Well, it had to end sometime. However, it would have been nice to go into Monday's matchup against the Orlando Magic at 7-0. Steve Nash nailed four crucial free throws down the stretch to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 118-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night at Philips Arena.
Jason Richardson had 22 points and Nash added 19 for Phoenix (3-3), which halted Atlanta's season-opening winning streak at six.
Joe Johnson had 34 points and Al Horford finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks (6-1), whose late bid to erase a third quarter double-digit deficit fell just short.
Channing Frye gave the Suns a 114-112 lead with 24.2 seconds left before Atlanta took a time out, setting up a play for Johnson on the other end of the floor. But Atlanta's All-Star guard's bid to tie it missed the mark and Phoenix grabbed the rebound. The Hawks quickly fouled Nash, who predictably extended the lead to four on a pair of Nash free throws with 6.7 seconds remaining.
Horford added a quick layup with three ticks left before the Suns found Nash on the outlet pass. After a quick foul by Mike Bibby, Nash sealed the win with a pair of free throws. Johnson missed a wild 3-pointer as time expired.
This one was a matter of the Hawks digging themselves a hole that they could not jump out of. Richardson gave the Suns a 79-61 lead midway through the third period before the Hawks fought back with a 27-11 run to cut the lead to 90-88 entering the fourth quarter.