MIAMI (AP) – Shawn Marion had 23 points and 13 rebounds and Steve Nash had 18 points and 11 assists to lead the Phoenix Suns to their 12th straight victory, 99-89 over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
The Heat, playing without Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade, managed to overcome most of a 25-point fourth-quarter deficit, but Nash, the two-time reigning MVP, hit a 3-pointer with 2:20 left to stop the rally.
Boris Diaw scored 13 points for the Suns, who have the second-longest winning streak in franchise history and finished a 5-0 road trip for the first time since April 1998.
Alonzo Mourning had 19 points and Udonis Haslem added 14 for Miami, as the defending NBA champions fell to 9-12 overall and 4-7 at home.
The Heat trailed 88-63 with 9:52 left, before scoring 22 of the next 24 points in a big rally – done mainly with only one starter, Jason Kapono, on the floor. Kapono had 11 points during the burst, including a 3-pointer with 2:40 left that got Miami within 90-85.
But Nash answered that one 20 seconds later with a 3-pointer, and the Suns would hang on from there.
Amare Stoudemire had 12 points, while Leandro Barbosa and James Jones each scored 10 for Phoenix.
Kapono finished with 13 points, while Robert Hite – one of the key Heat players in their big run – scored 11 and Dorell Wright added 10.
AP-ES-12-13-06 2138EST
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