Steve Nash leads Phoenix Suns past Sacramento Kings
Look what Daddy did.
Matteo Joel Nash was just a few hours old when his father gave him a birthday present with the Nash family's second biggest delivery of the day.
Nash's wife, Alejandra, gave birth to their third child and first son Friday morning. Nash missed the team shootaround but shot all around and over Sacramento for 28 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds in the Suns' 103-89 victory at US Airways Center.
The Suns moved to 4-4 with their sixth consecutive win in the Sacramento series and 10th in a row against the Kings at home. It could have been expected from Nash, who outdid Kings Rookie of the Year and point guard Tyreke Evans in a four-game sweep last season with averages of 24.0 points and 11.3 rebounds.
Nash nearly had his fourth career regular-season triple-double but still recorded a season high in scoring. Nash had only had two previous games of at least 28 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds in his career with those coming in 2006 (32 points, 16 assists and seven rebounds vs. Seattle) and 2007 (32 points, 16 assists and eight rebounds vs. Dallas).
Nash made 13 of 18 shots, going 11 for 12 from the field until he tried his first 3-point shot of the game late in the third quarter. And the Suns needed his points too, for how the Kings were defending to surrender jump shots to Nash and how the rest of the Phoenix offense was quiet.
Jason Richardson was the Suns' only other scorer in double figures besides Nash until the fourth quarter, when Phoenix needed Nash most.
The Suns' reserves had fared well in the first half to extend the Suns lead but the all-reserve lineup started the fourth quarter by missing its first six shots and making two turnovers, allowing the Kings, 3-5 after losing four in a row, to cut the lead to 77-75 as Nash and Richardson returned to the game.
From there, the Suns scored on 11 of the next 12 possessions to put away Sacramento with their second shooting game of at least 50 percent this season.
Again, reserve power forward Hakim Warrick finished the game with starter Hedo Turkoglu watching because Warrick's pick-and-roll ability with Nash caused the separation. Warrick scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, mostly on Nash dishes but also getting a follow score.
Sacramento had 21 offensive rebounds against the NBA's worst defensive rebounding team but only went 6 for 19 on its second chances. The Kings shot 40.9 percent for the game and nearly also got a triple-double from Evans, who had 18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds but only made seven of 18 shots.
The Suns were much cleaner offensively, going from 23 turnovers Monday at Memphis to 11 on Friday.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/ar ... z158V1Yhj2
Still not sure if you guys care but whatever, I'll just post it anyways.
Anyways congrats to Steve.
