Suns rout Grizzlies 126-111 as Stoudemire has fifth straight 20-point game

Stoudemire’s 28 points lead Suns past Grizzlies

PHOENIX — Amare Stoudemire scored 18 of his 28 points during a torrid third quarter and the Phoenix Suns beat the Memphis Grizzlies 126-111 Wednesday night for their 15th consecutive home victory.

In the third quarter, the scintillating, high-scoring Suns hit their first 12 field-goal attempts and finished the quarter 17 for 20.

The Suns are 12-3, the best record in the NBA. They are the only team in the league to score at least 100 points in every game this season. They also have scored at least 100 points in 32 consecutive home games. Their 126 points against Memphis were a season high — home or away.

In recording his fifth straight 20-point game, Stoudemire hit 13 of 18 field-goal attempts, including all eight in the third quarter when the Suns broke open the game, taking a 98-77 lead at the end of the quarter.

Jason Richardson added 20 points for the Suns, Leandro Barbosa scored 15, Channing Frye had 14, Grant Hill made all six of his field-goal attempts and had 12 points, and Steve Nash had 11 points and 16 assists.

Zach Randolph led Memphis with 24 points and 13 rebounds, including a franchise-record 10 off the offensive glass. Rudy Gay scored 16, Sam Young 14, Marc Gasol 13 and Jamaal Tinsley 12.

The first half was close — there were eight lead changes and nine ties — until the final 3½ minutes when the Suns outscored Memphis 13-2 and built a 60-49 halftime lead. The Grizzlies, who had begun the game with some accurate shooting, failed to hit a field goal in the final 4:15 of the first half.

Richardson led all scorers with 15 points, connecting on three of four 3-pointers, and adding a vicious dunk and an alley-oop basket.

At the outset, the Grizzlies’ big front line of Gay, Randolph and Gasol punished the Suns under the boards, helping Memphis gain a 16-8 rebounding advantage in the first period, which ended 27-27 following a late Phoenix run of 11-4. By halftime, the Grizzlies’ three frontcourt players had accounted for 32 points — 12 each by Gay and Randolph and eight by Gasol — and 17 rebounds — six each by Gay and Gasol, five by Randolph.

NOTES: This was the first game of a five-game road trip for Memphis, with games following at Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers, Utah and Minnesota. … Phoenix will embark on a four-game road swing, with stops at Minnesota, Toronto, New York and Cleveland. … Center Robin Lopez, who has missed all of Phoenix’s 15 games this season because of a broken bone in his left foot, is expected to play Friday, according to coach Alvin Gentry. … After finishing last in the NBA in rebounding last season, the Grizzlies lead the league in offensive rebounding this season. … Former Arizona coach Lute Olson was among the spectators.