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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- With Phoenix and Portland both fighting for position behind first-place Sacramento in the Pacific Division, Stephon Marbury was succinct after the Suns beat the Blazers.

''It's a big win, a big win, a very, very big win,'' he said.

Marbury had 20 points and seven assists as the Suns erased a 12-point second-half deficit to down the Trail Blazers 88-81 Tuesday night.

The Suns, who have won 12 of their past 15, went on a 14-0 run to go ahead in the fourth quarter.

Joe Johnson's 3-pointer from the left corner pulled the Suns to 72-71 with 7:42 left. After Marbury made one of two free throws to tie it, he put Phoenix ahead with a driving layup with 6:38 left.

Jake Voskuhl's dunk gave the Suns a 76-72 advantage and Phoenix extended the lead the rest of the way, extending it to as many as eight.

Portland, coming off a 4-1 road trip, had won its past two games and was coming off a 92-89 victory over the Knicks in New York. The Blazers have still won 11 of their last 13.

''We've been in the same position before when you come off a road trip and it's been successful, sometimes you think the home crowd will give you a little protection and you can kind of pull through,'' Suns coach Frank Johnson said.

Shawn Marion led the Suns with 24 points and seven rebounds. Johnson had 17 points.

Bonzi Wells led the Blazers with 18 points, while Rasheed Wallace contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds.

''Offensively is where we really lost the game,'' Portland's Scottie Pippen said. ''We missed a lot of open shots. If we could have knocked down some of those shots, that would have been the difference.''

The Suns led 9-6, but Portland went on a 15-2 run -- capped by a pair of jumpers by Wells -- to take a 21-11 lead with 3:15 left in the first quarter.

The Suns climbed back to 32-30 down with 6:15 left. But Portland wrapped it up with an 11-2 run to lead 49-36 at halftime -- its biggest margin of the half.

Marbury had six points in a 10-2 Phoenix run that brought the Suns to 53-52 midway through the third quarter. Arvydas Sabonis gave the Trail Blazers a 63-53 lead on a 21-foot jumper with 3:15 left in the third quarter, then Wallace punctuated it with a layup to extend the margin to 12 points.

''This was a tough loss for us because it looked like we had a little control of the game, but each time that it looked like we had control they were making a run to come back,'' Portland coach Maurice Cheeks said.

The game marked the return of Portland guard Derek Anderson, who sprained his left ankle Dec. 31 against Chicago and missed the last two games.

Antonio Daniels, acquired by the Blazers in an offseason trade, filled in admirably for Anderson, with 15 points Sunday against the Knicks. Daniels, who came into the game in the second quarter Tuesday, was greeted with hearty applause from the Portland fans.

Anderson finished with 12 points.

Phoenix rookie Amare Stoudemire, who has averaged 20.8 points and 11.2 boards over the last five games, was held to four points.

Game notes

Portland guard Damon Stoudamire, who has played in just one of the Blazers' past six games, remained benched Tuesday. ... Phoenix forward Scott Williams suffered a mild concussion in the first half Tuesday night and did not return. It was unclear when or how he was injured.