"We just grinded it out," he said. "I think there are times that we play good defense. You don't win 54 games by just outshooting people. We can play some good defense. We just do it in spots."
Some of that good defense came down the stretch, when the Suns won by outscoring the Clippers 12-6.
Marion got it started, making a 3-pointer with 2:58 remaining to tie it at 85. After a foul shot by Shaun Livingston gave the Clippers a one-point lead, Nash made two free throws and Tim Thomas added two more, putting the Suns on top 89-86 with 2:04 left.
Marion's three-point play with 49 seconds to go gave the Suns a six-point lead, but the Clippers weren't finished: Elton Brand's three-point play with 46 seconds to play and two free throws by Quinton Ross with 28 seconds left cut Phoenix's lead to one.
But the Suns ran the shot clock down before league MVP Nash, who shot just 3-of-9, made a 14-foot jumper with 3.6 seconds to go.
"The last shot was a lucky shot," Nash said.
"It was perfect timing for me. You always hope to get the last chance when you have a poor performance. I was happy to do something for my guys.
"We showed more guts today, but we did not play well."
Vladimir Radmanovic, who scored 14 of his 18 points in a span of less than four minutes early in the fourth quarter, missed a 3-pointer as time wound down, and Phoenix's Boris Diaw got the rebound.
"We had to fight back uphill after we had a little comfort, but we did not fold," D'Antoni said. "Steve struggled a little, but I'll take that anytime."
Thomas had 19 points and 14 rebounds; Raja Bell, who fouled out with 2:36 left, scored 14; Nash had 12 points and 10 assists, and Diaw added 11 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
Brand led the Clippers with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but scored only nine after the first quarter. He had a total of 67 points in the first two games, shooting 28-of-38, but went just 7-of-17 on Friday.
Cuttino Mobley scored 14 points and Chris Kaman had 11 points and seven rebounds.
"I tried to facilitate the ball, but we missed easy shots," Brand said. "Their defense was different from what we saw during the season. We let one get away -- they took it."
A basket by Marion in the first minute of the fourth quarter gave the Suns a 74-63 lead -- largest of the game for either team.
After a basket by Kaman, Radmanovic took over, outscoring the Suns 14-2 himself to put the Clippers on top 79-76. Radmanovic made four 3-pointers and a layup during the stretch.
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