Read More: Josh Smith (F – ATL), Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers

The Phoenix Suns were well on their way to a needed home win when the wheels once again fell off in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks. The game started about as well as it could from the offensive end with the Suns shooting 68 percent in the first half to build a nine point lead.

They extended that lead to 15 in the third but just as in Monday’s loss to the Warriors, the Suns gave up a run led by an opposing forward, Josh Smith in this case, and struggled to score in the final quarter.

That 15-point lead for the home team was turned into a 9-point lead for the visiting Hawks before a late Suns surge cut it to three with under 20 seconds to go. A Channing Frye three had a chance to tie the game but rimmed off the front of the iron.

“It’s one of those deals where we play good basketball for 35 (or) 38 minutes but it’s a 48 minute game,” Alvin Gentry said in his press conference.

Grant Hill (18 points, 6 rebounds) did an amazing job shutting down Joe Johnson (6 points, 2-10 shooting) but the athletic and skilled Josh Smith was a beast all over the court. He finished with 30 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks and went 2-3 from three. Willie Green chipped in 20 with 5-8 from three for the Hawks.

Steve Nash had the night off in Denver on Tuesday and looked fresh early but by the end of the game the fourth in five days seemed to catch up to him. Nash had 15 points and 8 assists at half time and finished with 22 and 16 in 39 minutes of play.

In the fourth quarter, the Suns were held to 43 percent shooting with just four of their 22 points coming in the paint. Six fourth quarter turnovers (and 20 for the game) didn’t help their cause either.

The Hawks used a zone defense to keep the Suns outside of the paint and Phoenix couldn’t make them pay by hitting enough outside shots. They went just 3-12 from three in the second half. When the Suns used the zone, Atlanta was able to knock down their shots.

The Suns now fall to 12-18 and have one day off before heading to L.A. to face the Lakers.

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The Phoenix Suns are doing all they can to make the NBA Playoffs this season. Don’t expect the likes of Marcin Gortat, Steve Nash, and Jared Dudley to give up the fight. With a strong month of March, they will be one step closer to the NBA Playoffs.

Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns
Wikimedia Commons

Check with your service provider for channel listings in your area. With NBA League Pass, Suns’ fans across the nation can catch every game and witness every play.

Note: All start times Mountain

March 2012

Thu 1, Minnesota Timberwolves at Phoenix Suns, 7 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Fri 2, Los Angeles Clippers at Phoenix Suns, 8:30 p.m. (FS-AZ, ESPN)

Sun 4, Sacramento Kings at Phoenix Suns, 6 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Wed 7, Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder, 6 p.m. (FS-AZ+)

Thu 8, Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns, 8:30 p.m. (TNT)

Sat 10, Memphis Grizzlies at Phoenix Suns, 7 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Mon 12, Minnesota Timberwolves at Phoenix Suns, 7 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Wed 14, Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns, 7:30 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Thu 15, Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Clippers, 7:30 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Fri 16, Detroit Pistons at Phoenix Suns, 7 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Sun 18, Houston Rockets at Phoenix Suns, 6 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Tue 20, Phoenix Suns at Miami Heat, 4:30 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Wed 21, Phoenix Suns at Orlando Magic, 4 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Fri 23, Phoenix Suns at Indiana Pacers, 4 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Sun 25, Phoenix Suns at Cleveland Cavaliers, 12 p.m. (FS-AZ, NBATV)

Tue 27, San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns, 7 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Wed 28, Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Clippers, 7:30 p.m. (FS-AZ)

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is a Cleveland based freelance sportswriter and Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

SACRAMENTO (AP) — Jared Dudley had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Phoenix Suns, who never trailed in defeating the Sacramento Kings 98-84 on Saturday night.

The victory was the fourth in five games for the Suns, who have won their last three on the road. Phoenix took a double-digit lead in the second quarter and maintained a comfortable margin for the remainder of the game.

Markieff Morris came off the bench for 18 points, Channing Frye had 17, and Marcin Gortat had 15 points and seven rebounds for Phoenix.

DeMarcus Cousins had 26 points and nine rebounds, and Marcus Thornton made four 3-pointers and had 21 points for the Kings. Tyreke Evans, Sacramento’s leading scorer, shot 1 of 9 and finished with four points while being guarded all game by Grant Hill.

Sacramento, which had won four of its previous five games, shot 35 percent.

The Suns made three 3-pointers over a three-minute span, and the final one by Michael Redd put them ahead 86-69 midway through the fourth quarter.

Suns point guard Steve Nash, who turned 38 earlier this week, took a shot in the mouth on the final possession of the first quarter and spent much of the second quarter getting four stitches to sew up a wound in his lower lip.

Nash shot sparingly all game and scored four points, but handed out 15 assists in 29 minutes.

Phoenix controlled the tempo in the third quarter, scoring inside frequently and making the cold-shooting Kings take contested shots. Gortat scored six points and the Suns shot 61 percent in outscoring the Kings 22-16 and taking a 75-60 lead into the final quarter.

With Nash leading the way with his pinpoint passing, the Suns scored numerous baskets in transition in the third quarter when the Kings committed six turnovers. Nash was scoreless in the game until tossing in a short floater with 39 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Dudley scored 13 points and Frye had 10 to help give the Suns a 53-44 halftime lead. Both Thornton and Cousins had 11 points for Sacramento, which shot 38 percent but committed only three turnovers.

With the injured Nash in the locker room getting stitches and missing the entire second quarter, the Suns were still able to maintain its lead. The Suns’ much-maligned bench combined for 12 points in the quarter when Phoenix outscored the Kings 22-20.

Notes: The Kings won’t play another home again until Feb. 28. On Tuesday, they start a six-game road trip, playing exclusively Eastern Conference teams, followed by the All-Star break. … Nash had six assists in the game’s first eight minutes, helping the Suns take a 31-24 lead after one quarter. … Cousins had 11 points in the opening quarter, but picked up three quick fouls in the second period and only played two minutes.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press)

Read More: Steve Nash (G – PHO), Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings

The red-hot Sacramento Kings, who had beaten the West’s number one team (Oklahoma City Thunder) on Thursday night, have been playing well at home. However, The Phoenix Suns locked down defensively and did not allow them to score more than 24 points in any quarter. The Kings never led and the Suns came away with a 98-84.

The first quarter was played a pace that Phoenix fans would recognize. With eight early points by Channing Frye, the Suns built an early 17-9 lead. They kept the pace up and finished the quarter with a 31-24 lead. Steve Nash had six assists. For the Kings, DeMarcus Cousins paced the team with 11 points in the quarter. Steve Nash, though, had to go to the locker room and get stitches on his lower lip after he got smacked in the face by Isaiah Thomas, who was knocked down by a Marcin Gortat pick.

Nash did not play in the second quarter, as he got four stitches in the lip. The bench did a great job of keeping things equal and even increasing the lead by two, to 53-44. Defensively, they held Sacramento to 20 points in the quarter. In Nash’s place, Sebastian Telfair had four assists and Ronnie Price scored four.

The Suns built the lead to 15 points by the end of the third quarter and held the Kings to only 16 points. At one point, they had hit only 5-22 shots in the quarter. Marcus Thornton did heat up. Through three quarters, he had 20 points with four three-pointers.

Rookie Markieff Morris had a great game, scoring 18 points and grabbing six boards. Jared Dudley had a double-double — 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Steve Nash only scored four points, shooting 2-7, but had 15 assists in 29 minutes.

With the win, the Suns improve to 12-15 on the season. The Kings fall to 10-17.

Next up on the schedule for the Suns are the Golden State Warriors on Monday night in Oakland.

For the latest AZ sports, follow us on Twitter @SBNArizona and “Like” us on Facebook.

The Phoenix Suns start off a three-game road trip begins in Sacramento as they face off against the 10-16 Kings. The Suns hope to start another winning streak. They had won three straight before falling at home against the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

Unfortunately, the Kings have been pretty solid at home. They are 7-4 at home while they are a measly 3-12 on the road. Phoenix, on the other hand, has been pretty even. They are 5-7 at home and 6-8 on the road.

Projected Lineups:

TV broadcast info:

The Suns game tips off at 8:00 p.m. Arizona time on Fox Sports Arizona. Arizona Sports 620 radio. Bright Side of the Sun will have the live game thread.

PHOENIX — Chase Budinger and the Houston Rockets’ reserves roughed up the Phoenix Suns.

Budinger scored 12 points while playing a team-high 31 points and starter Luis Scola had 16 points to help the Rockets outlast the Phoenix Suns 96-89 on Thursday night.

“The first half, we played so well,” said Patrick Patterson, who had 14 points in a backup role. “We thought in the second half we could go out there and keep passing the ball, sharing the ball, looking for each other, getting stops on defense and pushing it on transition. We feel that our second unit can go out there and compete with anybody.”

Kyle Lowry scored 14 points, joining Scola as the only Houston starters in double figures, and the Rockets used a 57-13 edge in scoring from their backups to win their third straight and fourth in five games. Houston’s reserves averaged 51.5 points in the Rockets’ two victories against Phoenix this season.

“All of those guys shot over 50 percent,” Lowry said. “You can’t do any better than that. You can’t ask for no more.”

The Rockets held Phoenix to five field goals and 13 points in the fourth quarter.

“We definitely tightened down our defense and just tried to make it as tough as possible for them and create chaos for them,” Budinger said. “We were able to make some steals, get in the passing lanes and make it tough for them.”

Houston also dominated on the glass, pulling down 12 offensive rebounds to Phoenix’s five and scoring 22 second-chance points to Phoenix’s six.

“These guys are relentless on the board so you’ve got to be able to put your body on them,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said after Rockets snapped his team’s three-game winning streak. “You have to be able to pursue the ball and go get it. When you have good defensive possessions time after time and they get the ball back time after time, it’s a little deflating.”

Channing Frye, playing the entire second half, scored a season-high 21 points, and Marcin Gortat added 16 for the Suns. Steve Nash, selected to his eighth All-Star game earlier Thursday, scored 14 points on 7-for-7 shooting and had 13 assists.

Michael Redd scored on a layup with 8:14 remaining to give the Suns an 81-80 lead. But Jordan Hill hit a 17-footer and Courtney Lee added a 17-foot pullup jumper to give the Rockets the lead for good at 84-81 with 7:30 to go.

The Suns pulled to 92-89 on Gortat’s free throws with 2:18 left and had a chance to tie it with a 3-pointer. But Lowry tipped a crosscourt lob pass into the Suns’ backcourt, sprinted to the ball and made a layup to give Houston a 94-89 lead.

“We didn’t convert in so many areas, so it makes it a really disappointing loss,” Nash said. “You’re going to have cold patches but you’ve got to find other ways to stay in the game.”

Two Phoenix offensive fouls in the final minute, the first coming when the 6-foot-11 Gortat ran over the 6-foot Lowry, sealed the victory for the Rockets.

“I’m 5-2,” said Lowry, laughing. “He didn’t see me.

PHOENIX (AP)

Chase Budinger and the Houston Rockets’ reserves roughed up the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.

Budinger scored 12 points while playing a team-high 31 points, and starter Luis Scola had 16 points to help the Rockets outlast the Phoenix Suns 96-89.

”The first half, we played so well,” said Patrick Patterson, who had 14 points in a backup role. ”We thought in the second half we could go out there and keep passing the ball, sharing the ball, looking for each other, getting stops on defense and pushing it on transition. We feel that our second unit can go out there and compete with anybody.”

Kyle Lowry scored 14 points, joining Scola as the only Houston starters in double figures, as the Rockets used a 57-13 edge in scoring from their backups to win their third straight and fourth in five games. Houston’s reserves averaged 51.5 points in the Rockets’ two victories against Phoenix this season.

”All of those guys shot over 50 percent,” Lowry said. ”You can’t do any better than that. You can’t ask for no more.”

The Rockets held Phoenix to five field goals and 13 points in the fourth quarter.

”We definitely tightened down our defense and just tried to make it as tough as possible for them and create chaos for them,” Budinger said. ”We were able to make some steals, get in the passing lanes and make it tough for them.”

Houston also dominated on the glass, pulling down 12 offensive rebounds to Phoenix’s five and scoring 22 second-chance points to Phoenix’s six.

”These guys are relentless on the boards, so you’ve got to be able to put your body on them,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said after Rockets snapped his team’s three-game winning streak. ”You have to be able to pursue the ball and go get it. When you have good defensive possessions time after time, and they get the ball back time after time, it’s a little deflating.”

Channing Frye, playing the entire second half, scored a season-high 21 points, and Marcin Gortat added 16 for the Suns. Steve Nash, selected to his eighth All-Star Game earlier Thursday, scored 14 points on 7 for 7 shooting and added 13 assists.

Michael Redd scored on a layup with 8:14 remaining to give the Suns an 81-80 lead, but Jordan Hill hit a 17-footer and Courtney Lee added a pull-up jumper to give the Rockets the lead for good at 84-81 with 7:30 to go.

The Suns pulled to 92-89 on Gortat’s free throws with 2:18 left and had a chance to tie it with a three-pointer. But Lowry tipped a crosscourt lob pass into the Suns’ backcourt, sprinted to the ball and made a layup to give Houston a 94-89 lead.

”We didn’t convert in so many areas, so it makes it a really disappointing loss,” Nash said. ”You’re going to have cold patches, but you’ve got to find other ways to stay in the game.”

Two Phoenix offensive fouls in the final minute, the first coming when the 6-foot-11 Gortat ran over the 6-foot Lowry, sealed the victory for the Rockets.

”I’m 5-foot-2,” said Lowry, laughing. ”He didn’t see me.”

The Rockets’ backups dominated play throughout the game, outscoring the Suns’ reserves 17-3 over the first six-plus minutes of the second quarter.

Gentry responded by playing four of his five starters the entire third quarter and Gortat and Frye the entire second half rather than using the bench players. The backups were a combined 1 for 15 from the floor in the first half.

”We had a really nice second quarter,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. ”Our first and third is what we’ve got to figure out.”

Redd provided all but two of the 13 points for the Suns’ backups, who played only a combined 56 minutes.

NOTES: The Rockets attempted only six free throws, making four. Houston didn’t go to the line in the first half. … Houston PG Goran Dragic matched a season high with 11 assists against his former team. … PF Markieff Morris had the Suns’ other two points off the bench. … Gortat played 41 minutes, one below his career high. … Suns SF Grant Hill was the only starter to come off the floor for Phoenix in the third quarter, giving way to Redd.

By Seth Pollack

– Former Regional Editor

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Feb 9, 2012 – The Phoenix Suns (11-14) are on a three-game winning streak with a chance to extend that to four (FOUR) games on Thursday night when the Houston Rockets (15-11) come to the U.S. Airways Center. The Rockets, you might recall, put a hurting on the Suns just six days ago in what had to be one of the worst performances of the season for Alvin Gentry’s team.

“I don’t think we played well at all,” Gentry said about the road loss to the Rockets last week. “I thought dribble penetration hurt us. I thought our energy level wasn’t what where it was in the last two games. We gave up too many easy baskets, had turnovers for baskets, so I think it needs to be a total transformation (from that last game).”

The Suns will have a couple of things working in their favor. The Rockets played a game last night in Portland and could be without starting point guard Kyle Lowry. Lowry left the game with a hyper-extended elbow, and according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, will be a game time decision.

If Lowry can’t go, former Suns guard Goran Dragic will get the start against this old friend and mentor, Steve Nash.

“If Goran happens to start, he poses very many problems for us as well, we’ll have to be ready for him and hopefully we can do a good job limited his opportunities,” Nash said. “It would be great to go up against him, but he’s a handful so I’ll have my work cut out for me.”

Helping the Suns even more, maybe, is Kevin Martin’s little slump. Martin is averaging 18.7 ppg but only 2, 8 and 4 over his last three games.

Projected Lineups:

TV broadcast info:

The Suns game tips off at 7:00 p.m. Arizona time on Fox Sports Arizona. Arizona Sports 620 radio.Bright Side of the Sun will have the live game thread.

Phoenix Suns vs. Houston Rockets Game Preview: A Measuring Stick – Bright Side Of The Sun
As I mentioned in a weekly recap last month, it’s tough to find any of the top 8 teams in the West who look like they won’t be playoff teams. Thunder, Clippers, Spurs, Lakers, Mavs, Nuggets are a given. Blazers, Rockets and Jazz can be seen as vulnerable and passable in the standings but the Suns need to start making that push right now by beating the Rockets tonight.

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Read More: Kyle Lowry (G – HOU), Alvin Gentry (H – PHO), Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets

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Read More: Michael Redd (G – PHO), Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns went into Milwaukee and avenged the Arizona Diamondbacks playoff loss to the Brewers. It wasn’t easy but it sure was fun as the Suns put up a great first half and had a 21-point lead but then needed some last-second heroics from Steve Nash, on his birthday, to get the win over the Bucks. The victory marks the first time this season the Suns have won three-straight.

The Suns built the big lead with a super strong performance from Michael Redd off the bench who dropped 10 points on his former team and lead the Suns to a 33-20 second quarter. The 67 points the Suns had at the half was a season-high.

But the Bucks don’t quit. This team was down 18 to the Miami Heat recently and won that game and they used strong defense and three-point shooting to come all the way back to take a lead in the fourth quarter. That set up a thrilling back and forth finish.

With the game tied, Steve Nash ran the pick and roll and took the lane to the paint and finished a lay up with five ticks on the clock.

The Suns had six players in double-digits will Redd joining all five starters. Gortat’s 21 paced the field with Nash adding 18 points and 11 assists.

The boys come home for a game Thursday against the Houston Rockets.

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Read More: Michael Redd (G – PHO), Channing Frye (F – PHO), Steve Nash (G – PHO), Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks

The Phoenix Suns used a pair of hot starts on Monday night to move past the Atlanta Hawks 99-90. With a few quick buckets to kick off both the first and third quarters, the Suns sent the Hawks to their third straight loss while securing their first two-game winning streak since Jan. 20th.

Steve Nash was brilliant on the floor, and he led all scores with 24 points and 11 assists. He hit on four-of-four of his three-point attempts and notched another double-double on the eve of his 38th birthday. Channing Frye (19 points), Jared Dudley (10 points) and Michael Redd (10 points) also scored in double digits as Phoenix barely missed out on a 100-plus point game. Josh Smith and Joe Johnson led the way for Atlanta with 19 and 18 points, respectively.

While the Suns surged in the first and third quarters, the Hawks owned the second and fourth. Atlanta threatened Phoenix’s double-digit lead in the second quarter and cut the lead to four points before Nash hit a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give Phoenix some breathing room.

The Hawks gave Phoenix another run near the end of the game when Atlanta closed to within 94-83. WIth the threat of a letdown looming, Frye stepped up and scored five straight points (which would turn out to be Phoenix’s final points of the night) to halt Atlanta’s momentum for good and give Phoenix a road victory.

The Suns now travel to Milwaukee for Tuesday’s game against the Bucks with eyes on their first three-game win streak of the season. The game will also mark Michael Redd’s return to his former team and Nash’s 38th birthday.

By Seth Pollack

– Former Regional Editor

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Feb 6, 2012 – The Phoenix Suns will once again try and extend a winning streak to a number greater than one. It’s a feat the team has only accomplished twice this season and at no point have they won three-straight. Sigh. The task won’t be easy on Monday in Atlanta against the Hawks (16-8).

According to the intrepid traveling beat reporter, Paul Coro, Jared Dudley will return to the starting lineup after missing Saturday’s game with a thigh bruise. Michael Redd played well in his place but will return to the bench.

azcentral.com blogs – Coro’s Orange Slices – PaulCoro – Dudley returns for tough tilt at Atlanta
Michael Redd filled in well for Dudley on Saturday night, when Redd started in his place and scored 17 points with four 3-pointers in a victory against Charlotte. Dudley stays in the starting lineup for what he did prior to that, averaging 16.3 points and 4.8 rebounds while making eight of 15 3-pointers after his return to the starting lineup for four games.

Projected Lineups:

It should be loads of fun watching Channing Frye try and keep up with Josh Smith. Also expect Grant Hill, if his knee is well, to spend most of the time on Joe Johnson. In a perfect world, Josh Childress (a former Hawk), would have turned out to be a good enough perimeter defender to check a guy like Joe. The world isn’t perfect.

TV broadcast info:

The Suns game tips off at 5:30 p.m. Arizona time on Fox Sports Arizona. Arizona Sports 620 radio. Bright Side of the Sun will have the live game thread.

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Read More: Michael Redd (G – PHO), Jared Dudley (G – PHO), Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks

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Read More: Alvin Gentry (H – PHO), Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns didn’t make it easy on themselves but a strong showing from the second unit to start the fourth quarter gave them the separation needed to get a victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Bobcats pushed their halftime lead to ten points early in the third quarter before Alvin Gentry called a time out. From that point on the Suns had the game tied at the end of three and were up 10 halfway through the fourth quarter.

The hero of the night was Robin Lopez who scored 13 points to go along with six rebounds and solid defense in his 19 minutes of play. Josh Childress was strong as well as the bench was able to allow Steve Nash to rest until the four minute mark.

“The major problem was when Lopez came in,” Bobcats coach Paul Silas said, “We didn’t box him out and it really just changed the whole game around.”

The Suns held the Bobcats to and just 17 points in the fourth quarter with about half of those coming in the final desperate minutes. Phoenix was led by Michael Redd who got the start in place of the injured Jared Dudley. Redd finished with 17 points on 6-12 shooting. Rookie point guard Kemba Walker had 22 points for Charlotte.

The much-needed home win gives the Suns a 9-14 record on the season while the Bobcats fall to 3-21. The Suns now travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks on Monday and then to Milwaukee to meet the Bucks on Tuesday.

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