PHILADELPHIA — Steve Nash heard the whispers in the offseason.
He chose to ignore them.
Opting to re-sign with the Phoenix Suns sure looks to have been the right decision for the All-Star point guard.
Jason Richardson scored 29 points, Steve Nash added 21 points and tied his season-high with 20 assists and the Phoenix Suns beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-115 on Monday night.
“I was a free agent and it was natural to explore my options,” Nash said. “Some people said I was a little crazy going back to Phoenix because I wouldn’t have as good a chance to win. I liked the team and coaches and I was comfortable.”
Was he ever.
Nash registered the first 20-20 in points and assists in the league since he accomplished the feat in 2005-06 .
“I felt good and had energy, even after a game last night,” Nash said. “I felt pretty energized in the fourth quarter when we made our run and pulled away.”
The Suns, who improved to 7-1, eclipsed the 100-point barrier for the eighth straight game to open a season, which hadn’t happened since the 1990-91 season.
Jared Dudley contributed 18 points, Amare Stoudemire added 17, Grant Hill had 11 and Channing Frye 10 for the high-flying Suns, who entered the game averaging a league-high 109.7 points per game.
Jazz 95, Knicks 93
NEW YORK — Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko each scored 23 points, and the Jazz won in New York for the first time in more than five years by beating the Knicks.
Mehmet Okur had the go-ahead basket with 1:16 to play and finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz, who opened a difficult four-game road trip by winning at Madison Square Garden for the first time since Feb. 20, 2004.
Spurs 131, Raptors 124
SAN ANTONIO — Manu Ginobili scored 36 points without Tim Duncan and Tony Parker in the lineup and the Spurs beat the Raptors.
Ginobili hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Spurs somehow shook the rust off their sputtering offense with their two leading scorers sidelined.
Hornets 112, Clippers 84
LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul had 24 points and 10 assists on a sore ankle, Devin Brown scored 25 points and the New Orleans Hornets beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.
Warriors 146, T-wolves 105
OAKLAND, Calif. — Kelenna Azubuike scored a season-high 31 points and Anthony Randolph added 23 to help the Golden State Warriors beat the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night.
Martin has wrist surgery
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Kings leading scorer Kevin Martin underwent surgery on his injured left wrist Monday. Martin is expected to miss at least eight weeks with the injury. He is averaging 30.6 points a game for the Kings.
Warriors open to trading Jackson
OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State coach Don Nelson said Monday the Warriors are still open to trading Stephen Jackson a day after the disgruntled star’s agent made disparaging comments about the coach to ESPN.com.
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