Suns down Knicks to run win streak to 15

Steve Nash added 22 points and 14 assists for the Suns, who also won 15 straight earlier this season. Shawn Marion had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix, which trounced Washington 127-105 on Tuesday to start its current five-game road trip.

New York rebounded from its embarrassing 101-83 loss to the Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal-less Miami Heat on Monday to make this game respectable in the end. However, New York trailed by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter and if not for 23 fourth-quarter points by Jamal Crawford it could have been a lot worse.

Crawford ended with 29 points, 11 assists and six rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost two straight and four of five. Eddy Curry tallied 25 points before leaving with a strained left calf early in the fourth quarter. New York was already without starting point guard Stephon Marbury, who missed his first game with a sore left knee.

After the Suns turned a three-point halftime lead, 49-46, into a 17-point fourth-quarter lead, the Knicks finally got back into it in the final stanza. Down 89-72, New York scored seven straight points to cut the deficit to 10 points. Then, Crawford’s bucket with under five minutes to play drew New York within 97-90.

However, less than a minute later Nash drained a three-pointer, extending the lead back to double digits and Phoenix coasted to the finish from there.

New York managed to get back within single figures, cutting their deficit to six with 41.6 seconds left when Crawford hit a pair of free throws and five, 108-103, following two more from the stripe by Crawford nearly 20 seconds later.

Crawford, though, missed a three-pointer with 16 seconds left that would have made it a three-point game and Marion hit a pair of free throws at the other end to ice the contest.

David Lee had 17 points and 14 boards and Nate Robinson also had 17 points for the Knicks, who led 25-24 after one quarter.

Leandro Barbosa had 15 points and James Jones tallied 12 for the Suns.

Game Notes

New York hit only 4-of-21 three-pointers compared to 9-of-21 from three for the Suns...Quentin Richardson and Jared Jeffries, both starters for the Knicks, each went scoreless...Jeffries played only five minutes, marking his second straight game with barely any playing time.