PHOENIX – A spirited victory over the Houston Rockets may be too little, too late for the Phoenix Suns.
Steve Nash had 25 points and 17 assists – with just one turnover – and the Suns held on for a 114-109 victory on Wednesday night.
“That was about as aggressive as I’ve seen Steve offensively,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said, “and we really needed that. I think he understood that.”
But the Suns failed to gain ground against Dallas for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West because the Mavericks beat Miami 98-96.
Grant Hill had 23 points, Shaquille O’Neal 22 and Jason Richardson 18 as the Suns won their sixth straight at home.
Phoenix snapped a three-game losing streak overall to remain four games behind Dallas with just seven to play.
“We’re not eliminated yet,” Richardson said. “We’re going to continue to play and we still believe we have a chance.”
Gentry called it Game 1 of an eight-game season.
“We’re 1-0 in our season,” he said. “We’re trying to become the first team to go undefeated in the season. Whatever Dallas does is what Dallas does. It doesn’t matter to us.”
Phoenix plays at Dallas on Sunday.
Celtics 111, Bobcats 109: At Boston, Ray Allen made a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in the second overtime to lift the Celtics.
Mavericks 98, Heat 96: At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points for the Mavericks.
Lakers 104, Bucks 98: At Milwaukee, Kobe Bryant rebounded from a rough shooting night to hit his first seven shots from the field and score 30 points.
Raptors 99, Magic 95: At Orlando, Fla., Chris Bosh had 24 points, including a 22-footer with 29 seconds left.
Nets 111, Pistons 98: At East Rutherford, N.J., Devin Harris had 19 points and 11 assists, and New Jersey won.
Grizzlies 112, Wizards 107: At Memphis, Tenn., Rudy Gay scored 25 points and Mike Conley added 22 to lead Memphis.
Hornets 104, Clippers 98: At Los Angeles, Chris Paul had 30 points and 14 assists, David West added 19 points for New Orleans.
Grizzlies 112, Wizards 107: At Memphis, Tenn., Rudy Gay scored 25 points and Mike Conley added 22 to lead Memphis.
Warriors 143, Kings 141, OT: At Oakland, Calif., Monta Ellis scored a career-high 42 points for the Warriors to overcome Kevin Martin’s 50 for the Kings.