The Phoenix Suns are lagging at 9-14, once again on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture looking in from 12th place. Steve Nash has nevertheless maintained that he’s not seeking a trade — but according to Ken Berger of CBS, the Suns would pursue a deal if Nash wanted it.

“It’s really on him in terms of what he wants to do or not do,” a source told Berger.

Nash said a month ago that he wasn’t interested in a trade, insisting “it’s not my style” when asked. But as the Suns head toward the draft lottery again and Nash inches toward the end of his two-year, $22 million contract in Phoenix, the trade rumors have begun swirling once again.

Nash turns 38 on Tuesday. He’s averaging 14.5 points and 9.9 assists per game for the Suns this season.

In a season of lows, the Suns were about to head underground.

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At home Saturday night, they were on their way to a loss to the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA’s worst team that came to Phoenix with a 10-game losing streak, their top three scorers out hurt, the NBA’s third-worst offense and the second-worst defense.

Naturally, it would take Steve Nash and Marcin Gortat to save the day, right? Actually, this night saw Michael Redd go from out of the rotation to being the leading scorer and an all-reserve lineup led by Robin Lopez’s play extend the fourth-quarter lead and send the Suns to a 95-89 victory at US Airways Center.

Redd, starting in place of injured guard Jared Dudley (bruised thigh), led the Suns with 17 points, but that all came before the Suns rallied to the lead in the fourth.

Four of the Suns’ 10 3-pointers came consecutively in the second half, putting the Suns back in front for the first time since the second quarter. The final two 3s came from Markieff Morris to tie score at the end of the third quarter and Josh Childress for the Suns’ first second-half lead at 75-72 with 9:25 to play.

“A lot of guys, myself included, were like, ‘There’s no way we can lose this game,’ ” Childress said. “It was a must-win.”

From there, Lopez came out of a funk — which included him being suspended, benched and barely used — to score nine consecutive points for an 84-74 Suns lead with 5:50 remaining. Lopez finished with 13 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes, his third double-digit scoring game of the season.

“I just tried to go out and be aggressive, the hit the boards and play some defense,” Lopez said. “I was just in the right spot at the time right time in some places.”

The Suns’ past two wins have come with rallies from double-digit deficits against the worst team from each conference. The win also snapped Phoenix’s four-game losing streak against Charlotte, which usually gets a big game from Boris Diaw (13 points, three rebounds, three assists, five turnovers) against the Suns.

The entire Suns bench had a big turnaround from the previous night’s loss in Houston, when the Rockets bench was the difference. On Saturday night, the Suns reserves outscored the Bobcats reserves 40-14.

“The energy level was where it should be,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “We did a really good job of picking up the tempo offensively, and I thought we really picked it up defensively.”

Redd missed his first four shots and then made six of his final eight to score 17 in 24 minutes. He sank four of seven 3s.

“To come back, through the tears, through the hurt, through the hours of rehab, training to come back and accomplish this, is maybe the proudest moment of my career,” Redd said.

Gortat’s 12-point, 12-rebound effort gave him 15 consecutive double-digit rebound games, tying Minnesota’s Kevin Love for the longest streak in the NBA season.

The Suns’ typical second-quarter offensive struggles put them in a 48-42 halftime hole, and it worsened to a 54-44 Bobcats lead before Gentry called timeout. The Suns emerged with a 7-0 run, including five by Redd.

“It’s weird how you play a back-to-back (set) and we had better energy tonight than we did last night,” Suns forward Grant Hill said. “Obviously, Houston’s a better team, but I thought we just didn’t come out with the energy in the first half (Friday night). The fourth quarter (Saturday) was just great basketball.”

Suns report

Key player: Suns center Robin Lopez scored all the points in a 9-0 run that gave the Suns an 84-74 lead in the fourth quarter.

Key moment: After a timeout with Charlotte taking a 54-44 lead to start the second half, the Suns got five defensive stops in a row to get back in the game.

Key number: 10. Suns’ 3-pointers, their second-most this season.

View from press row

It made a lot of sense to give Michael Redd the start at shooting guard Saturday night with Jared Dudley out. Alvin Gentry has wanted to give Redd better time. Redd has been a career starter. It kept rotations intact. The Suns already experimented with Ronnie Price there. Redd finished the Dallas and Houston blowouts well. And despite Saturday’s struggles against Charlotte, that is the opponent to try something new against.

Suns coach Alvin Gentry has an ideal description for Jared Dudley’s play — parasitic.

Dudley is the NBA’s parasite. He using his hustle, savvy and opportunity to benefit at the expense of those who are less engaged. The latest example has been his play since returning to the starting lineup. He has feasted off being fouled, took advantage of point guard Steve Nash creating open 3-point shots and using angles and reads to get to balls against players who are bigger or quicker.

The Suns had to go without that Saturday night, when Dudley sat out the Suns’ home game against Charlotte because of a thigh bruise. Dudley has scored at least 15 points in each of the four starts he has made since a five-game bench stint. He went from averaging 5.8 points as a reserve to averaging 16.3 in those four starts.

“This is what I was supposed to do,” Dudley said. “I expected to do this just because I know I can shoot the ball, and I know I can play, especially with Steve and this offense. I think I’ve even added a dimension where I can get to the basket to drop off and make my teammates better.”

The Suns are 5-3 when Dudley scores 15, but that scoring was inconsistent on his first go-around as starter this season, when he opened it in a shooting slump. Dudley has made eight of his past 15 3s, bolstering his career-best season for scoring (10.8) and rebounding (4.1) averages.

Dudley shot 3 for 13 in the first two games, both losses, and did not score in the second game against Philadelphia — a remarkable no-no for a starting shooting guard .

“The chemistry in the first part of the season was tough,” Dudley said. “Guys were staying home close (to me on defense). I’ve had a lot more space and been able to put the ball down better. Once you hit a couple, it’s confidence. I told you in the beginning of the year that you go by percentages. At the end of the year, I’m going to be shooting a good percentage.”

Dudley had scored 23 of his 65 points over the previous four games at the free-throw line. It was the first time in his career that he shot at least four free throws in four consecutive games.

“It’s something I’ve worked on, and my free-throw percentage (81.4) has gotten better,” Dudley said. “That’s something I worked on, and that makes you even more aggressive. It’s hard for me to get all the way to the basket because I’m not the fastest guy. Usually someone’s on my hip and (I) try to do what the whole NBA does — flop and … pray for a call. I did theater in seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th grades, so I have to pay off for those classes.”

Guard Michael Redd started in Dudley’s place Saturday night, getting his first start with Phoenix in 10 appearances.

Free throws

- Suns center Marcin Gortat has a chance to become the seventh Suns player to average at least 15 points and 10 rebounds in a season. One of the others was current Charlotte coach Paul Silas. Charles Barkley (four times), Shawn Marion (three) and Neal Walk (two) did it multiple times, and Connie Hawkins and Maurice Lucas also each did it once.

- The Suns have played 23 games in this lockout-shortened season. The NBA’s previous lockout-shortened schedule, in 1999, tipped off on this date — Feb. 5.

- This season is the 20th for US Airways Center. The Suns have a losing record at home this season but have the fourth-best home record in the NBA since the arena opened with in 1992-93, when the Suns reached the NBA Finals. They have won more than 70 percent of their home games.

Each week, a member of the Suns talks about some topics outside of Suns games. This week: Suns guard Sebastian Telfair.

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Profile: Sebastian Telfair

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Question: Why do you look and point upward each time you take the floor, whether it is checking in or out of a huddle?

Answer: I’ve been doing that a long time. I won’t tell you what I say, but it’s kind of like a prayer to my grandma.

Q: What is your favorite spot in Brooklyn?

A: My favorite spot would be Coney Island Nathan’s.

Q: So you’re a big Coney Island dog fan?

A: Yeah, that’s definitely required when you grow up there. It’s a summer tradition. The history there, and you got the boardwalk and the beach and the amusement park.

Q: Do you like the roller coasters?

A: I’m not in love with roller coasters. I would get on some, but I’m not in love with them.

Q: Where have you enjoyed living the most out of your six NBA stops?

A: I would have to say it’s a mixture of Minneapolis and Phoenix. In Minneapolis, it was quiet but it had nice restaurants and it had a little nightlife if you wanted to get out. But nothing is topping Phoenix with all the restaurants, and the weather we have is amazing.

Q: Looking back, what do you think about the book (The Jump) and the documentary film (“Through the Fire”) that were done about your transition from high school to the NBA?

A: I’ve got mixed feelings about it. I still think it’s pretty cool to have the experiences and … get the opportunity to do a documentary and have a book. I think the documentary is a lot cooler than the book.

Q: Without input on the book, how did you feel reading it?

A: I could take being misportrayed, but I can’t take lies. Other than that, I’m OK with it.

Q: What would have happened if you had gone to Louisville?

A: Who knows? I think I would’ve got a championship in college. … They went to the Final Four during my rookie year. With me, it would’ve put them over the hump.

Updated Feb 3, 2012 11:05 PM ET

Marcin Gortat had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Shannon Brown scored 12 for the Suns, who’ve lost five of their last seven. Houston had a 49-39 rebounding edge and held Steve Nash to six points and nine assists.

The Rockets’ reserves scored 50 points and pulled down 23 rebounds. They also preserved Houston’s big lead in the second half to let the starters rest before Saturday night’s game in Minnesota.

Nash had four assists in the first six minutes, and the Suns took an early 14-13 lead. Nash and Grant Hill went out for a rest with 3:50 left in the first quarter, and Houston finished with a 15-6 spurt to take a 30-20 lead.

The Rockets’ reserves shot and rebounded well early in the second quarter to preserve the double-digit margin. Nash and Grant Hill returned, but Houston stayed in control, stretching the lead to 45-28 on Budinger’s 3-pointer from the corner.

Houston’s bench scored 21 points in the second quarter, and the Rockets led 59-39 at the break. Houston outrebounded Phoenix 29-18 in the first half, with Luis Scola, Lowry and Patterson grabbing six boards apiece.

The Suns’ offense continued to sputter in the third quarter, even with Nash on the floor. Phoenix started the second half 4 for 10 from the field, and the deficit hovered around 20.

Phoenix couldn’t slow Houston much, either. The Rockets shot 43 percent (9 for 21) in the quarter and led 80-61, despite five turnovers.

Most of the starters from both teams sat out the final quarter, getting valuable rest since both play again Saturday. The Suns fly home to meet Charlotte, then face a demanding two-day trip with games in Atlanta on Monday and Milwaukee on Tuesday.

The Rockets held Phoenix to 19 points in the fourth to win for the 21st consecutive time when holding their opponent below 90 points.

Notes: The Rockets’ first-half points total was a season high. … Houston sent first-round draft pick Marcus Morris to Rio Grande Valley, the team’s developmental league partner. The 6-foot-9 Morris was selected by Houston with the 14th overall pick, just after his twin brother Markieff was taken by Phoenix. Morris sprained his left ankle in a D-league game on Jan. 12, but general manager Daryl Morey says Morris is cleared to play. Morris has averaged 22 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in four starts for Rio Grande Valley this season. … The Suns are 1-13 when trailing at halftime. … Phoenix lost to the Rockets for only the seventh time in the past 22 meetings.

Suns (8-13) at Rockets (12-10)

C: Marcin Gortat … Samuel Dalembert

PF: Channing Frye … Luis Scola

SF: Grant Hill … Chandler Parsons

SG: Jared Dudley … Kevin Martin

PG: Steve Nash … Kyle Lowry

Key Rockets reserves: Goran Dragic, Jordan Hill, Courtney Lee, Patrick Patterson and Chase Budinger.

On to the Orange Slices:

* With Wednesday’s win and a home game Saturday night against Charlotte, tonight’s game is the key to putting together a three-game winning streak for the first time this season. The back end of a back-to-back is always tough (the Suns are 2-3 in them this season) but the Bobcats are only 3-20 and are missing top scorer Gerald Henderson, although Boris Diaw surely will save his best game for Phoenix on Saturday night.

The Suns had beaten tonight’s opponent, Houston, in seven consecutive meetings until their last game at Toyota Center, a 95-93 loss when Steve Nash was out and Jared Dudley missed a 3-pointer to win.

* Suns forward Grant Hill did not play the second half of Wednesday night’s win at New Orleans due to soreness in his right knee, the one that underwent surgery in September. He will return to action tonight and start. The knee had bothered him since Monday morning’s shootaround. Until Wednesday, Hill had averaged 12.3 points over a seven-game stretch.

Hill not only is playing but takes on the key assignment of defending Houston shooting guard Kevin Martin, the leading scorer on the NBA’s No. 5 scoring offense. Martin has averaged 29.2 points in his last six appearances, although the missed two late January games with a foot injury. He returned from the injury and scored 29 in each of the Rockets’ past two games, ones that Houston lost despite his 10-for-17 3-point shooting.

* Sebastian Telfair has posted his three highest scoring games of the season in the past four games but Wednesday night feature more of what Telfair needs to be offensively.

Telfair carried the offense with a stretch of nine straight Suns points at the end of the third quarter but he also was a distributor in the first quarter, running two clean pick-and-rolls with Marcin Gortat and throwing an alleyoop pass to Josh Childress. New Orleans took the lead during his first-half time but that had more to do with the big men on the floor getting beat by Emeka Okafor’s and Gustavo Ayon’s activity.

“I’ve got to pick my spots when I’m looking to be the scorer for the second unit,” Telfair said. “I definitely have to be aggressive. A lot of our plays are set up for everyone to be aggressive. When you don’t take open shots, it breaks down everything we’re doing. I definitely have to be the one to put some points on the board for us.”

Telfair has the quirky stat line of being a 31.3 percent shooter from the field overall but a 45.5 percent shooter on 3-pointers. That 3-point clip is second best on the team to Markieff Morris (although Steve Nash is not above 40 at 40.3) but Telfair has a small sample size — 10 for 22.

* One of the biggest contributors to Steve Nash’s 30-point, 10-assist game Wednesday was three days off.
His bruised left thigh needed it to free his mobility.

“I felt pretty good,” Nash said. “The leg was really sore and stiff but in really rare times and positions. It didn’t bother me much and the pad protected it well. I had some energy in my legs from a couple days off.”

* Houston rookie Marcus Morris was assigned to the D-League today and headed for Rio Grande Valley this morning. Morris had been excited on Thursday about the chance to watch his best friend and twin brother, Markieff, play tonight. He said he was going to wear his only suit, his draft-night one, for the occasion. The twins did get to share a Thursday night dinner, the first time they have spent together since the lockout ended. There will be a story more about their relationship that will be on the site on Sunday.

* The Suns canceled a scheduled Thursday practice after having to stay in New Orleans overnight after Wednesday’s game. Fog in Houston nixed the Suns’ usual itinerary of flying to the next city after a game.

* Since returning to the starting lineup, Dudley is averaging 16.7 points over those three games and has made six of 11 3-pointers and 20 of 23 free throws.

* Two nicknames have stuck to Goran Dragic in going from Phoenix to Houston – his nicknames.

Dragic gets more attention for them in Houston. More people call him “Gogi,” a Slovenian nickname that was more common in his homeland than Phoenix. And the nickname “Dragon” has taken on new life in Houston, where they flash a dragon on the video screen at high points for him.

“It is the Year of the Dragon,” Dragic points out for the Chinese New Year.

Indeed, it is.

Dragic faced Phoenix twice last season soon after the trade in two games that were six days apart. The teams split and Dragic went 0 for 5 in 20 minutes of play with six points, four assists and three turnovers.

“I know Steve’s game and he knows my game,” Dragic said of facing Nash tonight. “But he’s going to be tough with all those pick-and-rolls. I know I’m going to get hit by big guys but I’ll try to play my game. Marcin, we know what he’s going to do. Set the screen, roll hard, dunk. Hopefully, Channing and Jared don’t have a hot hand.”

* Phoenix Phactoid Pharaoh Vince Kozar matched Steve Nash’s doozy of a game with a doozy of a phactoid. Nash became of seven players in NBA history to make 13 or more field goals on 16 or fewer attempts in a double-digit assist game. The others were Deron Williams, Gary Payton, Ray Allen (yeah, he had 10 assists), Mark Price, Pooh Richardson and Magic Johnson.

The always optimistic Pharaoh also points out that the Suns are 1-0 in February.

Post your comments on the game below:

DALLAS – The Suns looked like they would have a chance at escaping the likelihood of a scheduling loss Monday night.

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The schedule said the Suns were doomed when they had to face the defending champion Dallas Mavericks after four other road games and 5,000 miles of traveling.

Wishful thinking took over when the Suns got two days off before the game and learned that Dallas was holding out Dirk Nowitzki.

Wishful thinking is no elixir for the Suns’ offensive issues. The Suns shot a season-worst 37.3 percent from the field and committed 19 turnovers to let former Suns forward Shawn Marion’s season-high 29 points undo them in a 93-87 Dallas victory Monday night at American Airlines Center.

The Suns did not begin the game as though they would continue the season’s offensive disappointment.

They scored 24 points in the game’s first 8:05 by making nine of their first 16 shots and playing at a quicker tempo. Dallas scored right with them early and held the Suns to two 19-point quarters in the second and third to stretch the lead to double digits.

“It didn’t feel good out there,” said Nash, who made 2 of 9 shots after shooting 64 percent in his previous 10 games. “It didn’t feel like we had a good rhythm. It’s disappointing. You’d think, after two days off, we’d be well-rested, but sometimes you just feel funky.”

The Mavericks hedged defensively off screens, effectively turning Nash (12 assists) into solely a passer. As long as the Suns continue to struggle from 3-point range, that will be effective.

Last year’s strongest shooters — Nash, Channing Frye and Jared Dudley — went 0 for 7 on 3s.

The 3-point shocker was Marion, who had made 5 of 15 3s this season but went 4 for 6 on 3s Monday night. He also scored off his own activity and familiar flip shots in the lane to match his Mavericks career scoring high, a much-needed boost for an offense that has struggled and was missing Nowitzki and Vince Carter.

“Matrix (Marion) was on fire,” Nash said. “That was kind of the end of it.”

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle discouraged Marion’s 3s last season and admitted it was the wrong thing to do.

“I had to ‘D’ up like I did if we wanted to win a championship, but I’ve always had the 3-pointer in my game,” Marion said. “When you stop doing it, it definitely feels a little weird though.”

Dallas was 2-7 without Nowitzki last season but has won two in a row without him. The Suns helped that out by struggling offensively against the Mavericks’ third-rated scoring defense. Phoenix became the 15th consecutive Dallas opponent to fail to score 100 points.

Suns forward Grant Hill was part of the early spark with a 12-point first quarter and he scored a season-high 19 points but he also committed eight turnovers. It was Hill’s first eight-turnover game since 2000.

The Suns fell behind by as much as 15 points in the third quarter, when Marion scored 14.

The Suns cut the Dallas lead to 91-84 with 8:58 to play but a flagrant foul, penalty two, call on Sebastian Telfair moments later led to a four-point possession for a 88-74 Dallas lead.

Suns center Marcin Gortat had 19 points and a season-high 17 rebounds.

“We’ve got to win this game at home,” Gortat said of tonight’s game against Toronto. “We can’t trip any more at home. Games at home count double for us now.”

Report

Key player

The Mavericks’ Shawn Marion made four of his season’s nine 3-pointers and scored a season-high 29 points.

Key moment

The Suns did not make a field goal for the second half’s first five minutes to fall behind by 11.

Key number

37.3 The Suns’ season-low field-goal percentage from Monday night.

View from press row

Michael Redd did not play for a third consecutive game. He chose the Suns in large part for the rotation opportunity, but a new lineup and his 1-for-12 shooting over his last three games pushed him out. Coach Alvin Gentry said they need Redd’s shooting but adding that Sebastian Telfair squeezed Redd out. “It’s a matter of getting reps and getting the kinks out,” Redd said. “I’m not here to be any disruption. We talked and he said he’d try to fit me in. I said, ‘Coach, don’t worry about me. I’ll be ready whenever you call on me.’ “

Sloppy play and former Sun Shawn Marion put an end to the Suns’ two-game winning streak, without Dirk Nowitzki.

DALLAS – Don’t hold your breath waiting for the return of the uptempo, fun-and-gun Suns offense.

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The shot clock might expire if you do.

As much as Suns coach Alvin Gentry has implored his team to run more with the ball, winning the past two games with a total of 170 points for the first time since November 2002 just might say more about who this season’s Suns are as they hit the quarter pole in Dallas Monday night.

Between heavy roster turnover since the 2010 conference finals team and a lockout dragging down the league’s offense, the Suns play at a pace that is below the NBA average and score 12.1 fewer points per game than last season. But with two wins in a row, there is less reason to panic and hit the offense’s fast-forward button.

“We are a different team,” Suns point guard Steve Nash said. “We aren’t the same players, and collectively we really don’t have the same mentality. It’s easy to say we are going to be a running team, but it’s something that has to be ingrained and understood. We’ve got a lot of new guys. Not just this year, but last year. So the amount of guys we had on this team when we were a running team is few (five carryovers). We’re a different team. We’re better defensively.”

The Suns are holding opponents to 44.2 percent shooting this season, ranking them 16th for opponent field-goal percentage entering Sunday’s games. Monday night, they have a chance to build on that with Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki being held out for conditioning work.

The entire league is suffering offensively from a rushed, belated and shortened preseason. Teams are scoring 5.1 fewer points per game (99.6 last season to 94.5 this season) and shooting less accurately (45.9 percent last season to 44.2 this season). The fall has been more exaggerated with the Suns, whose rapid pace last season accrued the fourth-most offensive possessions in the NBA.

“Maybe the identity is changing a little bit,” Suns forward Grant Hill said. “Maybe it’s just one of those weird years.”

On Friday night, the Suns beat Boston 79-71 and took only 69 shots in the game. The Suns took fewer than 70 shots in a game once last season and had not won a game doing so since January 2009.

The Celtics, missing Rajon Rondo, were more upset about the game’s slow pace than the Suns.

“It’s funny — they’re a running team, but they didn’t want to run it, either,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “They used the clock 23 seconds every possession, it felt like. And that slowed the game down. But they were making half their shots. So it turned the game into, I mean, it was a snail pace, really.”

According to 82games.com, the Suns take 38 percent of their shots in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock as opposed to 41 percent over the past two seasons. It has been a steady decline since 2004-05, when the Suns took 48 percent of their shots in the first 10 seconds of possession.

The Suns still want to push the ball more to get easier shots and better 3-point shots in transition. The 3-point shooting percentage of 33.8 percent is far off the club’s recent standard because Channing Frye (33.9 percent), Jared Dudley (34.1), Shannon Brown (29.7) and Hill (5.9) all are converting below expectations.

“We’re definitely still searching for more cohesion,” Nash said. “We didn’t have much time to practice. We got ready the best we could. We weren’t really as ready as we needed to be and now we’re trying to catch up but it’s difficult.

“We’ve got to find a way to run a little bit more and do the other things that we’re doing better.”