Phoenix ? The Phoenix Suns picked up where they left off against that other team from Los Angeles.

Steve Nash had 31 points and 12 assists, and the Suns pulled away over a five-minute stretch of the fourth quarter to beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 130-123, on Monday night in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Shawn Marion had 20 points and 15 rebounds, including 10-of-10 free throws for the Suns, who were 24-of-25 at the line. Raja Bell added 22 points, Boris Diaw 19 and Leandro Barbosa 17 for a Phoenix team playing 48 hours after eliminating the Lakers in seven games.

Elton Brand scored 40, but only in two in the final 8:33 for the Clippers, who hadn’t played in a week since beating Denver in five games for their first playoff series triumph in 30 years. Sam Cassell added 28 points.

Los Angeles shot 59 percent and still couldn’t keep up with the Suns, who shot 55 percent. Phoenix has averaged 122 points in winning its last four playoff games after falling behind the Lakers 3-1.

Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said the score needed to be in the 90s for his team to win. Both teams had passed that by the end of the third quarter.

Brand’s dunk with 8:33 to go tied the game for the last time at 101. Diaw scored the next four on a driving layup and a running, 10-foot bank shot to trigger an 11-2 run that gave Phoenix a 112-103 lead on Nash’s 17-footer with 5:35 remaining.

The surge reached 19-6 on Nash’s three-pointer that made it 120-107 with 2:56 left.

Cassell kept the Clippers in it, and his layup cut the lead to 122-115 with 1:45 to go. But Nash converted a three-point play with a minute left, and the game was over.

Phoenix Suns' Shawn Marion, top, battles Los Angeles Clippers' Elton Brand for a rebound during the second quarter of Game 1 during an NBA second-round playoff basketball series Monday, May 8, 2006, at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix.

The Clippers outscored the Suns 16-2 over the final four minutes of the first half to go up 61-56 at the break. Phoenix didn’t have a field goal in the last 4:10 as its usually high-powered offense turned stagnant.

Nets 100, Heat 88

Miami – Vince Carter scored 27 points, Jason Kidd added 22, and the Nets saw most of a 28-point third-quarter lead vanish before hanging on to beat Miami in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“We were lucky, obviously, to build that lead, because obviously, Miami made one heck of a run which you have to give them a lot of credit for,” Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. “They’re an outstanding team. … It’s one game and we’ve just got to keep on getting better.”

Richard Jefferson had 20 points before leaving the game in the third quarter because of an ankle injury. X-rays were negative, and he left the arena in a walking boot.

Dwyane Wade scored 25 points for Miami, which got 20 points and 10 rebounds for Shaquille O’Neal – who was not effective until late, sitting most of the first half with foul trouble. Jason Williams added 12 points for the Heat, who were doomed by 17 turnovers that led to 24 New Jersey points.

Game 2 is Wednesday in Miami.

“Our goal was to come down here and get one,” Kidd said. “Now that we’ve done that, we have to look at this as being 0-0, and now let’s go get the next one.”