FILE - U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton on the bench in Phoenix. (AP Photo/KSAZ-TV FOX 10)

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona is preparing to ask an appeals court to lift a judge’s ruling that put most of the state’s immigration law on hold in a key first-round victory for the federal government in a fight that may go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Three people were arrested Thursday morning at the federal courthouse in Phoenix, where police had riot gear ready in case the protest got out of hand. It was not immediately clear why the people were detained.

Hundreds of protesters marched from the state Capitol at dawn, then held a prayer service at a local church before gathering in front of the federal courthouse.

Opponents also planned a sit-in at the office of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The sheriff said if protesters were disruptive they’d be arrested, and he vowed to go ahead with a crime sweep targeting illegal immigrants.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks Wednesday, July 28, 2010 in Phoenix regarding Federal Judge Bolton's ruling which blocked the most controversial sections of Arizona's new immigration law, SB1070, from taking effect Thursday. (AP Photo/Matt York)

“My deputies will arrest them and put them in pink underwear,” Arpaio said, referring to one of his odd methods of punishment for prisoners. “Count on it.”

Gov. Jan Brewer called Wednesday’s decision by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton “a bump in the road” and vowed to appeal.

Paul Senseman, a spokesman for Brewer, said Arizona would ask the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco later Thursday to lift Bolton’s preliminary injunction and to expedite its consideration of the state’s appeal.

Bolton indicated the government has a good chance at succeeding in its argument that federal immigration law trumps state law. But the key sponsor of Arizona’s law, Republican Rep. Russell Pearce, said the judge was wrong and predicted the state would ultimately win the case.

Opponents of the law said the ruling sends a strong message to other states hoping to replicate the law.

“Surely it’s going to make states pause and consider how they’re drafting legislation and how it fits in a constitutional framework,” Dennis Burke, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, told The Associated Press. “The proponents of this went into court saying there was no question that this was constitutional, and now you have a federal judge who’s said, ‘Hold on, there’s major issues with this bill.’”

He added: “So this idea that this is going to be a blueprint for other states is seriously in doubt. The blueprint is constitutionally flawed.”

In her temporary injunction, Bolton delayed the most contentious provisions of the law, including a section that required officers to check a person’s immigration status while enforcing other laws. She also barred enforcement of parts requiring immigrants to carry their papers and banned illegal immigrants from soliciting employment in public places — a move aimed at day laborers that congregate in large numbers in parking lots across Arizona. The judge also blocked officers from making warrantless arrests of suspected illegal immigrants.

“Requiring Arizona law enforcement officials and agencies to determine the immigration status of every person who is arrested burdens lawfully present aliens because their liberty will be restricted while their status is checked,” said Bolton, a Clinton administration appointee who was assigned the seven lawsuits filed against Arizona over the law.

Other provisions that were less contentious were allowed to take effect Thursday, including a section that bars cities in Arizona from disregarding federal immigration laws.

The 11th-hour ruling came just as police were preparing to begin enforcement of a law that has drawn international attention and revived the national immigration debate in a year when Democrats are struggling to hold on to seats in Congress.

Federal police officers stand outside the grounds of the Sandra Day O'Connor Court House Wednesday, July 28, 2010 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

The ruling was anxiously awaited in the U.S. and beyond. About 100 protesters in Mexico City who had gathered at the U.S. Embassy broke into applause when they learned of the ruling via a laptop computer. Mariana Rivera, a 36-year-old from Zacatecas, Mexico, who is living in Phoenix on a work permit, said she heard about the ruling on a Spanish-language news program.

“I was waiting to hear because we’re all very worried about everything that’s happening,” said Rivera, who phoned friends and family with the news. “Even those with papers, we don’t go out at night at certain times there’s so much fear (of police). You can’t just sit back and relax.”

More demonstrators opposed to the law planned to gather Thursday, with the Los Angeles-based National Day Laborer Organizing Network and the immigrant-rights group Puente saying they would march from the state Capitol.

Lawmakers or candidates in as many as 18 states say they want to push similar measures when their legislative sessions start up again in 2011. Some lawmakers pushing the legislation said they would not be daunted by the ruling and plan to push ahead in response to what they believe is a scourge that needs to be tackled.

A Border Patrol vehicle sits along the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, Ariz., Tuesday, July 27, 2010. Arizona's new immigration law SB1070 takes effect today (Thursday, July 29). (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Arizona is the nation’s epicenter of illegal immigration, with more than 400,000 undocumented residents. The state’s border with Mexico is awash with smugglers and drugs that funnel narcotics and immigrants throughout the U.S., and the influx of illegal migrants drains vast sums of money from hospitals, education and other services.

“We’re going to have to look and see,” said Idaho state Sen. Monty Pearce, a second cousin of Russell Pearce and a supporter of immigration reform in his state. “Nobody had dreamed up, two years ago, the Arizona law, and so everybody is looking for that crack where we can get something done, where we can turn the clock back a little bit and get our country back.”

Kris Kobach, the University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor who helped write the law and train Arizona police officers in immigration law, conceded the ruling weakens the force of Arizona’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants. He said it will likely be a year before a federal appeals court decides the case.

“It’s a temporary setback,” Kobach said. “The bottom line is that every lawyer in Judge Bolton’s court knows this is just the first pitch in a very long baseball game.”

In the meantime, other states like Utah will likely take up similar laws, possibly redesigned to get around Bolton’s objections.

“The ruling … should not be a reason for Utah to not move forward,” said Utah state Rep. Carl Wimmer, a Republican from Herriman City, who said he plans to co-sponsor a bill similar to Arizona’s next year and wasn’t surprised it was blocked. “For too long the states have cowered in the corner because of one ruling by one federal judge.”

The core of the government’s case is that federal immigration law trumps state law — an issue known as “pre-emption” in legal circles and one that dates to the founding of America. In her ruling, Bolton pointed out five portions of the law where she believed the federal government would likely succeed on its claims.

The Justice Department argued in court that the law was unconstitutional and that allowing states to push their own measures would lead to a patchwork of immigration laws across the nation and disrupt a carefully balanced approach crafted by Congress.

Arizona argues that the federal government has failed to secure the border, and that it has a right to take matters into its own hands.

For now, the federal government has the upper-hand in the dispute, by virtue of the strength of its arguments and the precedent on the pre-emption issue. The Bush administration successfully used the pre-emption argument to win consumer product cases, and judges in other jurisdictions have looked favorably on the argument in immigration disputes.

“This is clearly a significant victory for the Justice Department and a defeat for the sponsors of this law,” said Peter Spiro, a constitutional law professor at Temple University who has studied immigration law extensively. “They will not win on this round of appeals. They’ll get a shot after a trial and a final ruling by Judge Bolton.”

__

Story by: Bob Christie, AP

Associated Press Writers Paul Davenport and Jacques Billeaud contributed to this report.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash, left, questions referee Dan Crawford, right, about a foul he called against Nash while playing the Houston Rockets in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 11, 2010, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

BOB BAUM,AP Sports Writer.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns were 3½ minutes away from what would have been a brutal loss. Then, as has happened so often, the 3-pointers started falling.

Amare Stoudemire had 35 points and 13 rebounds and the Suns made four 3s in a row to pull away for a 116-106 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

Against the Suns, Rockets coach Rick Adelman said, “You’re rolling the dice.”

“If you try to take away the 3s, then you’ve got Stoudemire rolling down the middle and we don’t have anybody to stop him,” he said. “And they didn’t make them until the last 3 minutes.”

Channing Frye made two of the 3s and Steve Nash and Jason Richardson had one apiece in a 14-0 run after the Rockets took a 102-100 lead with 3:23 left.

“They had a hard time on the screen and roll,” Stoudemire said. “When I rolled to the basket, they were sucking in and Steve was doing a great job of finding open guys.”

The victory moved Phoenix into a tie with Utah and Denver for the third playoff spot in the West, a half-game behind No. 2 Dallas, with two to play. The Suns’ final two games are at home against Denver on Tuesday and at Utah on Wednesday.

Nash had 23 points and 11 assists for the Suns, winners of 12 of their last 14.

Luis Scola scored 20 of his 30 points in the second half for the Rockets, who rallied from a 14-point third-quarter deficit. Aaron Brooks added 22 points, including 6 of 9 3-pointers, and Chase Budinger had 19 for Houston.

“You can just look look at the West and see — that team is a quality team and they’re not going to make the playoffs,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said about the Rockets. “They’re a real quality team. They’re hard to play. Every game we’ve played them this year it’s been like a roller coaster.”

And the Suns won all four.

Nash limped off after taking a shot to the leg with 23 seconds to go, drawing a technical foul as he left the court. He said he was not hurt.

“It’s not even worth talking about,” he said.

The Rockets led 102-100 after Scola’s two free throws. Scola drew a foul for bumping Nash during Phoenix’s trademark pick-and-roll play on the next possession. The Suns took the ball out of bounds, Scola backed off a bit, and Nash made the 3, his third in three tries, to put Phoenix ahead for good.

Frye followed with a 3-pointer, Richardson got one, then Frye another and it was over.

“They’re a smart team,” the Rockets’ Trevor Ariza said. “They know what to do and they know when to do it.”

The Suns led 62-57 at the break and 81-67 after Jarron Collins’ inside basket with 4:56 to play in the third quarter. Scola, though, scored eight in a 13-1 surge to cut the lead to 82-80 with 1:18 to go in the quarter. Frye made his first shot of the night and Nash sank a 3-pointer to boost the lead to 87-80. But Scola responded with a driving bank shot, Budinger intercepted Nash’s cross-court pass and made a 3-pointer and it was 87-85 entering the fourth.

Jordan Hill scored to start the final period to tie it at 87-87. Brooks’ fifth 3-pointer, the first one he had tried since the opening quarter, put Houston ahead 92-91 with 8:44 to go. the Rockets’ first lead since midway through the second quarter.

There were three ties and four lead changes after that before the Suns went ahead for good.

Stoudemire set the tone for the late surge when he made a leaping save of a ball headed out of bounds, then got the ball back for a dunk to tie it at 100-100.

“Amare had a monster game,” Gentry said, “but it’s nothing he hasn’t been doing the last two months really.”

Brooks made his first 4 3-pointers in the first quarter. While he was 6 of 9 on 3s but only 1 of 9 on 2-pointers.

NOTES: Houston had won three in a row and four of five. … The game featured three former University ofArizona standouts — Frye for the Suns, rookies Budinger and Hill for the Rockets. A fourth, Suns general manager Steve Kerr, watched from the stands. … Injured Suns C Robin Lopez (bulging disk) is to be re-evaluated by a specialist on Monday. … Phoenix won its seventh straight home game. … Houston’s Kevin Martin played only 6 minutes in the third quarter and none in the fourth because of illness, Adelman said.

Last fall, Lisa and Anthony “A.J.” Demaree of Peoria lost physical custody of their three daughters for a month after a Walmart photo clerk found a handful of naked bath- and playtime shots of the girls among a group of photos dropped off for developing.

Neither parent was ever charged with a crime and parents eventually got their children back.

Peoria City Attorney Steve Kemp said the lawsuit should be dismissed because the Demarees didn’t file a notice of claim far enough in advance of filing their lawsuit.

The Demarees’ attorney Richard Treon said Peoria and the state are twisting the rules and using a technicality to get out of the case.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

Phoenix Fire Capt. Alex Rangel calls it one of those freak accidents.

Firefighters say the girl fell while standing on a 3-foot-tall fence Saturday as she tried to reach a ball stuck in a tree.

A piece of decorative rebar impaled her right thigh.

Rescue crews say they used the Jaws of Life to chop off the entire section of fence, sedated the child and sent her to Maricopa Medical Center with the piece of metal still in her leg.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

Phoenix Suns Amar'e Stoudemire, right, dunks on Minnesota Timberwolves Ryan Hollins in the first quarter during their NBA basketball game Sunday March 28, 2010.(AP Photo/Andy King)

DAVE CAMPBELL,AP Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Steve Nash’s back was bothering him, so much so that the Phoenix Suns almost had to play without their slick-passing, floppy-haired front man.

With those prime Western Conference playoff seeds still in reach, Nash wasn’t going to give in and take a game off — even against the tumbling Minnesota Timberwolves.

Amare Stoudemire had 30 points and 17 rebounds, helping Nash and the Suns hold off Minnesota for a 111-105 victory on Sunday night that matched a franchise record for the Timberwolves with their 16th loss in a row.

“This was an important game. If you lose this game, it could be disastrous. So I just wanted to try and be there for the team,” said Nash, who had 14 points and 11 assists while guiding the Suns to their season-high seventh straight win.

Kevin Love had 23 points and a career-high 22 rebounds and Al Jefferson put up 19 points and 16 rebounds, leading the Timberwolves (14-60) on a startling second-half comeback from a 25-point deficit in the second quarter.

But when Nash and Stoudemire left the bench with 7½ minutes remaining and their team leading by five, the Suns refocused and dodged an embarrassing defeat to a team they scored 152 points against just 12 days ago. Stoudemire had 10 straight points for Phoenix to stretch the lead to 108-99 on a short jumper with 44 seconds remaining.

“We can’t afford to really shut down at all, because no matter what the record is every team can beat you,” Stoudemire said. “We have to keep that in mind and really keep that focus and determination for the full 48 minutes.”

Nash was working out earlier in the day when he began to experience back spasms. Coach Alvin Gentry said before the game he wouldn’t play Nash unless he was 100 percent healthy, but Nash got his back to feel good enough to move around.

“It was tough. I didn’t know what I would be able to provide,” Nash said. “I thought I’d just give the best I could and just try to see how it goes.”

The Suns have won 21 of their last 26 games. That includes a 152-114 beating of Minnesota earlier this month, the most points ever allowed by the Wolves in their 21-year existence and the highest score in the NBA this season.

The Wolves, who also lost 16 in a row in both 1994 and 1992 and had a 15-game skid end in November, showed more fight than they have in a long time and came within one point in the fourth quarter. They also held the Suns under 120 points for the first time in four losses this season.

Still, that didn’t make them feel good.

“It wears on you,” said Ramon Sessions, whose layup off a backdoor give-and-go pass from Love brought the Wolves within 93-90 right after Nash and Stoudemire re-entered the game.

Wolves coach Kurt Rambis lamented that his team was lured into playing the Suns’ fast pace, and out of their element, in the last meeting. This time, midway through the third quarter, it was almost as if Minnesota’s overall lethargy lured Phoenix into a lapse.

The Wolves quietly whittled the lead from 20-plus toward 10 and then came within 81-75 on Wayne Ellington’s double-pump, throw-it-up-and-hope layup and three-point play when Stoudemire fouled him hard.

Ellington’s jumper cut the lead to 89-88, but the Wolves just couldn’t break that barrier during a season that’s been burdened by all kinds of them.

The impressive comeback won’t buy this team any confidence.

“You definitely need a win,” Rambis said. “Everybody’s frustrated. I’m frustrated. The coaches are. The players are. The front office is. The fans are.”

Rambis was again trying to figure out how such an inspired third quarter could be preceded by such a lifeless second quarter.

“They have to play that style of scrappy ball,” he said. “That’s the only way we’re going to be able to stay in ballgames.”

The Wolves host Sacramento on Wednesday.

“It’s tough man,” Ellington said, groaning when asked if the players are bothered by the dubious streak. “Everybody in here likes to win, too.”

Channing Frye had 14 of his 17 points in the first half, and Leandro Barbosa added 16 points for the Suns, who are averaging more than 120 points during this Stoudemire-fueled streak. His scoring average this season has increased with each month, and he’s putting up more than 28 points per game in March.

“We got lucky, and Amare rescued us,” Gentry said: “I just think he’s been really focused.”

NOTES: Nash and Rambis are two of Santa Clara’s most famous alums. … Frye saw more time with C Robin Lopez out for at least two weeks with a back injury.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire (1) scores against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 21, 2010, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

PHOENIX (AP) — Anytime the NBA’s leading field-goal shooting team can win a game while hitting less than 40 percent, it knows it has accomplished something good.

The Phoenix Suns had that feeling Sunday night, after beating the Portland Trail Blazers 93-87 despite shooting only 38.8 percent from the floor.

“Even though we were not shooting the ball well until the fourth quarter, we got the job done,” said Jared Dudley, who scored all 10 of his points in the final period.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we got the win,” Jason Richardson said.

“It was exactly how I thought it would be,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “A real grind-it-out game.”

Both teams played airtight defense, as reflected in the shooting percentages. Portland was even worse than Phoenix, hitting only 38.4 percent of its shots.

The loss ended Portland’s five-game winning streak and was only the Trail Blazers’ second defeat in nine games. It left them in eighth place in the Western Conference.

Phoenix, meanwhile, moved into a virtual fifth-place tie with Oklahoma City in the Western Conference with its fifth win, including four in a row, in seven games during an 18-day homestand that ended Sunday. The Suns are 44-26, the first time this season they have been 18 games over .500.

Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 18 points and 14 rebounds, ending his streak of 22 consecutive games with 19 points or more. Steve Nash had 17 points and eight assists, Jason Richardson scored 16 points, and Grant Hill finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Brandon Roy led Portland with 23 points, but was only 8 of 25 from the field. Andre Miller scored 22 points on 7-of-20 shooting, LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 points, and Marcus Camby snared 16 rebounds.

A field goal by Dudley with 6:18 remaining put the Suns ahead for good, 79-78. He followed with his second 3-pointer, making it 82-78.

After Aldridge missed two free throws, Hill scored on a layup and a jumper, giving the Suns an 86-78 advantage. The closest Portland got after that was two points, 89-87, on a 3-pointer by Roy.

Phoenix outscored Portland 29-19 in the fourth quarter with the aid of a zone defense.

“They went zone and we didn’t attack that,” Portland coach Nate McMillan said. “We were shooting jump shots from the perimeter. As long as you are taking shots from there, they’re going to stay in and pack it in, which they did.”

Miller said the Suns did the right thing by switching to a zone.

“They had to do something because we were controlling the game,” he said. “Their zone kind of slowed us down. We let it affect us …”

“We’re a better defensive team than people give us credit for,” Stoudemire said. “We try to improve on that every night.”

Nash felt the Trail Blazers’ style of play made it an uninteresting game.

“They did a good job of mucking the game up and making it a grind, which isn’t necessary the way we want to play,” Nash said. “But we did a good job of competing, finding a way to get baskets and stops, especially down the stretch.”

The game began with a series of runs, but had little pace or rhythm because neither team was shooting well, and it was fitting that the score was tied at 47 at halftime.

With the score at 7-all, Richardson scored seven consecutive points, but the Trail Blazers countered with 19-4 burst and led 26-18. The Suns followed with nine straight points, bridging the first and second periods, inching ahead 27-26. The half was marked by 11 lead changes and seven ties.

Of the Suns’ first 18 points, Richardson and Stoudemire accounted for 17, with a technical foul shot by Nash the only other point by Phoenix. In fact, Richardson and Stoudemire combined for the Suns’ only seven field goals in the first period.

Camby had 10 rebounds, including four off the offensive glass, the opening quarter.

Phoenix was hurt early when Nash incurred two fouls in the first 6 minutes and sat out the next 12 minutes. When he did return, he hit four quick field goals.

Aldridge and Miller carried the offensive burden for the Trail Blazers in the first half, each scoring 12 points.

Neither the pace nor the rhythm improved in the third quarter, when the Trail Blazers shot 9 for 25 and the Suns a pathetic 4 for 22. But by the end of the quarter, Portland had a 68-64 lead, thanks to Miller, who matched the Suns’ field goal production with four and scored 10 points. His driving and penetration disrupted the Suns’ defense.

NOTES: The Suns recalled rookie forward Earl Clark from the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League, where he averaged 20.7 points and 9.0 rebounds while playing 34.3 minutes in three games. … Portland swingman Rudy Fernandez did not make the trip because of a left quad strain. … Entering Sunday’s play, the Suns led the league in scoring (110.1 points per game), field-goal percentage (49.1) and 3-point field-goal percentage (40.6). … Miller played in his 601st consecutive game, the NBA’s longest active string of appearances.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press

Phoenix Suns' Jason Richardson (23) dunks over Sacramento Kings' Tyreke Evans, middle, and Jason Thompson in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

PHOENIX (AP) — Are the Phoenix Suns, the NBA’s highest-scoring team, suddenly becoming a tough defensive team?

If the last two games are any indication, they are headed in the right direction.

Jason Richardson scored 26 points, Amare Stoudemire had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Steve Nash had 17 assists, leading the Suns to a 104-88 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.

The win was the Suns’ eighth in 10 games and gave them a four-game season sweep of the Kings.

It was the second consecutive game the Suns held an opponent under 90 points, a rarity for a team known for its offense but notorious for its poor defense.

On Friday night, the Suns limited Atlanta to 30 points in the second half. Against the Kings, they allowed only 34 points after intermission, including only 15 in the third quarter, a season low for a Suns opponent.

“Defense and rebounding, that’s what we did in the beginning of the season.” Richardson said. “We got away from that for a while. But now guys are taking it upon themselves to do what we were doing in the beginning of the season. I think when we defend like that we are tough to stop.”

The Suns also outrebounded the Kings 49-38, including grabbing 20 offensive boards.

Stoudemire admits that he now is finally starting to grasp the finer points of defense.

“In college is where you learn the fundamentals of defense but I didn’t go to college,” he said. “When I played with Team USA, defense was important. Now, I’m starting to enjoy it.”

Coach Alvin Gentry was especially pleased with the Suns defense.

“I thought we did a great job,” Gentry said. “I thought Steve did a good job on Tyreke Evans. We probably did the best job we’ve ever done as far as dribble penetration. I thought our defense was the difference.”

Newly acquired Carl Landry led Sacramento with 18 points. Beno Udrih had 17 and Donte Greene and rookie Tyreke Evans each scored 16 for the Kings.

The Kings began the season 9-8, but since then they are 9-30. They are 5-25 on the road and have lost nine straight in Phoenix.

Grant Hill added 16 points and Nash scored 11 for the Suns, who are 13-0 when holding an opponent under 100 points.

The Suns (34-23) are 11 games over .500 for the first time since opening the season 14-3.

Despite playing the second night of a back-to-back, the Kings were sharp at the outset. They moved the ball crisply, hit 56.1 percent of their field goal attempts and racked up a Suns-like 16 fast-break points.

“We weren’t good enough to play 48 minutes of the kind of basketball you need to beat Phoenix in Phoenix,” Sacramento coach Paul Westphal said. “We couldn’t keep them off the offensive boards which hasn’t been a problem for us all year but has been the last two games.”

Evans admired the work of Stoudemire on the boards.

“He’s a beast,” Evans said. “He was coming in there, jumping over everybody, snatching the rebounds and putting them back up. That’s what hurt us. We’ve got to do a better job of holding them to one shot, like they did to us.”

Greene, who burned the Suns for a career-high 31 points on Feb. 5 but failed to score Saturday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, led the balanced Kings offense with 11 points at halftime.

The Kings led by 10 points midway through the second period and 54-51 at halftime.

Richardson scored 19 points in the first half and Nash, playing despite a troublesome abdominal strain, already had 10 assists at the break.

The Kings began to wear down in the third quarter and the Suns capitalized. Phoenix held Sacramento to 15 points in the period, when the Kings made only five of 15 shots, and the Suns surged ahead 75-69. Stoudemire was the spark, scoring seven points and grabbing nine rebounds.

The Suns took control by opening the fourth quarter with seven straight points, five by Channing Frye, and the Kings never seriously threatened again.

NOTES: Evans is trying to become the fourth player in NBA history to average 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in his rookie season. Before Sunday’s game, he was averaging 20.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists. The only players who have accomplished that are Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Oscar Robertson. … Stoudemire’s 19 points ended his streak of at least 20 points in nine straight games.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

Phoenix Suns center Robin Lopez (15) scores over Houston Rockets' Shane Battier (31) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010, in Houston. (AP Photo/Steve Campbell)

HOUSTON (AP) — The Phoenix Suns finally figured out how to win the kind of road game they’ve been losing lately.

Amare Stoudemire scored a season-high 36 points, Steve Nash handed out 16 assists and the Suns snapped a five-game road losing streak with a 115-111 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

Nash scored 11 points and grabbed a season-high eight rebounds, and Grant Hill added 19 points for the Suns, who got their first road win since a 113-109 victory in Sacramento on Jan. 5. Their last road win before that came on Nov. 29 in Toronto.

“A lot of things didn’t go our way, and we found a way to hang around and get it done,” Nash said. “On the road, the way we’ve lost a lot of games like that this year, to have the toughness to continue and find different ways to win the game was exciting.”

Aaron Brooks scored 24 points after shooting poorly in the first half and Trevor Ariza had 21 for the Rockets, who’ve lost five of their last eight games.

The Rockets shot 38 percent (40 of 106), but overcame poor shooting with stingy defense in the second half to make it close at the end.

Brooks hit a pull-up jumper with 1:18 left in regulation to cut the Suns’ lead to 97-96. Nash was called for a technical foul, claiming Brooks pushed off before the shot. Brooks sank the resulting free throw to tie it, but Nash sank a 3-pointer with 1:08 to go for a 100-97 Suns’ lead.

Ariza tied it with a 3-pointer from the corner with 11.3 seconds remaining. Nash fell as he threw up a last-second shot that came up short at the buzzer.

The Suns led by 18 early, and had blown leads of 15 points or more five times this season. But Nash remained confident in this one, even after the game went to an extra period.

“I still felt like we could find a way to win,” Nash said. “We had a good energy about us and we were tough enough tonight to dig through it.”

Stoudemire fouled out with 3:08 left in the overtime and the scored tied at 104. Jason Richardson finished a fast break with a layup, then scored again off a set play as the Suns took a 111-107 lead.

Brooks hit a free throw and Luis Scola scored in the lane to pull Houston within one. Jared Dudley sank two free throws with 5.3 seconds left, and the Suns fouled Brooks before he could shoot a tying 3.

Brooks made the first free throw, then was called for a lane violation when he threw the ball off the rim and tried to get his own rebound. Nash hit two free throws with 3.6 seconds left to clinch the victory.

“Everybody, from the second unit on down, showed great tenacity,” Stoudemire said. “We had to scrap for it, but we had enough professionalism to pull it out in the end.”

The Rockets missed 14 of their first 16 shots and quickly trailed by 13. Chase Budinger’s driving layup with 4:24 left in the first quarter snapped Houston’s 6-minute scoring drought, but Richardson immediately dunked an alley-oop pass from Hill for a 21-8 lead.

Phoenix stretched the lead to 56-38 in the second quarter, as Houston’s starters continued to misfire. Brooks, coming off a 33-point game against Portland on Friday, went 1 for 7 from the field in the first half. Scola and Shane Battier both went 2 for 7.

“We shot the ball terrible in the first half,” Brooks said. “We shot the ball terrible pretty much the whole game, but our defense is what allowed us to stay in the game.”

Phoenix led 60-48 at the break, and Stoudemire swished three jumpers from the top of the key early in the third quarter. From there, the Rockets tightened their defense and mounted a 16-2 run. Brooks sank back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 68-67, and Scola tipped in Ariza’s miss to put the Rockets up by one.

Nash delivered five assists in the final three minutes of the third quarter, and Phoenix took a 79-73 lead to the fourth.

NOTES: Stoudemire has 16 double-doubles this season. … G Will Conroy, recalled from the Rockets’ developmental league affiliate on Thursday, made his Houston debut in the first quarter. Conroy replaced regular backup point guard Kyle Lowry, who’s out at least a week with a sprained left knee. … The Rockets went 11 for 34 from 3-point range, a season high for attempts.

CHRIS DUNCAN,AP Sports Writer

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

A multiple-vehicle collision caused by blowing dust is seen Tuesday Dec. 22, 2009 on Interstate 10 near Kortsen Road in Casa Grande, Ariz. sudden dust storm has spawned 20 or more collisions Tuesday on Interstate 10 in central Arizona, with several vehicles catching fire. (AP Photo/Casa Grande Dispatch, Steven King)

PHOENIX (AP) — A sudden dust storm Tuesday spawned a series of collisions involving as many as 20 vehicles on Interstate 10 south of Phoenix, leaving at least three people dead.

Arizona Department of Public Safety officials said other casualties were airlifted to Phoenix hospitals with severe burns and other traumatic injuries.

A second series of accidents was reported farther south along the main route between Tucson and Phoenix. High winds and blowing dust were also reported west of Phoenix, and the highway patrol was urging drivers headed to Phoenix from California to drive with extreme caution.

The midday accidents led authorities to close I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson. It was expected to remain blocked for at least several hours.

Both directions of Interstate 40 in northern Arizona were also closed west of Flagstaff because of high winds and snow.

Traffic backed up for miles as I-10, a major east-west thoroughfare, was shut down in both directions at milepost 190 near Casa Grande. Dust and thick gray smoke from burning vehicles billowed across the flat sprawl of farms and desert.

The highway patrol said a commercial vehicle exploded, so a hazardous materials team was dispatched to the scene.

Video shot by a television helicopter showed the smoking hulks of several big-rig trucks, a passenger van and unrecognizable debris along about 300 yards of the eastbound lanes about 10 miles north of the junction with Interstate 8. In the westbound lanes, an injured person was loaded on a medical helicopter.

The highway was likely be closed in both directions for the better part of the day as state engineers look at the roadway, said Officer Robert Bailey, a Department of Public Safety spokesman.

“ADOT engineers have to get out there and examine the pavement and see if it’s OK to be driven on after these fires,” Bailey said.

The storm arrived fast and furious Tuesday morning, said David Bridger, a spokesman for the city of Casa Grande.

“This one came on so very, very quickly,” Bridger said. “We knew it was something pretty serious coming. It is absolutely a major, major wind storm down here.”

DPS said visibility was poor as the dust storm remained in the area.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Flagstaff drivers are paying the most for a gallon of fuel with average prices at $2.75 for regular.

Tucson drivers have it pretty good paying an average of $2.46 a gallon.

Greeting this weeks Thanksgiving travelers are relatively stable gasoline prices.

Triple-A says nationally, the average price for a gallon of self serve regular was $2.64. This price is about a penny and half cheaper than the average price one month ago.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.