The Suns started the match slowly, trailing by seven points at half-time, before Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa (20 points) and Shawn Marion (19 points) led a revival to guide the Suns to the win.

Nuggets superstar Carmelo Anthony recorded his first career triple-double, 31 points, ten rebounds and ten assists, but only Nene Hilario (27 points) and J.R. Smith (18 points) joined Anthony scoring in double figures.

In Utah, Mehmet Okur scored 20 points to lead the Utah Jazz to their fourth consecutive victory after a 100-95 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Derek Fisher (19 points) and Deron Williams (18 points) provided ample support to Okur, while Kirk Hinrich netted a game-high 26 points for the Bulls.

In Washington, Caron Butler led the Washington Wizards to a 118-108 victory over the Seattle Supersonics.

Butler nailed 38 points for the victors, while Ray Allen hit 29 points for the Supersonics.

In other matches the Los Angeles Lakers edged past the Atlanta Hawks 90-83, the Philadelphia 76ers needed overtime to defeat the New Jersey Nets 100-98, and the Sacramento Kings overcame the New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets 105-99.

In more lop-sided encounters the Golden State Warriors thrashed the Indiana Pacers 113-98, the Miami Heat continued their excellent recent form with a 113-93 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats and the Houston Rockets easily accounted for the Minnesota Timberwolves 105-77.

NBA results
Atlanta Hawks 83 Los Angeles Lakers 90
Indiana Pacers 98 Golden State Warriors 113
Philadelphia 76ers 100 New Jersey Nets 98
Washington Wizards 118 Seattle Supersonics 108
Miami Heat 113 Charlotte Bobcats 93
Houston Rockets 105 Minnesota Timberwolves 77
Denver Nuggets 108 Phoenix Suns 113
Utah Jazz 100 Chicago Bulls 95
Sacramento Kings 105 New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets 99