Nash wins another skills contest, Dirk Nowitzki leads Team Texas to victory in Shooting Stars

Steve Nash wins skills competition

DALLAS — Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash beat the young guys to win another All-Stars Skills Challenge.

Nash, who turned 36 last Sunday, became a two-time Skills champion when he beat a trio of 20-somethings during the NBA’s All-Star festivities Saturday night.

It’s been quite a run this weekend for the Canadian, who helped light the Olympic cauldron at Friday’s opening ceremonies in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also will be on the court Sunday for the All-Star game in the same area where he played from 1998-2004.

With a time of 29.9 seconds in the final round, Nash beat Dallas native and 2008 champion Deron Williams of Utah, who is 11 years younger.

“I got my second wind,” said Nash, who jokingly asked his younger opponents before the competition if he could start from the second station instead of doing the entire obstacle course.

Nash’s other Skills Challenge title came in 2005.

Milwaukee rookie guard Brandon Jennings and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, who is 21, were eliminated after the first round. Westbrook replaced defending champion Derrick Rose of Chicago, who sat out with a bruised right hip.

In Saturday night’s opening event, hometown favorite and former Nash teammate Dirk Nowitzki hit a shot from halfcourt to cap Team Texas’ victory in the Shooting Stars competition.

Texas, which also consisted of San Antonio Silver Stars player Becky Hammon and former Houston guard Kenny Smith, beat Team Los Angeles with a time of 34.3 in the finals. The Texas trio needed 13 shots to complete the final round.

Lakers All-Star Pau Gasol, former NBA player Brent Barry and Marie Ferdinand-Harris of the Los Angeles Sparks came in second, finishing in 55.2 seconds.

Los Angeles hit its first five shots in the finals in less than 30 seconds, but only had a couple of chances from halfcourt to beat Texas’ time.

Atlanta (Joe Johnson, former Hawks guard Steve Smith and Angel McCoughtry of the Atlanta Dream) and Sacramento (Tyreke Evans, former All-Star Chris Webber and former Sacramento Monarchs player Nicole Powell) were eliminated in the first round.

Texas completed the first round in 1:28 and Los Angeles finished in 1 minute.

Three-person teams have to hit a total of six shots from different locations on the floor, culminating with a shot from halfcourt.

In the skills competition, the course started with a layup or a dunk, then a weave through pylons before having to complete a chest pass, a bounce pass and a jumper from the top of the key. Then they have to make an outlet pass, go through more pylons and end with another layup or dunk.

Nash completed every obstacle in the final round in one try — save for a second shot from the top of the key. Williams was perfect until needing five shots at the outlet pass, when he had already exceeded Nash’s winning time.