NBA: Phoenix 154, Golden State 130

OAKLAND, Calif., March 16 (UPI) -- Jason Richardson had 31 points and the Phoenix Suns shot a deadly 62.1 percent from the field Sunday night in a 154-130 win over Golden State.

Richardson hit 11-of-15 shots from the floor against his former teammates, and Matt Barnes -- also a former Warrior -- had 20 points, 11 assists and six rebounds for the Suns, who posted the highest scoring total in the NBA this season to win their second straight game after dropping six in a row.

Shaquille O'Neal led the Suns with 26 points and Leandro Barbosa scored 21 for Phoenix, which fell to four games back of Dallas for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth.

The Warriors lost for the first time in their last three games and were eliminated from playoff contention.

The Suns and the Warriors came out gunning and scored a combined 146 points in the first half, which ended with Phoenix ahead 74-72. The Suns had enough gas in the tank to put together a 19-0 third-quarter run and carried a 120-97 lead into the fourth.