Suns outduel SuperSonics in shootfest

SEATTLE – The two highest-scoring teams in the league again made defense an afterthought.

Tim Thomas came off the bench to hit 10 of 11 shots from the floor, Shawn Marion scored 24 points with 11 rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Seattle SuperSonics 129-120 on Tuesday night.

Raja Bell made 10 of 13 shots for 25 points as the Suns shot 56 percent. Steve Nash added 23 points and Boris Diaw scored 16 with nine rebounds and seven assists as Phoenix won for the 13th time in its last 15 games.

The last time the teams met, they combined for the highest-scoring game in the league in 11 years, a 152-149 double-overtime victory by the Sonics in Phoenix. Ray Allen made a 30-footer at the buzzer to give Seattle the win, capping a 42-point night.

Allen did his part again, leading Seattle with 33 points, but Seattle could not match the Suns’ scoring depth. Rashard Lewis added 22 for the Sonics, and Luke Ridnour had 19 points and 13 assists.

Thomas had started four of his six games since signing with Phoenix, but coach Mike D’Antoni went with James Jones.

D’Antoni quickly turned to Thomas, who made his first six shots and scored 15 points in just 5:21 of the first quarter. His half was shortened when he picked up his third foul, but Thomas continued his strong shooting in the second half, making 10 straight before finally missing.

Phoenix scored 48 points in the paint, many coming on unimpeded drives. When it did meet resistance, Phoenix had plenty of shooters ready. Bell made five 3-pointers and Thomas added three.

It didn’t take much for Phoenix to finally build a comfortable advantage. Seattle pulled to 76-71 early in the third, but the Suns scored 10 of the next 14 points. Suddenly, the lead was 11 and the Sonics struggled to chip away.

The lead grew to 14 on Marion’s two free throws to start the fourth quarter and reached 108-92 after Thomas made his ninth consecutive basket.