Phoenix Suns (49-26) at Detroit Pistons (23-51), 8 p.m.
Sports Network | April 2, 2010
(Sports Network) - Winning has become the norm lately for the red-hot Phoenix, Suns, who will shoot for their 10th straight win tonight against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Suns have won nine in a row and improved to 3-0 on a five-game road trip after a 116-105 triumph at New Jersey on Wednesday. Steve Nash had a busy night with 24 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds, while Jason Richardson provided 23 points for Phoenix, which is on its longest winning streak since a franchise-best 17-game run during the 2006-07 season.
"We stayed in the game in the first half basically, then played well in the second half," Nash said. "We know that if you lose the game, you can drop two or three places, so we know it's important to win games...We have to continue to win games but more importantly continue to grow as a team."
Amare Stoudemire registered 15 points to halt his streak of 27 consecutive games with at least 18 points. The Suns have won five in a row as the guest and will also visit Milwaukee. They are 20-17 away from the desert and only a half-game behind Utah and Dallas for the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference.
Detroit is riding a nine-game losing streak and will wrap up a three-game homestand Friday night. It suffered a 98-81 setback on Wednesday versus the Miami Heat, as Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince led the way with 18 and 17 points, respectively.
Will Bynum netted 13 points in defeat, Detroit's fourth in a row at home. Charles Villanueva was benched against the Heat, and is expected to see time this evening versus the Suns.
"We made some changes and wanted to give some other guys a look right now," Pistons coach John Kuester said. "That's the direction we wanted to get into. I talked to my staff and made sure we were all on the same page."
The banged-up Pistons may be without Richard Hamilton (ankle), Jason Maxiell (back) and Chris Wilcox (hamstring) tonight, as all three are listed as doubtful for Friday. Maxiell left Wednesday's game with a back injury.
Phoenix defeated Detroit, 117-91, back on November 22 this season and has won three straight in the series. The Suns, though, have lost four of their last six contests at The Palace.
