Phoenix rising

The Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks again, and this one was no down-to-the-wire thriller between the teams with the best records in the NBA.

Leandro Barbosa scored 29 points and the Suns beat the Mavericks for the second time in 18 days, 126-104 on Sunday in Phoenix.

Amare Stoudemire added 24 points and Steve Nash had 23 and 11 assists as the Suns snapped Dallas’ nine-game winning streak and finished their season series with the Mavs 2-2. After a scoreless first quarter, Shawn Marion had 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting. He also frustrated Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki all afternoon.

Josh Howard scored 28 for Dallas, 18 in a tight first half that featured 13 ties and nine lead changes. Jerry Stackhouse added 25 and Jason Terry 20.

Nowitzki scored 21, but was just 6-of-18 shooting.

Phoenix took the lead for good in the third quarter, then turned it into a runaway in the fourth. The 126 points were the most Dallas has allowed this season in a game that didn’t go into overtime.

Bulls 105, Hawks 97: At Atlanta, Luol Deng scored 30 points and Kirk Hinrich had 22 in Chicago’s 11th straight victory over Atlanta.

Deng’s 20-footer gave the Bulls an 82-80 lead after Marvin Williams’ running hook shot forced the game’s 10th and final tie.

Pistons 94, Heat 88: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Richard Hamilton scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, helping Detroit beat Miami.

Hamilton had missed Detroit’s last four games with a concussion and the flu, and had only two points in 12 first-half minutes.

He played 20 minutes after the intermission, hitting five of seven shots and going 7 for 7 from the free-throw line. The win clinched the season series for Detroit, 2-1.

Dwyane Wade said he’ll be back on the practice court with the Heat today and aims to play “a game or two” before the end of the regular season.

Warriors 122, Grizzlies 117: At Oakland, Calif., Jason Richardson scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and Golden State overcame the early ejection of Baron Davis to beat Memphis.

When the Warriors fell behind by eight points early in the fourth quarter with their best player back in the locker room, their chances appeared slim.

Richardson then took over by scoring the next eight points of the game and 11 during a 17-4 run that put Golden State up 108-103 with just over 4 minutes left.

Wizards 121, Bucks 107: At Milwaukee, Gilbert Arenas scored 19 points and Caron Butler added 19 points before fracturing his right hand early in the second half of Washington’s victory over Milwaukee.

Darius Songaila came in for Butler with 6:28 left in the third. There was no immediate word on how long Butler will be out.

“Second round, third round (of the playoffs), a possibility,” Butler said after the game. “But right now, I probably won’t have a jersey on until next year.”

Celtics 98, Cavaliers 96: At Boston, With LeBron James (right knee tendonitis) and Paul Pierce (left elbow) sitting out, Delonte West made two free throws with 1.9 seconds left and Boston held on to beat Cleveland.

Gerald Green tied a career high with 25 points, Al Jefferson had 24 and Kendrick Perkins had 12 points and nine rebounds for Boston.

Raptors 107, Bobcats 94: At Toronto, Chris Bosh had 24 points and 16 rebounds and Toronto clinched its first playoff spot in five years with a victory over Charlotte.

Juan Dixon added 15 points for the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors.

Former Gonzaga standout Adam Morrison finished with 10 points for the Bobcats.

Jazz 86, Rockets 83: At Houston, Mehmet Okur scored 20 points and Carlos Boozer added 13 as Utah overcame a late deficit for a victory over Houston.

With the victory, in a game that will likely be a preview for the first round of the playoffs, the Jazz remain ahead of the Rockets in fourth place in the Western Conference standings.

Timberwolves 105, Magic 104 (OT): At Orlando, Fla., Ricky Davis scored a season-high 36 points – including the winning 3-pointer – and Minnesota beat Orlando.

Kevin Garnett, who had 22 points and eight rebounds, sealed the win by blocking Jameer Nelson’s driving layup with less than five seconds left.

Pacers 100, Spurs 99: At Indianapolis, Jamaal Tinsley’s layup over Tim Duncan with 1.1 seconds left gave Indiana a victory over San Antonio, ending the Spurs’ six-game winning streak.

The Pacers trailed by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter, but bounced back to snap a four-game losing streak.

Lakers 126, Kings 103: At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant had 19 points and a season-high 13 assists to lead Los Angeles over Sacramento.

Bryant took just 14 shots and made six.

Jordan Farmar got into the game for the Lakers in the fourth quarter to complete a personal doubleheader. The rookie guard played for the Lakers’ Development League affiliate in the afternoon, then immediately was recalled by the Lakers.