Suns run past Timberwolves

The Phoenix Suns are back to their high-octane offense now that Steve Nash is back in the lineup.

Shawn Marion scored 27 points, Leandro Barbosa had 24 and Amare Stoudemire had 23 to help the Suns beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 116-104, Friday night at Minneapolis.

Nash had nine points and 15 assists in his third game back after sitting out four games because of right shoulder inflammation.

“Having him in there passing that ball is good for us. We’re not a half-court team,” said Raja Bell, who scored 10 points.

Marion is averaging 25 points in his three games since the All-Star break.

“The opportunities are there and sometimes they are not,” he said. “I’m not forcing the issue. I’m just taking what’s given to me and going with the flow of the game and the flow of the offense.”

Marion also contributed on the defensive end, where he spent the bulk of the night being part of a double team guarding Kevin Garnett.

“We wanted to contain him a little more, but tonight everybody was helping out,” he said. “We sent him some double teams and different looks occasionally to make him work for everything he got.”

Garnett, who had a season-high 44 points the last time the teams met, led Minnesota with 28 points and tied a season high with 19 rebounds.

Detroit 94, Orlando 89 -- The Magic didn’t make a basket for the first 10:30 of the fourth quarter at Orlando, Fla., squandering a 71-67 lead. When Grant Hill finally broke the slump with a jumper, the Pistons led, 87-81, with 1:21 to play. The Pistons broke away with a 9-1 run during a 3:04 stretch.

New Jersey 109, Sacramento 96 -- Jason Kidd got his 84th career triple-double to help the Nets end a three-game losing streak. Kidd had 22 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists at East Rutherford, N.J., despite playing with a cracked rib that the Nets revealed Thursday. It was his ninth triple-double of the season, tying his personal high, and his sixth against the Kings.

Charlotte 102, Philadelphia 87 -- The Bobcats, minus their sick coach, beat the 76ers at Charlotte, N.C., for their team record-tying fourth straight win.

Coach Bernie Bickerstaff left the bench late in the first quarter because of flu-like symptoms. That left his son, 27-year-old John-Blair Bickerstaff, in charge and the Bobcats won behind the youngest assistant in the NBA.

Toronto 110, Indiana 88 -- Jorge Garbajosa’s three-point basket gave the Raptors a 27-point lead late in the third quarter at Toronto, but the Pacers began the fourth quarter on an 18-1 run capped by Darrell Armstrong’s two three-point baskets and Maceo Baston’s layup.

But Andrea Bargnani followed with a three-pointer to give Toronto a 13-point lead with 6:30 left.

Atlanta 105, Houston 99 -- The Hawks made seven free throws over the last 75 seconds to seal the victory at Atlanta. They had lost four games in a row at home before continuing their history of home success against the Rockets. Houston has lost 20 of its last 27 games in Atlanta.

Chicago 105, Washington 90 -- Luol Deng tied a career high with 32 points at Chicago to help the Bulls win their third in a row since the All-Star break. Gilbert Arenas scored 36 points for Washington and during one second-half stretch had 18 consecutive points for the Wizards.

New Orleans 98, Seattle 97 -- The win at Oklahoma City enabled the Hornets (27-29) to move ahead of idle Golden State (26-29) by half a game for the last playoff spot in the West. Ray Allen, who scored 32 points for the SuperSonics, missed a difficult shot from the left wing at the buzzer.

Memphis 103, Portland 102 -- Trailing, 102-101, the Trail Blazers fouled Damon Stoudamire with 0.8 of a second left at Portland, Ore. Stoudamire made the first free throw, and missed the second on purpose. The Trail Blazers’ Ime Udoka grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Time expired, but the officials huddled, put 0.8 back on the clock and sent Udoka to the free-throw line. He made the first but missed the second.

Utah 111, Denver 104 -- The Jazz, seeking its first Northwest Division title since 2000, beat the Nuggets for the sixth consecutive time. The win at Denver increased Utah’s lead over the Nuggets to 9 1/2 games.