PHOENIX – Shawn Marion scored 21 points and Amare Stoudemire had 20 points and 14 rebounds to help the Phoenix Suns rout the Indiana Pacers 124-89 on Sunday night for their sixth straight victory and NBA-best 30th of the season, one more than they won all of last year.
Phoenix’s 30-4 start ties the 1959-60 Boston Celtics and 1971-72 Milwaukee Bucks for the best start for a team with four losses in NBA history.
Joe Johnson added 15, Quentin Richardson 14, and Steve Nash, Steven Hunter and Maceij Lampe each scored 10 in the Suns’ highest-scoring and most one-sided victory of the season.
Next up for Phoenix is a home showdown with Shaquille O’Neal and the Miami Heat on Tuesday night – a matchup of conference leaders.
Knicks 113, Blazers 105
NEW YORK – Allan Houston had his best game of the season with 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting, and Jerome Williams played 44 minutes in his first start for the Knicks to lead New York past the Portland Trail Blazers 113-105 Sunday night.
Williams had 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, setting a positive tone early in the first quarter by knocking a ball loose from Ruben Patterson and diving over the baseline to save it.
Williams also had two fast-break baskets in the fourth quarter that helped the Knicks end a season-high four-game losing streak and get back to .500 (17-17).
Raptors 109, Warriors 87
TORONTO – Chris Bosh had 21 points and a career-high 17 rebounds and Rafer Alston ended a shooting slump with 14 second-half points, leading the Toronto Raptors to a 109-87 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
Alston had missed his last 23 shots over three games before his layup sparked a 15-2 run in the third quarter. He made his next six shots as Toronto outscored Golden State 36-17 in the third quarter and went on its biggest win of the season.
Bosh recorded his fourth straight double-double for the Raptors, who are 5-6 since trading Vince Carter to New Jersey on Dec. 17.
Clifford Robinson had 18 points for the Warriors, who have lost five straight without leading scorer Jason Richardson (sprained left ankle).
Sonics 108, Heat 98
SEATTLE – Vladimir Radmanovic scored 27 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and the Seattle SuperSonics beat the Miami Heat for the second time in six days, 108-98 on Sunday night.
The Sonics ended the Heat’s franchise-record 14-game winning streak on Monday night in Miami. Radmanovic hit three of his five 3-pointers in the final period and the Sonics ended a two-game losing streak by outscoring the Heat 13-1 in the final 4:40.
Shaquille O’Neal had 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, but Radmanovic, who had 21 points in the second half, and the Sonics’ reserves outscored their Miami counterparts 66-17.
Danny Fortson had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Sonics, who got only 15 points from Ray Allen.
Allen had 35 points in Monday night’s game.
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