NBA Game Summary - Phoenix at Seattle

Seattle, WA (Basketball News) - Joe Johnson poured in a game-high 30 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Phoenix to a 110-99 win over Seattle in a matchup between two Western Conference powers at KeyArena.

Amare Stoudemire added 22 points while Shawn Marion contributed 18 points and nine boards for the Suns, who have won three straight games.

"I was trying to be more aggressive and make more plays," said Johnson. "I just took my shot when it was there."

Ray Allen scored 27 points and Rashard Lewis added 26 and 11 rebounds for the Sonics, who had their three-game winning streak halted.

This matchup featured two of the best teams in the NBA as Phoenix’s win improved its record to 46-14. The Suns lead the Pacific Division by 9 1/2 games over Sacramento and trail the Spurs by just one-half game for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Seattle fell to 41-17 this season, but despite the loss, the Sonics still lead the Northwest Division by a hefty 11 1/2 games over Denver.

Phoenix led 32-28 after one quarter and eventually extended the lead to 51-41 on Marion’s jumper with just over three minutes left in the first half. Seattle did pull within five points late in the period, but the Suns went into the locker room with a 60-50 advantage.

The Sonics battled back in the third quarter and used a 17-5 run to begin the frame. Lewis’ basket with around seven minutes left capped the early run and gave Seattle a 67-65 lead.

However, Phoenix wasted little time regaining the upperhand as it ripped off 10 straight points, capped by Johnson’s three-pointer, to grab a 75-67 lead with just under five minutes to play in the third.

The Suns eventually led 82-77 after 36 minutes.

Phoenix opened up the game in the early stages of the fourth quarter as it scored the first eight points. Leandro Barbosa netted a three-pointer and Marion added three free throws during the surge to make it 92-77 with 9:58 left in the game.

Seattle head coach Nate McMillan was then ejected after receiving his technical foul with around eight minutes left and it appeared that the Suns would cruise to the victory.

However, trailing 97-81 with around seven minutes left, the Sonics surged back courtesy of an 11-2 run. Allen scored eight points during the flurry and capped the burst with two free throws to trim the gap to 99-92 with 3:58 left.

The Suns, though, would not let the game get any closer as they held off Seattle down the stretch and posted the double-digit win.