notes) had 18 for Phoenix.

Monta Ellis(notes) led the Warriors with 19 points, while Kelenna Azubuike(notes) added 17.

Nash’s 20 assists were two shy of his career high, set in a triple-overtime game against New York on Jan. 2, 2006.

He narrowly missed his first 20-point, 20-assist game in regulation. He had one in that three-overtime game against the Knicks.

Nash had 21 assists—his fifth game with 20 assists—at Detroit last Feb. 8.

He said the 20-assist mark was no big deal.

“It’s better than getting four,” Nash said, “but for me I want to win the game. I can get five assists or 20 assists and if we win, it doesn’t matter. If you get a bunch of assists, it means a lot of guys are scoring—which is nice.”

He said the Suns need to win the few early season games they have at home.

“I think everyone knows—17 of 26 on the road to start the season—so we’ve got to win some of these early ones and we’ve got to win some of these home games so that we can give ourselves a little confidence,” Nash said, “and a little breathing room so if we lose a couple it’s not the end of the world.”

Golden State rookie point guard Stephen Curry(notes), who had 12 points and four assists, got an up-close look at Nash.

“He saw a great point guard tonight that he would like to emulate,” Warriors coach Don Nelson said.

Nash understands the comparisons people have made between him and Curry.

“I think there are a lot of similarities,” Nash said. “… I really like his game. I think he’s going to have a fantastic career and I really look forward to watching him develop.”

Barbosa, starting in place of the suspended Jason Richardson(notes), scored 12 points in the second quarter when Phoenix took control. Stoudemire had 10 points in the third as the Suns pulled away.

Phoenix shot 54 percent, including making 12 of 22 3s, compared with 46 percent shooting for the Warriors.

“They dominated the whole game,” Golden State’s Stephen Jackson(notes) said. “We were real soft out there.”

Up 62-51 at halftime, Phoenix scored the first five points of the third quarter—on Barbosa’s three-point play and Stoudemire’s fastbreak dunk—to take a 16-point lead.

“We made it pretty easy for them, I thought,” Nelson said.

Frye, buried on the bench in Portland last season, made his first six 3s, including four in a row in the fourth quarter to help Nash reach the 20-assist mark. Coach Alvin Gentry kept Nash in the game until there was 2:53 to play.

“Everybody’s just so unselfish on this team, it makes it fun to be out there,” Frye said. “It’s tough for me to get used to people yelling at me for not shooting.”

NOTES: Richardson was suspended by the NBA for the first two games of the season because of his drunken driving conviction stemming from an arrest last December. … Representatives of the WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury drew a standing ovation when introduced during a break in the first quarter. … Azubuike had nine points and four fouls in 11 minutes in the second quarter.

Updated Oct 31, 1:42 am EDT
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Phoenix at New York

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43 Comments

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  1. Gabriel
    43. Posted by Gabriel Tue Nov 3 2:37am EST

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    how does a team play one game in between fridays? The way the NBA schedules games trips me out!
  2. andrew m
    42. Posted by andrew m Mon Nov 2 8:16pm EST

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    huge warrirors fan here.. but boycotting the team till management shapes up.
  3. jim l
    41. Posted by jim l Mon Nov 2 9:10am EST

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    Nash still a beast in his 30's
  4. who
    40. Posted by who Sun Nov 1 4:25am EST

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    im a steve nash fan and im happy for him that he still plays well
  5. Joseph
    39. Posted by Joseph Sat Oct 31 10:58pm EDT

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    Steve Young is the greatest!
  6. itssofine2
    38. Posted by itssofine2 Sat Oct 31 6:36pm EDT

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    Way to take charge Steve; Great Game!
  7. <i>bendgod</i>
    37. Posted by bendgod Sat Oct 31 4:22pm EDT

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    Great game Steve. One of the best point guards ever to play in the NBA. Have to give respect where respect is due. I used to like the Suns till they switched GM's and let Kerr tear the team apart. Don't like the Shaq deal and glad he is gone but when you let coach get away and several of your top players in recent years....you turned me into a Lakers fan. Wish Nash played for them. Still...great game Steve Nash. You da man.
  8. <i>l_i_wcali</i>
    36. Posted by l_i_wcali Sat Oct 31 3:57pm EDT

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    Warriors just look horrible, we need to get rid of monta ellis and steven jackson and then maybe we have a chance to be interesting at least. Im sick and tired of all these forwards who are trying to do something they cant, we have a decent center and backup though they are more power forward then anything, we have a guy who thinks he can play power forward but he needs to bulk up (im not that big of a fan of randoph) Ellis hates curry you can really really see it, wont look for him on the court and everything its really really annoying. I might have to become a sacramento kings fan at least they are going to be somewhere in the next 2 years (i've been fallowing the warriors ever since they got adonal foyle). Well heres to another wasted year for the golden state warriors thanks guys.
  9. amanda
    35. Posted by amanda Sat Oct 31 3:26pm EDT

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    Warriors,Raiders,A's I feel sorry 4 oakland sports fans!! What a joke
  10. CALI NINER
    34. Posted by CALI NINER Sat Oct 31 3:02pm EDT

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    thats what happens when you dont play defene. the warriors need a real center bad! GO SUNS!!!
  11. <i>kunaal1027</i>
    33. Posted by kunaal1027 Sat Oct 31 2:50pm EDT

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    phoenix is my favorite team
    and nash is one of my favorite players.
    he is like the best point guard ever
  12. DW
    32. Posted by DW Sat Oct 31 1:55pm EDT

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    Is it me or does Louis Amundson look like a prehistoric cro-magnon these days?. The sunken eyes, the beard, the pony tail, he looks like a freakin prehistoric cro-magnon!. I really wish he would loose the pony tail and shave the beard. I'm sure if he did maybe he would not be so damn freaky looking. And by the way, Louis, keep your mouth shut and your teeth protector in your mouth. GO SUNS!!!!. By the way, rocky63215, for your information, Steve Nash was born in South Africa, then his parents moved to Vancouver, British Columbia when he was 3, so in reality, Steve Nash is more Canadian than he his South African.
  13. SocalDaze
    31. Posted by SocalDaze Sat Oct 31 12:43pm EDT

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    Here we go again. It seems nothing has changed for the positive ro the W's. Not to get down early, but seriously, although individual players could be good or even great, the 'team' totally sucks! I'm ducking out early this season. Good thing I got NBA League Pass, at least I can watch some other quality ball. Staying away from Colliseum this year:(.
  14. <i>broken_wings13@...</i>
    30. Posted by broken_wings13@... Sat Oct 31 12:35pm EDT

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    Great! keep it going SUNS!
  15. NBAdraftRoom.com
    29. Posted by NBAdraftRoom.com Sat Oct 31 12:30pm EDT

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    at some point the warriors (and their fans) are going to get tired of losing and decide that defense actually does matter. Until then, bombs away for whoever plays them. On the plus side, Curry is looking like he belongs in the NBA. They need to draft a shot blocker and/or a low post threat next year. Luckily next years draft is full of power forwards and centers
  16. tony s
    28. Posted by tony s Sat Oct 31 11:47am EDT

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    Everyone on the azcentral are probably celebrating as if they won a championship. the game had less defense than an all star game. wait until the suns play a real team. just as history has show everyone, steve nash & the d antoni style wins nothing! i couldn't even call the game fun to watch because it is the same losing style they have played for years. it does make nash look better than he really is & it will fill their arena with delusional fans. same old, same old. seriously, if you want a good laugh, go to azcentral & read the post's. go go go dallas,yeahhh!
  17. evelyn
    27. Posted by evelyn Sat Oct 31 11:45am EDT

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    Oh... canada!!!! lol
  18. Steven
    26. Posted by Steven Sat Oct 31 10:31am EDT

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    nash is one crazy @#$%!
  19. Elmer Fudd
    25. Posted by Elmer Fudd Sat Oct 31 5:57am EDT

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    The Warriors Suck, and The Don should go back to Hawaii......

    Cohan should sell, as quickly as is possible, and...

    "bobby" rowell should go Wipe his Ass........................................
  20. khawja ali
    24. Posted by khawja ali Sat Oct 31 5:50am EDT

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    Never blame any day in your life.Good days give you Happyness.Bad days give you experince.So both are essential in life.God bless all.ALI
  21. Johnny Y
    23. Posted by Johnny Y Sat Oct 31 4:33am EDT

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    #21 cause mag draws fouls like crazy, something the rest of the warriors can't do when they are shooting their long jumpers. Getting other people in foul trouble helps your team out besides the easy points.
  22. <i>goodoldeal</i>
    22. Posted by goodoldeal Sat Oct 31 2:53am EDT

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    Yay. Fun.
  23. MJ
    21. Posted by MJ Sat Oct 31 2:30am EDT

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    can somebody please tell why the hell Maggette is such a @#$% up?!?! i mean damn he gets on my nerves so bad and why does nelson keep him on the lineup so long and brings other players in so fast after 1 ot 2 fouls but Mageette's @#$% up's stays on court??? smh so pissed
  24. JNH
    20. Posted by JNH Sat Oct 31 2:27am EDT

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    WATCH! Channing Frye will hit more than 160 3's this year! The Suns can really be a fun team and I am a Portland fan!!!
  25. JNH
    19. Posted by JNH Sat Oct 31 2:27am EDT

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    WATCH! Channing Frye will hit more than 160 3's this year! The Suns can really be a fun team and I am a Portland fan!!!
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Top Performers

 Top Performers
 Golden State
A. Biedrins Andris Biedrins
4-4,  8 Pts
10 Rebs, 4 Assists
 Phoenix
S. Nash Steve Nash
7-17,  18 Pts
6 Rebs, 20 Assists

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