Stoudemire, Barbosa lift Suns over Grizzlies

Shawn Marion scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Suns, who have won three straight and six of their last eight games. Phoenix, which is No. 2 in the Western Conference, is 5 1/2 games behind the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks.

Steve Nash posted 15 points and dished out 17 assists, while James Jones donated 14 points off the bench in the win.

Pau Gasol led the Grizzlies with 23 points, 11 boards and four assists and Hakim Warrick netted 22 points with 16 rebounds. Chucky Atkins chipped in 19 points to go along with seven assists and Rudy Gay ended with 14 points.

Memphis has dropped three in a row.

Leading by one, Phoenix opened the fourth with an 11-2 run, but the Grizzlies responded by doing the same to make it a 102-101 contest.

That’s as close as it would get, though, as Stoudemire led a 10-3 spurt with five points to ice the game.

The Suns led by as many as six in the first quarter, but Memphis ended the frame with an 8-2 run to go up 36-31.

With the game tied at 47 midway through the second, Phoenix took control and fired off 24 of the final 36 points in the frame — led by Barbosa’s 11 points, including 3-of-3 from three-point range — for a 71-59 halftime advantage.

The Grizzlies, however, didn’t go away and outscored the Suns by 11 in the third. Pau Gasol scored seven points during a 13-6 spurt to bring Memphis within one, 89-88.

Game Notes

Phoenix shot 51 percent from the field, while Memphis finished 48 percent shooting...The Grizzlies outrebounded the Suns, 46-38...Phoenix won all four meetings with Memphis this season.