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Yay...go Suns...
Can't seem to muster up much enthusiasm after last night's humiliation.
Phoenix (50-15) at Denver (32-31)
Game Info: 10:00 pm EDT Sat Mar 17, 2007
TV: My45, ALT Add to Calendar
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By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA, STATS Senior Writer
The Phoenix Suns had mixed results against the NBA's conference leaders. Their play against the Denver Nuggets, however, has been fairly consistent in recent years.
After a letdown that followed perhaps their biggest win of the season, the Suns look to continue their recent success against the Nuggets when the teams meet on Saturday night.
Phoenix (50-15) had a six-game winning streak snapped Friday night, losing 105-83 to Eastern Conference-leading Detroit. That came two nights after a thrilling double-overtime victory over Western Conference-leading Dallas.
"It's just too bad that we kind of gave back what we won on Wednesday," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "That's too bad, but it happens. We'll see what kind of moxie we have and we'll come back tomorrow."
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It was the first time Phoenix - which leads the NBA with 110.2 points per game - was held below 90 since a 109-89 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on April 16.
The Suns are now 3 1/2 games behind the Mavericks in the race for the best record in the league. Dallas is idle Saturday.
Friday's loss was by far the most one-sided at home for Phoenix and its second-worst overall this season. The Suns' worst loss was 114-90 at Seattle on Feb. 14.
Phoenix will try to bounce back against Denver (32-31) -- a team it's 8-1 against since Dec. 20, 2004, averaging 115.4 points.
Amare Stoudemire had 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Suns on Friday, and two-time reigning MVP Steve Nash added 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Nash, the NBA assists leader at 11.5 per game, had one in the first half and finished with only six.
Stoudemire had 36 points and 13 rebounds to lead Phoenix to a 113-108 win at Denver on Feb. 5 in the teams' first meeting. The Nuggets, though, were without the injured Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby.
Denver has won three straight overall, averaging 111.0 points per game while holding opponents to 95.3. The Nuggets shot 53.9 percent from the field in a 113-86 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
Linas Kleiza came off the bench to score a career-high 29 and Carmelo Anthony had 26 for the Nuggets. Kleiza reached 20 points for the first time in his career four days earlier, scoring 24 in a win at Sacramento.
"That's great when you've got a guy coming off the bench contributing the way he has," Iverson said of the second-year swingman. "He never cares about starting or anything like that. When his opportunity comes, he's just always ready."
Kleiza made 10-of-13 shots against the Lakers, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. He has made 59.0 percent (13-for-22) of his 3-pointers in his last four games.
"I didn't know who he was when I got here," Iverson said. "I think a lot of people around the world know who he is now."
Although the Suns perennially are one of the league's worst defensive teams -- they have allowed 100.1 points per game since 2002-03 -- they're the only team Iverson is averaging less than 20 points against.
Iverson has scored 19.9 points per game and is shooting 32.5 percent from the field, his worst average against any team, in 14 games versus Phoenix.
Updated on Saturday, Mar 17, 2007 2:34 am EDT
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Team Comparison
Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10
Phoenix 50-15 1st Pacific / 2nd West 110.2 102.8 Road 24-8 Lost 1 8-2
Denver 32-31 2nd Northwest / 7th West 104.8 103.5 Home 18-17 Won 3 6-4
Phoenix Notes
Mar 15 The Suns have won nine of their last 13 games vs. Dallas but trail them 1-2 this season. Last season, they split the series 2-2 in the regular season and Dallas beat Phoenix, 4-2, in the Western Conference finals last season. ... Phoenix snapped Dallas' 23-game franchise-record home winning streak. Last season, the Suns ended a 16-game home winning streak, which was then Dallas' franchise record.
st 03-15-07 3:18 et
Denver Notes
Mar 16 The Nuggets won consecutive home games for the first time since January 19 and 22. ... Denver improved to 21-3 this season when scoring 110 or more points. ... The Nuggets' victory on Thursday night against the Lakers was the first against a team above .500 since winning at Indiana on February 9. It also is their first win against a team that is currently over .500 since beating the Rockets in Houston on January 20. ... Denver has won five of its last seven games against the Lakers at the Pepsi Center. ... The Nuggets shot a season-best 10-of-15 from the arc in Thursday night's win against the Lakers.
Yay...go Suns...
Can't seem to muster up much enthusiasm after last night's humiliation.
Detroit is good and wanted revenge. Denver is improving alot. PHX gonna be 2 seed no matter what the happens.
Ai will drop 43, Nuggs by 3.
Nothing would take away the sting of Wednesday night better than a Suns losing streak.
Yeah, I hear ya Xylus and feel your pain also.
If there is a God then the Suns will lose...guess we'll know by tonight....
This will be an entertaining game, cant wait to watch. hoping for a repeat of last years 3OT game I believe it was. This should be the first time all of Denvers players are healthy to face the suns this season
denver is killen phoenix
This sucks my herpes-plagued balls.
Proof that a God does exist...who would have thought it
What are you wearing?
tsk tsk tskWhat are you wearing?
Suns will win this going away.
opps just saw the score.
wow, i can't believe what i'm seeing with this lead just growing bigger and bigger...nuggets up by 38 points at the end of three...and the most impressive thing about the nuggets tonight, IMO? AI with THIRTEEN assists along with very decent no-ballhog shooting at 13-17
41 third quarter points?!?!?!?!
what's wrong with the suns?
oh wow...
that is some severe whoopage.
what's with all these powerhouses losing at the same time?
the is wrong with d'antoni? rest the guys already, you are not going to come back from this deficit, what a moron. why play piatkowski and some of the rest of the bench some minutes and then throw whatever rest the suns starters could have in the garbage by refusing to take them out of the game?
I wish I could see AI go ballistic.
D'antoni is a little bit of a stat i think. Playing all his starters even now. Looks like he will rest them after nash getting his double double and amare his...
Phoenix is a ing joke. It's games like this that makes it even more evident.
Suns look done I thought they looked bad last night.
the suns need to wake up after their big win.
what's wrong with the suns?
I'm pretty sure the Kings won't see the Nuggets in the playoffs.
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