Steve Nash had 23 points and 13 assists and the visiting Phoenix Suns held the Los Angeles Clippers scoreless in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter en route to a 108-99 victory Sunday afternoon at Staples Center.

Marcin Gortat had 17 points and 13 rebounds and fellow reserve Jared Dudley added 14 points for the Suns (35-33), who won their second straight after four consecutive losses and moved within two games of idle Memphis (38-32) for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Channing Frye scored all 19 of his points after intermission, including five 3-pointers, as Phoenix shot 10 of 22 from the arc.

Chris Kaman had 21 points and 11 rebounds and Blake Griffin added 17 points but just two rebounds as the Clippers (27-44) lost for the third time in four games.

The Clippers missed their first eight shots of the fourth quarter and the Suns opened on an 8-0 run to stretch a three-point advantage to 89-78.

Two free throws by Nash pushed the edge to 98-84 with just over four minutes to play and the Clippers never threatened.