Down 22, Suns rally

Amare Stoudemire scored 41 points and Steve Nash had 36, and the Phoenix Suns rallied from a 22-point second-quarter deficit to overcome the Denver Nuggets 132-117 Monday night in Phoenix for their 50th victory of the season.

In reaching at least 50 wins for the fourth straight season, the Suns tied the idle Los Angeles Lakers for first place in the Pacific Division and strengthened their position in the tight Western Conference playoff race.

The comeback matched the third-best in Suns' history.

Stoudemire had 16 points in the fourth quarter when the Suns outscored Denver 46-25.

The aggressive Nuggets beat the usually high-octane Suns at their own game in the first half, outrunning, outgunning, outhustling and outshooting Phoenix in building a 70-51 lead.