Phoenix Suns (26-19) at Utah Jazz (25-18), 9 p.m.
Sports Network | January 25, 2010
(Sports Network) - With trade rumors swirling about their All-Star forward, the Phoenix Suns hope to put the brakes on a four-game road losing streak tonight against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
Suns big man Amare Stoudemire is seeking a contract extension and may not get it before the upcoming trade deadline. So rumors have been swirling that the former first-round pick will be shipped out of the desert soon. Either way, the Suns hope to stay on the right path and have won two of three games since an unsuccessful road trip, including Saturday's 112-103 victory versus Golden State in the finale of a three-game homestand in the desert.
Goran Dragic scored 18 of his career-high 20 points in the fourth quarter, while Steve Nash had 23 points and six assists for the Suns, who got 16 points and nine boards out of Robin Lopez. Stoudemire and Grant Hill both scored 15 in the win. Lopez is averaging 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.25 blocks in four games as a starter.
"The second, third, and fourth quarters I really felt great," Dragic said. "I was finding my shots and was aggressive on both defense and offense. Some games you score and some you don't and tonight I felt good."
Phoenix is 9-14 away from the Valley of the Sun. In milestone news for the Suns, Nash needs only two assists to become the eighth player in NBA history to reach 8,000 career assists.
Utah will shoot for its sixth straight win at home this evening and is coming off Saturday's 116-83 victory versus the New Jersey Nets at EnergySolutions Arena. Carlos Boozer finished with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Mehmet Okur had 20 points and 11 boards for Utah, which had a 46-31 edge on the boards and got 20 points off the bench from Paul Millsap.
"It looked like we were having a lot of fun playing together tonight," Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan said after the team's sixth win in seven tries. "We were trying to help each other out defensively. We also passed the basketball and that makes everybody happier."
Utah has not lost to an Eastern Conference team at home this season (10-0). The Jazz are four games off the lead in the Northwest Division and have a 17-6 record as the host.
Phoenix and Utah split four matchups a season ago, with each team holding serve as the host, while the Suns are winless in their last three trips to Salt Lake City.
