Sloppy Suns prevail over lowly Sonics

SEATTLE – The turnovers were careless and came at a dizzying rate, some from the most unlikely of sources – Steve Nash.

Even at their sloppiest, the Suns were able to outclass lowly Seattle.

Nash scored 23 points, Amare Stoudemire dominated inside with 26 points, and Phoenix overcame a season-high 27 turnovers to beat the SuperSonics 110-98 on Wednesday night.

“We were just sloppy and tired and I think everyone wanted it to be easy. It’s not the way it is,” said a tired Nash, who had six turnovers, then spoke to a few thousand Canadian fans who made the trip down from British Columbia to see the Victoria, British Columbia, native play.

Phoenix won its sixth straight – its second-longest streak this season – and pulled within a half game of New Orleans and the idle Lakers for the best record in the Western Conference.

But afterward, there weren’t too many smiles in the Suns’ locker room. Phoenix was relieved to escape Seattle with the victory, and concerned about the health of guard Raja Bell, who sprained his right ankle in the third quarter.

Bell crumpled to the court after hitting his sixth 3-pointer with 2:57 left in the third quarter, and giving Phoenix an 80-78 advantage after Seattle had taken its first lead of the game.

X-rays were negative and Suns athletic trainer Aaron Nelson said Bell had a mild to moderate sprain, but how long Bell might be out won’t be determined until today.

Bell had 20 points before getting injured, and Barbosa added 19 off the bench.

Jeff Green led Seattle with 19 points, and Kevin Durant and Luke Ridnour both scored 16. Those efforts couldn’t keep Seattle from losing for the 13th time in its last 14 games.

“NBA commissioner David Stern calls Seattle’s latest bid to save the Sonics a “late PR stunt.”

Stern told ESPN Radio if the $75 million offer had come a year ago it might have made a difference.