Steve Nash surprisingly returned to Phoenix in the summer of 2004, so could he eventually return to Dallas?

"First of all, I'm happy in Phoenix," said Nash.  "But I'd have no problem going back and playing for a team in Texas, even the Mavericks! It's not as though there was some irreconcilable divorce with Dallas; it was just best for me to move on at that time. I was wanted more in Phoenix; that's the way it is in sports. But if Phoenix doesn't want me one day, I have nothing against considering one of the Texas teams."

Alando Tucker, the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft, was assigned to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds of the NBA Development League by the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.

Tucker, the Big Ten player of the year last season at Wisconsin, played in two of Phoenix's first 14 games and averaged six points and eight minutes.

Monta Ellis scored 15 consecutive points in the fourth quarter on the way to matching his career-high 31 points, and the resurgent Warriors snapped the Suns' eight-game winning streak with a 129-114 victory Monday night.

The Suns turned to their energized front line of Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion to put away their eighth victory in a row.

On the Clippers' bench, Sam Cassell sat the entire fourth quarter, watching the Suns pull away.

Stoudemire scored 13 of his season-high 29 points in the decisive third quarter, and the Suns matched the best start to a season in franchise history with a 113-94 victory on Friday night.

It took two injuries, but Marcus Banks got another chance to contribute early Wednesday night and made the most of it.

With Leandro Barbosa sliding over to the shooting guard spot for the injured Raja Bell, Eric Piatkowski down with a sore right shoulder and Steve Nash playing only 27 minutes, Banks saw some time at the point guard spot and played more relaxed.

?He hit his shots in the first half, and the speed with which he moved the ball was better,? Phoenix Coach Mike D?Antoni said.

?He gave us a spark there, and that was nice.?

Banks has played off the ball most of the season but said he enjoyed getting some time at his natural position.

?It?s about getting an opportunity, and I?m going to stay patient,? Banks said. ?I?m all about winning, so whatever decision the coach makes, I?m going to roll with it."

?It?s tough getting minutes behind Steve and with L.B. playing so well; you don?t really want to change things up. But those guys are human; they need breathers too.?

Amar? Stoudemire again felt stiffness and soreness in his troublesome knee and spent the end of the workout exercising with the trainers while his teammates pressed on.

As with Raja Bell, Stoudemire said he expects to play tonight in the first of back-to-back meetings with the Kings ? this one in Sacramento. But having to beg off another practice shows the Suns center is still day-to-day.

?Today I was a little sore but it?s normal. It?s not going to be 100 percent all the time,? he said. ?I want to practice and play every day, but I?m going to be smart and cautious about the situation. I couldn?t quite get it going today, so I saw it as a day to exercise and get stronger.?

Phoenix coach Mike D?Antoni was surprised to find Stoudemire struggling. ?I didn?t think anything was wrong, then we started and he couldn?t quite get through it,? he said.

Saturday night's game was the third that Suns' guard Raja Bell has missed this season. He missed seven combined in the past two seasons.

Even though he is still hurting after landing on Shaquille O'Neal's foot on Nov. 9, he does not want to sit, although he is trying to get as much rest as he can.

"I could run, but I didn't have my normal gait," Bell said of Tuesday's game. "The problem was changing directions. When you're trying to guard someone like (Chicago Bulls' guard) Ben Gordon or (Rockets' guard) Tracy McGrady, it's hard to do that without changing directions. I'm frustrated. I do not like sitting."

After Leandro Barbosa scored 62 points in his first two starts for Bell, Suns' Coach Mike D'Antoni was asked about Bell's starting slot. D'Antoni pointed out that the Suns need defense most.

"Raja is the heart and soul of our team, and Raja is a great player," D'Antoni said. "LB is a great player. When you have instant offense coming from the bench, it's better, I think. LB is comfortable off the bench. I wouldn't even touch that. They'd have to shoot me before I touched that. I love Raja as a player, and he symbolizes what we want to be."

Barbosa scored 25 points as a reserve Thursday.

Steve Nash, who has been plagued the past few years by a rib which has a tendency to slip out of place, is dealing with that issue again, the Suns' point guard said Friday.

The injury is not serious enough to keep the two-time MVP sidelined, but it is causing soreness and tightness in his right (shooting) shoulder.

?I don?t have very good range of motion on my shoulder right now, but that?s OK,? said Nash, who added he feels the injury most when shooting. ?I can contribute in other ways until my shoulder settles down a little bit.?

Suns' trainer Aaron Nelson said Nash woke up with irritation in the shoulder earlier this week and that Nash is undergoing treatment to relieve the pain.

After chiding the US Airways Center fans Tuesday for their demeanor in two of the first three regular-season home games in the wake of an emotionless win over the Knicks, Phoenix coach Mike D?Antoni didn?t back down Wednesday, expanding on his comments to remind Suns fans that 60-win seasons and deep playoff runs aren?t inalienable rights.

D?Antoni said he also wasn?t happy when the fans booed his team in the home opener when they were blitzed 119-98 by the Lakers.

?(I vented about the fans) because the fans deserved it,? said D?Antoni, a day after describing Tuesday?s crowd as ?deader than we are? when his team struggled to put away the short-handed Knicks. ?If they?re going to boo us, hell, what?s the difference, I can boo them."

?(Tuesday), they didn?t come ready. You have to come every game, you have to bring it ? and they didn?t bring it. There was no atmosphere. Everybody ? us, them ? was just kind of down and blah and there?s not reason to be.?

Suns' guard Raja Bell missed his second consecutive game Tuesday night due to his sprained right ankle.

Bell tested the ankle at Tuesday's shootaround and decided to delay his return until at least Thursday's home game with Chicago. He will be re-evaluated at today's practice.

"I don't want to risk it and wind up with a lingering problem," Bell said.

"It's just not 100 percent," Suns' coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I don't want him to go unless he's 100 (percent). He said he felt (soreness) a little bit. It's too early to play with it."

Bell sprained the ankle Friday in Miami when, after being called for traveling, he took a jumper and landed on Shaquille O'Neal's foot.