Steve Nash had 25 points and 11 assists and the Phoenix Suns rallied from 18 points down in the third quarter to beat the Indiana Pacers 103-92 on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
The Pacers led 77-59 with 5 minutes left in the third period but managed only one more basket the rest of that quarter and just five baskets in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter.
The Suns, meanwhile, pulled within 88-87 on a basket by Amare Stoudemire and took their first lead since the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Nash with less than 6 minutes to go. After one of seven turnovers by Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal, Nash scored again and followed with another 3-pointer as Phoenix began pulling away for good.
The final score marked the biggest lead of the game for the Suns, who stretched their winning streak to five games.
Stoudemire had 23 points and 18 rebounds and Shawn Marion added 22 points for Phoenix. O'Neal led Indiana with 28 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots and tied his career high with seven assists.
Twelve of O'Neal's points came in the second quarter, then Darrell Armstrong hit three 3-pointers in a 23-6 third-quarter run that seemed to put Indiana in control.
Armstrong's third trey and a layup and free throw by Danny Granger gave the Pacers a 73-57 lead midway through the period. Another basket by Granger gave the Pacers their biggest lead at 77-59 before Phoenix started its comeback.
The Suns finished with a 10-0 run and pulled to 79-73 going into the final period. Raja Bell hit a 3-pointer, then stole the ball and went in for a layup to cut Indiana's lead to 79-78 in the first minute of the fourth quarter before another 3-pointer by Armstrong ended the Pacers' freefall.
The Pacers, allowing at least 100 points in their fifth straight game, started strong defensively, holding Phoenix to just two baskets in its first 13 attempts and 10 points in almost 8 minutes.
Still, each time Indiana started to pull away, the Suns came right back, and two free throws each by Bell and Stoudemire tied the game at 19 at the end of the first quarter.
BUCKS 122, WARRIORS 101: At Milwaukee, Michael Redd scored 31 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a victory over the Golden State Warriors. Andrew Bogut had 13 points and 14 rebounds to help Milwaukee win consecutive games for the first time since its six-game winning streak in December.
CAVALIERS 97, HORNETS 89: At Cleveland, LeBron James scored 35 points, hitting two 3-pointers in the last minute to finally put New Orleans away and the Cavaliers held on for a win over the Hornets on Monday night. James knocked down a 25-footer with 49.9 seconds left, and then nailed another 3 from 26 feet with 24.2 seconds to go, helping the Cavaliers outscore the Hornets 11-6 over the final four minutes.
MAVERICKS 91, TIMBERWOLVES 65: At Minneapolis, Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points and 14 rebounds and Josh Howard bounced back from a sprained ankle suffered the night before to lead the Dallas Mavericks to their 13th straight victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
NETS 113, WIZARDS 101: At East Rutherford, N.J., Jason Kidd had 26 points, nine assists and eight rebounds and the New Jersey Nets won their third straight game with a victory over the injury-ravaged Washington Wizards.