Suns beat Rockets, 108-98
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-01-06 15:28

Shawn Marion scored 22 points and Quentin Richardson added 18 points and 14 rebounds Wednesday night, leading the surging Phoenix Suns to a 108-98 win over the Houston Rockets.

Phoenix Suns center Amare Stoudamire (32) and Houston Rockets center Yao Ming (11), of China, battle for the rebound in the first half Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005, in Houston. [AP]

Amare Stoudemire finally cooled off after a torrid two-game stretch in which he scored a total of 84 points, finishing with just 19 points and nine rebounds. But his Suns teammates picked up the slack and rolled to a relatively easy victory despite coming off a draining 122-115 win at Minnesota the night before.

Steve Nash had 12 points and 13 assists, Joe Johnson had 17 points and Casey Jacobsen tied a season high with 14 for the Suns, who won their fourth straight to improve their NBA-best record to 28-4.

Tracy McGrady led Houston with 24 points, David Wesley added 15 and Yao Ming finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The loss snapped Houston's season-high three-game winning streak.

In a matchup between the NBA's youngest team (Phoenix) and its oldest (Houston), the Suns jumped out to a big early lead, Houston gamely fought back and the Suns were ultimately able to pull away.

Johnson scored 11 points in the game's first four minutes, including three 3s, to help the Suns race out to an early 22-8 lead. The Rockets never really recovered from such a deep, early hole.

Bob Sura hit a jumper to move the Rockets within 74-71 late in the third quarter, but Jacobsen quickly responded with another 3 and Houston never got any closer the rest of the way.

Phoenix put on quite a shooting display against one of the league's best defensive teams, going 15-of-34 from behind the arc. They finished one 3-pointer shy of their season best of 16 against the Lakers on Dec. 8 and tied their season high of 34 attempts.

McGrady was pretty much the Rockets' lone, consistent offensive option. And even he struggled to keep up with the Suns' frenetic, 3-point heaving ways.

At one point in the second half, McGrady missed 11 straight shots. He went only 8-of-25 from the field, but had nine rebounds and five assists.

Meanwhile, Yao didn't take his first shot until nearly seven minutes into the game, and was taken out just a few seconds later. He didn't return until midway through the second quarter.

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