NBA Game Summary - Portland at Phoenix

Phoenix, AZ (Basketball News) - Shawn Marion had 26 points and nine rebounds as the Phoenix Suns thumped the Portland Trail Blazers, 129-116.

Jim Jackson had a double-double with 18 points and a season-high 10 assists for the Suns, winners of two straight and four of five.

"It was a big win for us," said Marion. "Everybody came in and contributed tonight and it was a great team win, so now we have to go get ready for tomorrow. Jim (Jackson) was big for us tonight. He was dishing the ball, getting everybody involved, and he was taking his shots and knocking them down when he had the opportunity to."

Damon Stoudamire had a game-high 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting, and grabbed six rebounds for Portland. The Blazers have lost four straight and nine of their last 11 contests overall, and fell to 0-2 under the tutelage of interim coach Kevin Pritchard. He took over for the fired Mo Cheeks.

Portland, which played the first of a brief two-game road trip, is a dismal 8-21 as the visitor this season.

The Suns led 34-24 after one quarter of play, and began the second quarter on a 9-2 run to extend the lead to 17 points. Phoenix would end the first half on a 25-13 spurt to grab a 69-47 advantage heading into the intermission.

The Blazers would not recover from the first-half debacle, as the Suns cruised in the second on their way to the easy victory.

"I’ll tell you what, Phoenix is a well-oiled machine," said Pritchard. "They run it up and down. (Steve) Nash is without a doubt the MVP in my mind. He makes them run."

Three of Phoenix’ starters — Marion, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire — rested the entire fourth quarter. As a result, Portland outscored the Suns 38-27 in the fourth to make the final score more respectable.

This was the 45th victory of the season for the Suns, their most since the 2000-2001 season when they finished 51-31.