Nash Scores 39 to Lead the Suns to West Finals

With Steve Nash leading the way, there’s simply no stopping the Phoenix Suns’ offense.

Nash helped erase a 16-point, third-quarter deficit, forced overtime on a three-point basket with 5.7 seconds left, then made the three that put the Suns ahead for good in a 130-126 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. The win gave the Suns a 4-2 series victory and put them in the Western Conference finals against San Antonio.

Nash, whom the Mavericks did not re-sign last summer, had 39 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, one rebound shy of his second straight triple-double. The league MVP scored eight points in the final minute of regulation and seven in overtime, making his last five field goals.

Dallas got 36 points from his replacement, Jason Terry, including a three-pointer with three seconds left in overtime. But Nash dribbled by Terry for an open shot that tied the score, 111-111, in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, after which Terry was berated by Dirk Nowitzki after the buzzer.

Nowitzki, who had 28 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, found Nash after the game and shared a brief hug.

“They said congratulations and just keep going,” Nash said about the postgame greetings from former teammates.

The Suns, the NBA’s highest-scoring team in the last decade, are the first team to go from missing the playoffs one year and making the conference finals the next since Boston in 2002. The last West team to do it was Phoenix in 1989.

The Suns will open the next round Sunday at home against the Spurs. They could have back starting guard Joe Johnson, who has been out since Game 2 of this round with an eye injury.

The Suns’ Amare Stoudemire, who had 18 points and six rebounds, fouled out with 1:40 left in regulation. He had 10 points in the first quarter, then didn’t take a shot in the second. Shawn Marion had 38 points and 16 rebounds.

Josh Howard finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds for Dallas. Jerry Stackhouse scored 19 in a reserve role and much-maligned Erick Dampier rebounded from a two-point Game 5 to have 13 points and six rebounds.