Sacramento Kings (18-37) at Phoenix Suns (33-23), 8 p.m.
Sports Network | February 21, 2010
(Sports Network) - The Phoenix Suns will welcome a familiar foe to the desert tonight, when they play host to the Pacific Division-rival Sacramento Kings at US Airways Center.
The Suns can sweep the season series with Sacramento for the second time in the previous three seasons and have won four straight, 10 of 11 and 15 of the past 17 meetings with the Kings. Sacramento last won a season series against the Suns in 2003-04.
Phoenix has won eight straight home games in this series and opened a quick homestand with an 88-80 victory versus the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Amare Stoudemire scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while veteran Grant Hill added 16 points.
"We set the tone early tonight," Stoudemire said after the Suns were held under 100 points in a second-straight game for only the second time this season. "The second unit did a phenomenal job in holding the lead and letting us get some rest. It was a sold team effort tonight."
Robin Lopez had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Suns, who rebounded from a 107-97 loss at Dallas on Wednesday to win for the seventh time in nine tries. Phoenix won without scoring 100 points for the first time since November 25, 2008 and for the first time at home since March 9, 2008. The Suns are sixth in the conference standings and have won 18 of their last 21 home games against teams from the West.
Meanwhile, the Kings have lost three in a row and will close out a three-game road trip Sunday in the Valley of the Sun. In Saturday's 99-89 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center, Rookie of the Year candidate Tyreke Evans totaled 21 points for the Kings, who have lost 21 of their last 25 games. Omri Casspi added 15 points and has scored in double-figures in three straight and four of the last five games.
"We stopped guarding people in the second quarter and it got away from us," Kings coach Paul Westphal said. "We didn't have an answer for Gordon, Kaman and Butler all night. It's discouraging for us to be as flat as we were. Give the Clippers credit for shooting the ball well."
The Kings are 5-24 away from home this season.
