OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- The unlikely heroes for the Phoenix Suns were Joe Johnson and Casey Jacobsen.
Johnson scored a season-high 22 points and Jacobsen added 12 off the bench as the Suns picked up their first road win with a 99-96 triumph over the Golden State Warriors.
With Phoenix frontcourt starters Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire having relatively quiet scoring nights, the Suns got some added firepower from a pair of guards. Johnson made 10-of-21 shots and added season highs of nine rebounds and seven assists while Jacobsen fell two points shy of his season total.
"Both of those guys stepped up big for us," Suns coach Frank Johnson said.
Joe Johnson nailed a runner with 1:53 left to give Phoenix a 97-92 lead and Marion added a basket 23 seconds later for a seven-point cushion. Mike Dunleavy Jr. responded with a jumper for Golden State and Brian Cardinal added two foul shots with 44 seconds to go.
The Suns ran the shot clock down and Penny Hardaway missed a contested shot, giving the Warriors one final chance. After a timeout by Golden State coach Eric Musselman, Nick Van Exel dribbled to the right side and airballed a 3-pointer over Hardaway as time expired.
"I just wanted to get a good look at a three, when we ran the screen, I just happened to get a little taller guy on me, which did not work too good," Van Exel said.
Jason Richardson led Golden State with 22 points before leaving with a left ankle sprain with 3:29 left. Cardinal netted a career-high 17 points, mixing it up inside with Stoudemire and Marion.
Joe Johnson, a former first-round draft pick by the Boston Celtics, has been chided in the past for his lack of aggressiveness. The 6-7 guard got off to a hot start by hitting 6-of-7 shots for 10 points in the first quarter to set the tone.
"If I had a shot, I took it," Joe Johnson said. "We got off to a great start and that gave us momentum for the game."
Stephon Marbury scored 10 of his 22 points in the second half and also handed out eight assists. Marion fouled out with eight points and seven assists - Joe Johnson, Marbury and Marion accounted for all 22 assists for Phoenix.
Jacobsen has seen his playing time limited behind Hardaway, but took advantage of a season-high 20 minutes to make 4-of-7 shots. He nailed a critical 3-pointer for a 93-86 cushion with 3:35 to go.
"It is special, I have a lot of friends and some family in the area," said Jacobsen, who played college basketball at Stanford. "The number one thing was getting a road win, we really struggled on the road last season."
"Casey came off the bench and he gave us a great lift," Joe Johnson added. "That's what we expect from him."
With the Warriors' frontcourt shorthanded due to injuries to Troy Murphy, Adonal Foyle and Popeye Jones, Cardinal was the beneficiary of extended minutes and has become a fan favorite. He made a pair of 3-pointers and all seven foul shots, picking up five fouls in the process.
Stoudemire collected 15 points and a season-high 18 rebounds for his first double-double of the year. The Suns held a 40-38 edge in points in the paint.
Calbert Cheaney netted 12 points off the bench and Dunleavy added 11, 10 rebounds and six assists for Golden State, which had its three-game home winning streak ended.
But Van Exel's shaky 5-of-16 shooting for 13 points proved to be too much for the Warriors to overcome. They also hurt themselves at the free-throw line, converting 68 percent (18-of-25).
