Steve Nash collected 24 points and nine assists in his return to the lineup and Jason Richardson added 26 points as the Phoenix Suns jumped out quickly and managed to hold off the Houston Rockets 123-116 on Monday.

Grant Hill finished with 17 points and Channing Frye added 15 for the Suns, who had dropped three straight while Nash dealt with a groin injury.

Phoenix grabbed a big lead in the second quarter, closing the first half with a 17-4 spurt to take a 59-45 edge into the break. Jason Richardson knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and had eight points during the run while Frye chipped in six.

Houston played the Suns even in the third quarter and made up some ground in the fourth, pulling to within 119-116 on Courtney Lee’s 3-pointer with 18.3 seconds left. But the deficit proved to be too large to overcome, as Richardson and Nash each hit four a pair of free throws in the final 17 seconds to put it away.

Kevin Martin scored 19 points and Luis Scola added 16 and nine rebounds for Houston.