"It's no coincidence that, as Jason Richardson has made six of 28 shots and missed all 12 of his 3-point attempts over the past three games, the Suns have failed to score at least 100 points in three consecutive games for the first time in five seasons.

"He's been a measuring stick for us - even all of last year," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said.

As important as Steve Nash is, he is most effective when he is facilitating the Suns offense and not trying to carry the scoring load. And Richardson is the most-potent weapon Nash has in his arsenal this season.

"I think J-Rich will be fine," Nash said. "Everyone has a couple of days where they don't get their opportunities or don't shoot as well as they normally do. He's such a capable scorer and shooter; I'm not concerned about him. I think he'll be back to his best any minute now."

It would be a good time for it.

The Suns take a three-game losing streak into their home game against Minnesota on Wednesday night before traveling to Dallas, Oklahoma City and San Antonio. They return home to face the Miami Heat on Dec. 23.

Richardson, of course, has been through slumps. It's inevitable for scorers.

"I'm getting excellent looks," he said. "We all just need to relax. I think we're pressing a little bit and get down on ourselves too much.

"We've always been a fun, high-energy team. We just have to get back to that place where we're not worrying so much.""