" Leandro Barbosa still might have been sore, but the Suns did not hurt for having him back.

The guard returned to action from an ankle sprain after missing nearly four weeks, recording 12 points and four assists in 21 minutes during the Suns' 124-93 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night at US Airways Center.

Barbosa helped stretch a four-point lead to eight during his first nine minutes of action in the second quarter, when he scored six points by penetrating on the baseline, off a curl and on an isolation drive. It was a one-on-one speed element that the Suns had missed.

"I was feeling comfortable out there," Barbosa said. "I was happy Coach (Alvin) Gentry trusted me to leave me out there.

"I just tried to forget about the pain and help my teammates.""