09.01.2005

INDIANA (89) AT PHOENIX (124)
Stats

Amare Stoudemire and the Phoenix Suns made 
a statement en route to surpassing last season's win total,
posting their largest margin of victory of the campaign.

Stoudemire had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the first half and
Shawn Marion finished with 21 points as the Phoenix Suns crushed
the Indiana Pacers, 124-89, for their sixth straight win.

Leading throughout the contest, the Suns improved to a
league-best 30-4, topping last season's win total barely 40
percent into the 82-game campaign. The club went 29-53 in
2003-04, finishing in sixth place in the seven-team Pacific
Division.

"It's a blast, especially when we come out of the gates like we
did tonight," Marion said.  "The crowd was into it, we were into
it.  We were all pumped up and we ran away with it.  They
showed no signs of life out there.  They were stunned a bit at
first and they had nothing for us."

In the middle of a four-game Western Conference swing, the
Pacers proved unable to match the Suns' up-tempo pace, falling
behind, 15-3, after a fast-break dunk and a 3-pointer by Marion.

The lead was pushed to 22-5 after Steven Hunter's block ignited
a break that was capped by a dunk by Stoudemire. Hunter had four
rejections in the opening half.

Overall, the Suns finished the first quarter with a 35-14
advantage. Combined with the opening quarter of a 108-91 victory
at the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, the Suns have
outscored their opponents, 68-31, in the first period of their
last two games.

"We haven't shown any signs of being tired at all," Suns coach
Mike D'Antoni said.  "They seem to be flying on all cylinders.
Tonight no one had an off night.  We started well.  We played
well in the middle and we played well at the end."

Stoudemire finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds and Steve
Nash added 10 points and nine assists for Phoenix, which
improved to 17-1 in games when leading after one period.

"It is going to be tough stopping us," Stoudemire said.  "We
have so many guys who can do so much on the court it is hard to
figure us out."

Jermaine O'Neal overcame a slow first half to score 16 points
and Jamaal Tinsley chipped in 21 for Indiana.

"They have a lot of talent but the heart and soul of their team
is Steve Nash," O'Neal said.  "You have to pay so much attention
to him and he keeps pressure on everybody.  Obviously, they
have a lot of individual talent but Steve Nash is the motor that
makes the car run."

The Pacers have given up an average of 118.5 points during their
three-game losing streak.  Indiana is now 1-7 against the
Western Conference and 0-6 when going against teams from the
Pacific Division.

"We are concerned.  We have to be better at both ends to hold
teams to a lower number," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said.
"Our execution needs to be better and teams like Dallas and
Phoenix can convert on you so quickly because they have great
team speed and at times they can make you look slow."

The Suns won their last nine games at home and improved to 5-0
since the start of the new year.  It is only the second time in
franchise history that the Suns have started a calendar year
with five consecutive wins, tying the mark they set in 1995.

The 124 points are the most scored by the Suns this season.