Fourteen years later, the hair is still long and the assists are still high.
Time and age? Neither seems to matter for Phoenix Suns elder statesman Steve Nash, who is once again ripping through the NBA.
“It just seems like he’s getting better (with age),” Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said.
Incredibly, that age is now 35. It just doesn’t seem that long ago that Nash was leading Santa Clara to an NCAA Tournament upset win over Arizona, or when he was winning back- to-back NBA MVPs. Basketball has been good to Nash, and he’s trying to return the favor to the fans in Phoenix as he leads one of the surprising teams in the league this season.
The Suns led the Western Conference early on and, after a 106-103 win over Orlando on Friday night, were tied with the Nuggets and Mavericks for the second-best record in the West.
All with Nash pulling the strings. He again leads the NBA in assists at more than 11 per game and is averaging nearly 18 points. He’s had 11 double-doubles, which leads the team. In December, Nash has increased his scoring to 21 points, accompanied by 7.4 assists.
“He’s one of those guys that you’re hoping gets older,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “But sometimes it doesn’t look like he’s getting older, he’s just getting better. There’s a point where old and better switch, and I don’t think it’s switched in Nash.”
Figuring out ways to slow down the perennial all-star guard has given coaches headaches for years, but Karl claims to embrace the opportunity.
“I like the challenges Nash presents to us as coaches,” said Karl, who added that rules changes over the years have helped Nash maintain a high level of play. “Before, you could hold and grab and beat him up a little bit, be physical with him. Now, you can’t do that. He’s always had that pick-and-roll knack, and now the game has gone so much to the pick- and-roll, and he’s probably the best in the game at running it.
“The other guys, they build a system around his decisions, and they can be awful powerful. It’s an explosive offense.”
And defense has been a problem for the Nuggets without Kenyon Martin in the lineup.
Martin is resting a dislocated left pinkie finger and hopes to play tonight. Martin said he’ll test the finger in today’s shootaround and then make a final decision.
He missed two games this week, and the Nuggets lost both, giving up 104 points per game, which is three over their average. Martin would have guarded Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace and Detroit’s Charlie Villanueva, both of whom had highlight-worthy games. Wallace had 25 points and 16 rebounds, and Villanueva rang up 27 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Nuggets are 0-4 when Martin doesn’t play.
“When we don’t win when I’m sitting out, it’s rough,” Martin said. “It kind of speeds up the healing process a little bit.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
Phoenix at Denver
7 p.m. tonight, ALT, KCKK 1510 AM
Spotlight on Amar’e Stoudemire: He now has goggles to protect a surgically repaired detached retina, and the Phoenix forward is steadily rounding back into all-star form. His scoring, rebounding and free- throw percentages are all slightly down, but the big man has been a night-in, night-out force for the Suns. In 20 career games against the Nuggets, Stoudemire is averaging 20.3 points and 8.4 rebounds.
Nuggets: Forward Malik Allen was back in uniform Thursday against Detroit after missing the previous game with flu-like symptoms. He should be fine for tonight’s game. . . . J.R. Smith’s missed dunk against Detroit was No. 2 in a collage of missed dunks on SportsCenter’s “Not Top 10” plays of the week.
Suns: The Suns have been without guard Leandro Barbosa (sprained ankle) the last two weeks, and that won’t change tonight as he is not expected to play. . . . Phoenix has found winning in Denver difficult to do in recent seasons, having lost four straight games to the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. . . . Former Boulder/Monarch High School standout Louis Amundson returns to his home state. He’s averaging nearly five points and five rebounds per game for the Suns.
Chris Dempsey, The Denver Post
