Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Steve Nash recorded 13 points and 16 assists, and the Phoenix Suns evened their Western Conference quarterfinal series with a 119-90 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 2.
Phoenix Finally Gets Into Fast Lane, Races Past Blazers To Even Series
Jason Richardson added a game-high 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting for the Suns, who were the lone home team to lose Game 1 of their opening round series. Grant Hill poured in 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Amare Stoudemire had 18 points and seven boards in the convincing win.
Phoenix, which recorded only four fastbreak points in Game 1, got 17 out of their high-powered offense in this contest. In addition, the Suns cut their turnovers from 12 to only seven.
"We ran off (defensive) stops," said Phoenix head coach Alvin Gentry. "(Portland) didn't shoot the ball well. It's a lot easier to run off stops. Our defense was better, and when our defense is better, we're able to run a lot better because we're in the open floor."
Martell Webster led a weak Portland offensive attack with 16 points off the bench, as the Blazers failed to build on their 105-100 win in Game 1. Andre Miller, who tied a playoff career-high with 31 points on Sunday, had only 12 in Tuesday's loss.
"(Phoenix) got to their tempo," said Portland head coach Nate McMillan. "We knew that they would come out aggressive. You can expect that after losing a game. You can talk about a sense of urgency that they would come out with, and we needed to match that. We never did."
This series shifts to Portland for Games 3 and 4, with the next contest to be played on Thursday at the Rose Garden.
Phoenix jumped out to an early lead, with Richardson’s back-to-back threes accounting for a 32-20 margin late in the first.
Portland ended the first with six straight points to cut its deficit to six, but Leandro Barbosa's three-point play for the Suns put the hosts ahead, 39-28, early in the second.
Hill had six points during a half-ending 9-4 spurt that increased Phoenix’s advantage to 63-49 at the break, and a 13-4 run early in the third made it a 78-58 game after Richardson’s layup midway through the period.
The Blazers struggled to get anything going and trailed, 94-68, heading into the fourth. Both teams emptied the benches in the final 12 minutes, as the Suns coasted to the victory.
The Suns have not lost consecutive home games since December 21-23 and have not lost two straight games since January 25-26...Phoenix has now won nine straight games following a loss...The Suns, who shot 41 percent in Game 1, made 52.3 percent of their shots Tuesday, while Portland shot only 38.2 percent...The Suns are 16-10 in series in which they split the first two games...Despite its Game 1 win, Portland is still 2-12 in its last 14 road playoff games...Prior to the game, the Blazers signed center Marcus Camby to a two-year contract. Portland acquired Camby from the Clippers at the trade deadline; he had six points and 10 boards in Tuesday's loss...Portland's Nicolas Batum left the game in the second half with a shoulder strain. McMillan said he would undergo an MRI, and his status going forward is uncertain.
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