Phoenix Suns (14-3) at New York Knicks (3-14), 7:30 p.m.
Sports Network | December 1, 2009
(Sports Network) - The Pacific Division-leading Phoenix Suns take aim at their fifth straight win tonight, when they resume a four-game road trip against the New York Knicks at legendary Madison Square Garden.
Phoenix leads the NBA in both scoring (112.0 ppg) and field goal percentage (50.7 percent), and made 51.2 percent of its shots in Sunday's 113-94 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Jason Richardson had 22 points and nine rebounds, while Steve Nash registered 20 points and 16 assists for the Suns, whose 14-3 start to the season ties a franchise mark and is currently the best in the league.
"It was a good performance. Toronto is a really good team at home. We came out and took care of our responsibilities and got the win. We feel fortunate to get the win," Nash said after the Suns' fourth consecutive win.
Amare Stoudemire had 18 points and seven rebounds, Leandro Barbosa notched 17 points off the bench and Grant Hill finished with 10 points and nine caroms in a winning effort. Phoenix, which is a half-game ahead of the Lakers in the division standings, is averaging 119.0 points per game during its current winning streak and owns an 8-3 road mark this season.
Alvin Gentry's club will close out the trek against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. In injury news for the team, Barbosa is expected to miss two to four weeks of action because of a sprained left ankle suffered in Sunday's win.
New York, meanwhile, is on the opposite side of the spectrum, having lost five in a row to fall to 3-14 this season. It opened a short two-game homestand with Sunday's 114-102 loss to the defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic, as Nate Robinson registered 22 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and David Lee contributed 20 and 12 boards in defeat.
"We're competing well against these teams. Unfortunately, it's kind of all for nothing if you don't come up with a victory out of it," said Lee.
Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari both netted 15 points for the Knicks, who fell to 1-8 in the Big Apple this season.
Phoenix and New York split a pair of meetings a year ago, but the Suns are 9-2 over the previous 11 matchups in this series. The Knicks, though, have won eight of the last 12 encounters at MSG.
