The Phoenix Suns on Wednesday lost to the Golden State Warriors 124-112 and as luck would have it, would get to face the Warriors again on Friday - this time at US Airways Center in Phoenix.  Despite the trade rumors floating around – most prominently including Amare Stoudemire – the Suns had a game to play.  Apparently the distractions didn’t affect them as they pulled away in the last 3 1/2 minutes, giving Phoenix a 115-105 victory over Golden State.

Things were rather tight in the first half as Phoenix outscored Golden State 31-21 while the Warriors outscored the Suns 33-28 in the second quarter yet Phoenix went into halftime with a 5-point lead at 59-54.  The Warriors would score the first 9 points of the third quarter to take their first lead of the game as Andris Biedrins made a 3-point play, then followed that up with a layup, giving Golden State a 63-59 lead.  The Warriors would lead by 5 twice before Phoenix took an 86-85 lead into the fourth quarter.

Jason Richardson would score 10 points in a 2 1/2 minute span late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, with his 3-pointer giving the Suns a 93-89 lead.  Grant Hill would cap a 13-3 Phoenix run with a basket, giving them a 103-92 lead with 6:19 remaining in the game; Golden State, however, would score the next 9 points on a pair of three-point plays and a 3-pointer by Stephen Jackson.  Corey Maggette’s 3-point play would cut the Warriors’ deficit to 103-101 with 4:27 left to go.  But Steve Nash would ice the game for Phoenix with 6 points in the final 1:25.

Phoenix’s high scorer was Hill with 27 points, 5 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and a blocked shot while Richardson added 25 with 3 rebounds and a blocked shot; Nash and Stoudemire pitched in 19 apiece – with Nash grabbing 5 rebounds, dishing out 8 assists along with 4 steals but also committing 5 turnovers while Stoudemire grabbed 15 boards and dished out 2 assists.

Golden State was led by Maggette from off the bench with 25 points and 5 rebounds while Jackson added 24 with 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot; Jamal Crawford chipped in 17 with 2 rebounds and 6 assists while Monta Ellis poured in 15 with 9 rebounds.  Phoenix (27-21) plays again on Sunday when they fly to Detroit to take on the Pistons Sunday while Golden State (16-35) returns home to host the Utah Jazz – also on Sunday night.