Nash smashes Mavs
Steve Nash added the most impressive night to his marvelous Most Valuable Player season, leading the Phoenix Suns within one victory of the Western Conference finals.
Nash had 34 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists – his third career triple-double and first in the playoffs – and the Suns turned on the jets in a fourth-quarter outburst to beat the Dallas Mavericks 114-108 on Wednesday night in Phoenix.
Phoenix took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 conference semifinal series, with Game 6 on Friday night in Dallas. Historically, when it’s a 2-all tie, the victor in Game 5 has gone on to win the series 84 percent of the time.
Jim Jackson, the 13-year NBA veteran who was moved into the starting lineup for the injured Joe Johnson, hit 7 of 8 field goals in the fourth quarter for 15 of his 21 points. Amare Stoudemire rebounded from his 15-point performance in Game 4 with 33 points and a career playoff high 18 rebounds – 21 points and 12 rebounds in the second half. Shawn Marion added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns.
Dirk Nowitzki had 34 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who led 55-48 at the half. Jerry Stackhouse scored 29 points off the bench. Josh Howard had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Jason Terry scored 17 points.
But no one on the Mavericks could match the energy and effectiveness of Nash, who came off a 48-point losing effort in Game 4. This time, he scored and did a lot of everything else, too.
“Obviously Nash still hurt us in the first half, but he was a monster in the second half,” Dallas coach Avery Johnson said. “We came into tonight’s game trying to cut off some of his passing angles. We did not follow the game plan, and they just shredded us, shredded us to pieces. I am so disappointed right now.”
Nash had 22 points in the second half, many over and around towering would-be defenders inside the lane, and reached a triple-double with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.
“We can accept Amare getting points in the paint,” Stackhouse said. “But Nash getting points in the paint is unacceptable.”
Nash was on the bench, though, for a quick breather when Jackson, acquired by the Suns after refusing to report to New Orleans following a midseason trade from Houston, took charge with three baskets in a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter.
The surge put Phoenix up 85-77 with 9:22 to go and the Mavericks never got closer than four again.
The Suns outscored the Mavericks 66-53 in the second half.
“An incredible show of heart in the second half,” Phoenix coach Mike D’Antoni said. “The first half we were kind of playing on our heels a little bit, a little tight. We took a pretty good punch from them. The second half we played our style of basketball.”
Dallas cut it to 87-83 on Terry’s 17-footer with 7:30 left, but Nash’s three-point play was sandwiched between baskets by Stoudemire and Jackson in a 7-0 spurt that put the Suns up 94-83 and sent the packed America West Arena crowd into delirium.
Nash led a 15-5 run that gave Phoenix a 74-69 lead with 3:28 left in the third quarter. The final points of the spurt came when Howard fouled Nash on a drive, then was called for a technical for punching the ball into the stands. Nash, who scored 15 in the third quarter, sank all three free throws.
Nash’s 9-footer in traffic put the Suns ahead 76-71 with 2:53 to go, but the Mavericks scored the last six of the quarter, four by Nowitzki and two free throws by Stackhouse with 0.9 seconds left to take a 77-76 lead going into the fourth.
Stackhouse made six of his first seven shots and scored 15 in the first half.
Pacers, Miller prepare to fight
Don’t expect the Indiana Pacers to go quietly in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Detroit Pistons can clinch the playoff series tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse, but Pacers coach Rick Carlisle is determined not to let his team get dominated the way it was Tuesday night in the Pistons’ impressive 86-67 victory.
The Pistons know Reggie Miller will be sky high because this could be his last game as a Pacer. He announced his retirement months ago.
The Pacers have demonstrated resilience all season. They made the playoffs after overcoming lengthy suspensions and injuries, and won three games at Boston in their first-round series.
That’s the kind of fight the Pistons expect tonight, when they will try to close out the series and advance to the conference finals against Miami.
“The bottom line is, they’ve handled adversity all year and been real resilient,” Pistons coach Larry Brown said. “We have to play our best game going there. They showed against Boston and they’ve shown all year that they have a lot of guys with character. They have a great coach.”