Mike D'Antoni's homecoming ended with a hug but not a victory, as Steve Nash scored 21 points and hit a clutch three-pointer with 28.2 ticks remaining, lifting Phoenix over the head coach's new team, the New York Knicks, 111-103.
Before the game, D'Antoni received a standing ovation from the Phoenix crowd in appreciation for guiding the Suns to a 58-win average over his last four seasons. Once the final horn sounded, D'Antoni hugged Nash and embraced Amare Stoudemire then headed for the visitor's locker room -- a loser.
Stoudemire notched a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Shaquille O'Neal had one of his best games this season with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Jason Richardson donated 16 points and Matt Barnes netted nine points with six rebounds for Phoenix, which won for the fourth time in five games.
Nate Robinson filled with stat sheet with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Al Harrington collected 24 points and seven rebounds for New York, which dropped to 2-2 on its five-game road trip. New York was an abysmal 5-of-37 from beyond the arc, including a 1-of-10 effort from Robinson.
Wilson Chandler and David Lee scored 15 points apiece with Lee also grabbing 12 rebounds before fouling out.
D'Antoni left the Valley of the Sun after guiding his Suns to the Western Conference playoffs last season, only to see them bail out to San Antonio in the first round.
He was given permission to pursue other coaching opportunities, and the allure of the Big Apple coupled with a substantial financial reward coaxed the architect of the "seven-seconds-or-less" run-and-gun offense to the Knicks.
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D'Antoni saw a familiar sight on Monday with Nash and Stoudemire leading the way. Yet, he also saw the resurrection of O'Neal, who had missed the previous two games while tending to the death of his great-grandmother and had fresh legs in logging nearly 35 minutes of action.
Stoudemire's slam capped a 10-0 stretch in the first quarter to hand the home team a 24-13 edge. Phoenix led after the first quarter, 32-21, and maintained its 11-point edge, 62-51, after 24 minutes.
Richardson's trey just before the third quarter ended pushed Phoenix's lead back to double digits at 91-81. A quick 7-1 stretch from the Knicks cut the deficit to 96-90 on Lee's mid-range jumper.
Robinson's only three of the game drew the Knicks within 98-93 with just under seven minutes to go.
Robinson then drained a jumper and Harrington again made it a three-point contest, 100-97, with a layup. The lead stayed in that vicinity with Robinson's lay-in making the score 108-103 with 48 ticks left.
The Knicks chose not to foul and Nash stepped back and connected from long distance right in front of D'Antoni with 28.2 seconds left.
New York, like it did all game, misfired from three-point range on its next possession, and Phoenix held on for the victory.
