:::AnSwEr InCoMpLeTe::: (NBA Live 2005)

[-BHZMAFIA-]

thanks for the coments

seraph: thanks for the help, i can't believe i missed it

riot: next time the suns will previal

trubucksfan: barbosa and jacobsen are playin well off the bench for me, especially in that last game where barbosa scored 19

micchy_boy: match always help me with the mags and i try to give him the ideas for it and he does a real good job with them and i would like to thank him as well for helping me...i like writing about sports and i probably would be a sportswriter when i grow up and ive always been a good writer even in elementary. so writing recaps is my specialty and thats one of the key things to my dynasty.


To everyone that read the dynasty: Thannks for checkin my dynasty out and I will keep updating and you can expect more updates today. I'm trying to decide on making the jim jackson trade in my dynasty now, or wait til' that point in time to make it. I'm leaning more towards making it at that point in time in real life, but i will take suggestions as well. Please reply with any suggestion or you can just vote in the poll. Thanks

[cocobee]

Make the trade, nice magazine!

[-BHZMAFIA-]

SUNS VS. LAKERS
Staples Center, Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m., PST

TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Suns, 15-3; Lakers, 6-11.

KEY MATCHUP: SHAWN MARION VS. LAMAR ODOM (PART II)
The last time these two players met up with each other, Marion scored 26 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, while Odom had 23 points and 9 rebounds. Their numbers were very similar and expect the same type of battle tonight. Both players are very long and athletic, but Marion is the more versatile player with a better outside shot.

INSIDE THE SUNS
Phoenix is coming off a win over the Golden State Warriors where Steve Nash had his worse game of the season. He scored just 8 points and dished out 6 assists, but reserve PG Leandro Barbosa had argubably his best game of the year with 19 points, 5 assists on 8-11 shooting in just 16 minutes of play. What a concidence that Barbosa scored 19 points and the Suns won by 19 points.

INSIDE THE LAKERS
The KOBE-fied Lakers hold a 6-11 record and they went on an 11-game losing streak winning their first two games of the season. They are now on a 4-game winning streak beating the Hornets, Bucks, Bulls and Warriors. Kobe Bryant is averaging 21.6ppg, 5.8rpg and 5.9apg which is very low compared to his last season averages. Lamar Odom is playing great for the Lakers averaging 20.8ppg, 9.1rpg and 4.6apg.

PROBABLE STARTERS


C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash


C-Chris Mihm
PF-Lamar Odom
SF-Caron Butler
SG-Kobe Bryant
PG-Chucky Atkins

[Seraph]

cant wait for this Showdown

[-BHZMAFIA-]

STAT and Nash Rip LA apart
The dynamic duo does it again in La-La Land

Suns-99
Lakers-82


Shawn Marion and Co. kept their winning streak alive against the Lakers

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Despite the Suns shooting a season-worse, 2-11 from 3-point range in the game, they still came out on top against the Lakers in Los Angeles. Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire were two of the main reasons why the Suns came out on top in tonight’s game. Stoudemire scored 14 of his 25 points in the 2nd half help capping a 12-2 run to start the 4th quarter that helped send the Suns to a 99-82 victory over the Lakers. "If the team needs me to do certain things out there, I am going to get the job done," said Stoudemire. "I am bringing my lunch box and hard hat and go to work every day."

The two teams combined for 6-27 from 3-point range in the game and the Lakers were even worse field goal wise as they only shot 38% from the field. "Amare was just dominating," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He is going to spoil me." Bryant, who missed his first six shots, in the game still ended up with 30 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in 43 minutes of play. Joe Johnson 19 points and 7 rebounds and Steve Nash added 28 and 6 assists for Phoenix, who nearly blew a 12- point lead heading into the 4th quarter. "We have a lot of weapons," Marion said. "We knew they would try to make a run, but at the same time we kept going hard. It was a matter of everybody picking each other up."

Bryant got hot in the second half, but the Suns kept pace. George and Kobe made 3-pointers around a jumper by Nash, giving LA a 70-62 deficit at the end of the 3rd quarter. "In the first half, I had good looks, I just missed them," Bryant said. "I'm not the type to get discouraged. I always believe the next one will go in." The Suns are now 16-3 in the season. "We are a team that is never going to back down," Stoudemire said. "It doesn't matter if Kobe hits six or seven shots in a row, we are going to keep our composure and play our game."

Box Score



Game Photos
Amare Stoudemire shooting the hookshot over Mihm for two of his 25 points
Nash dishing the ball off to an open teammate
Richardson getting two of only 6 points in the game
Lamar Odom going up with the right hand
Kobe tearing the rim down with his one-hand tomahawk jam
Joe Johnson with the crossover on Bryant
JJ knocking down the shot with two defenders in his face
Marion and Odom battling it out down low

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Photo Archive Updated

It is located in the "News" section on the front page. The month of November is updated and this is just another little feature added to the dynasty because after too much editing on the recap page, some of the games won't show, so that's why I post the game and do the photo archives just in case nobody wants to look at the game recaps and just the pics.

[-BHZMAFIA-]

BOBCATS VS. SUNS
American West Arena, Phoenix, 7:00 p.m., PST

TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Bobcats, 6-11; Suns, 16-3.

KEY MATCHUP: SHAWN MARION VS. EMEKA OKAFOR
Okafor was last month's got milk? Rookie of the Month with averages of 17.9ppg, 12rpg and 2.31bpg. He is playing like the best rookie as he is leading the expansion Bobcats team in scoring and rebounding. Shawn Marion, who has switched to PF this season is averaging 19.9ppg, 8.5rpg and 1.05bpg for the Suns. With Marion's experience, he can take the rook to the hole all game.

INSIDE THE BOBCATS
The Bobcats were expected to have the worse record in the league, but there are four other teams with worse records as of now. Charlotte is on a 4-game winning streak and they are coming off a huge win against the Sacramento Kings who have the 6th best record in the league. Players like Primoz Brezec, Gerald Wallace and Kareem Rush are now making a name for themselves in the NBA.

INSIDE THE SUNS
There is not too much you can say about the Suns, except they are winning once again. The Suns are on a 3-game winning streak right now and tonight's game is the start of a 3 game home set for the Suns as they face Orlando and Utah next.

PROBABLE STARTERS

C-Primoz Brezec
PF-Emeka Okafor
SF-Gerald Wallace
SG-Kareem Rush
PG-Brevin Knight


C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Suns Handle the Expansion Bobcats
Early start gave the Suns the advantage quickly

Bobcats-74
Suns-108


Joe Johnson scored 11 points on 5-11 shooting against the Bobcats

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- Shawn Marion left college a year earlier, but he gave the big men of the expansion Charlotte Bobcats an all-around schooling. In perhaps the most complete game of his career, Marion had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists to power the Phoenix Suns to their fourth straight victory, a 108-74 triumph over the Bobcats. "This was a hard game to get up for, and when things aren't going well, I have to tell our guys that we have to step it up and they followed my lead on that," Marion said. He had his first career triple double of his career tonight. "I didn't know that I had a triple double until the coach announced it in the locker room.”

At 17-3, Phoenix has matched the best start in franchise history, set during the 1980-81 season. In 1999, Marion was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the 9th overall pick out of UNLV. Playing out of position at power forward this season, The Matrix, as what most people call him, has became one of the most underrated players in the league. Stoudemire made 5-of-11 shots and 4-of-4 free throws as he totally overwhelmed, rookie Emeka Okafor and Melvin Ely. He also controlled the defensive backboards and had a career high in assists as he foiled double-teams against him and Stoudemire. "They are a big team, an athletic team," Ely confessed. "All the guys on their team can run and jump and do all the little things that other teams can't." The Suns took the lead for good in the first four minutes and put it on cruise control against the Bobcats as they led 28-14 at the end of the 1st quarter.

Steve Nash scored 22 points and just handed out 4 assists for the Suns, who shot 50 percent (44-of-88) as they won for the 13th time in 14 games. "That team made their shots and they are playing on a different level confidence-wise," Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. "They are awfully good when you let them get to the open court." Former Sun Brevin Knight had an off-night, but put together 10 points and 5 assists to be one of the four players in double figures for the Bobcats. Okafor had 19 points and eight rebounds and Rush added 16 points. Primoz Brezec had a career-high in rebounds with 19 boards, including 4 offensive.

Phoenix has now won 13 of their last 14 games and improved to 8-1 against Eastern Conference teams. However, coach Mike D'Antoni was concerned with his team's approach. Richardson scored seven points in an 11-0 run that gave Phoenix a 15-8 lead early in the first quarter and he finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds and four assists.

Box Score



Game Photos
Shawn Marion showing his athleticism against Charlotte
Stoudemire catching the tough pass from Barbosa in the post
Richardson with the one-hand hookshot in the paint
Marion contesting Okafor's hookshot
Steve Nash getting fouled by Jahidi White
Rush showing his quick release
Johnson slashing to the basket
Bo trying to run the break
STAT posted 17 points and 17 rebounds in tonight's game

[kibaxx7]

Why away jersey for Suns and home for Bobcats, if they were playing in Phoenix? (Good Recap! )

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Why away jersey for Suns and home for Bobcats, if they were playing in Phoenix? (Good Recap! )

well sometime the suns wear their orange alt. jerseys at home thats the reason. thanks for compliment too

[Seraph]

excellent updates

[-BHZMAFIA-]

BIG update coming within' the next 4-5 days. I'm getting tired of slow poking around so I'm going to get alot of stuff done within' the next few days to make things a little more interesting. Honor Glow, I'm on my 20th game right now, so once I play my next game which will most likely be today, I'll send u my PSTAT.

[Seraph]

BIG update coming within' the next 4-5 days. I'm getting tired of slow poking around so I'm going to get alot of stuff done within' the next few days to make things a little more interesting. Honor Glow, I'm on my 20th game right now, so once I play my next game which will most likely be today, I'll send u my PSTAT.

Bro you have already an interesting dynasty

[cklitsie]

Can't wait for the next update and for the next game vs. Boston neither

[-BHZMAFIA-]

MAGIC VS. SUNS
American West Arena, Phoenix, 7:00 p.m., PST

TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Magic, 11-9; Suns, 17-3.

KEY MATCHUP: STEVE NASH VS. STEVE FRANCIS
The two Steve's go at it tonight in Phoenix. Steve Francis is one of the few players in the league averaging 19, 6 and 7. He has a very balanced game and can leap out the gym. Nash is averaging a career-high in points with 20.5ppg to go along with 9.4apg. Both players love to penetrate, but in different ways. Francis will penetrate and try to draw the foul, while Nash will pass it back outside or pull up for a jumper.

INSIDE THE MAGIC
With a healthy Grant Hill back in the lineup, he is averaging 18.5ppg, 8.6rpg and 6.0apg. The Magic are 2nd in their division, one game behind the Miami Heat. Orlando enters tonight's game on a 3-game winning streak. Out of 20 games played, they have held 16 teams under the 100-point mark.

INSIDE THE SUNS
Phoenix is now on a 4-game winning streak after blowing out the Bobcats 108-74. Shawn Marion had a triple double in that game. Last season around this time, the Suns were 8-12, while Orlando was 1-19 before beating the Suns on December 8.

PROBABLE STARTERS

C-Kelvin Cato
PF-Dwight Howard
SF-Grant Hill
SG-Cuttino Mobley
PG-Steve Francis


C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash

[kibaxx7]

Nice You will make real life's trades (Mobley & Bradley X Christie, Nets-Raptors trade, and others)?

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Sizzlin’ Suns Stymie Magic
After the 1st quarter, everything was going the Suns way

Magic-95
Suns-106


Francis scored 22 points and 9 rebounds for the Magic

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- With a devastating attack from inside the paint, the Phoenix Suns rolled into the record books. Steve Nash scored 25 points, including three 3-pointers, and Amare Stoudemire added 24 points and 15 rebounds as the Suns improved to a franchise-record 18-3 with a 106-95 win over the Orlando Magic. Taking advantage of a road-weary Orlando squad that played the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Phoenix came out running and dominated the transition game, outscoring the Magic on the break, 28-15.

"We wanted to keep the pace of the game up - we thought they would fall short at the end," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We took advantage of the schedule. They came in on a back-to-back and we were waiting for them." Phoenix, which is averaging a league-best 106.9 points was 5-of-19 from the arc, but outscored Orlando, 56-30, in the paint en route to surpassing the 1980-81 Suns for the best start in franchise history. "It's down to where we are not pretenders, we are contenders," Stoudemire said. "We run offensively and defensively. There are certain teams that are just good fast-break teams but don't get back on defense. We get back on Defense and we know we are going to have three or four runs a game."

Quentin Richardson collected 19 points, 9 rebounds and four assists and Joe Johnson added 17 and four assists for Phoenix, which had five players score in double figures. Grant Hill, who scored 17 points, hit a jumper with just under four minutes left in the third quarter to reduce the Magic's deficit to 75-73, but Orlando could not keep up as Phoenix closed out the period with a 13-6 run. "They played well and have a lot of weapons," Hill said. "They play like they are the best team in the league. We wanted to run but we didn't do a good job of igniting our break, which is much to their credit." Barbosa connected on a 3-point play and Richardson added a 3-pointer during the quarter-ending run. "They did their best job trying to stay up with us," Richardson said. "I don't think there is anybody in the league that can run with us and sustain it for 48 minutes. We are really happy about the start but we know it is a long season, not just 21 games, and we have a lot of work to do."

Steve Francis added 22 points and rookie Dwight Howard grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with his 22 points for the Magic, who did not have answer for the Suns' high-octane offense. "I thought we competed with them but they are a relentless team," Magic Coach Johnny Davis said. "We had a couple of things we had to compensate for like foul trouble, that kind of thing, but they kept coming at you and we couldn't sustain it for 48 minutes." The Suns improved to 9-1 against Eastern Conference teams and have scored at least 100points in 16 of their 21 games.

Box Score



Game Photos
Joe Johnson going in for the layup
Dwight Howard posting Shawn Marion up in the paint
Shawn Marion with the one-hand windmill dunk
Quentin Richardson shooting over Grant Hill
Amare Stoudemire adjusting his shot in the air
Cuttino Mobley using his right hand to lay the ball up

[-BHZMAFIA-]

JAZZ VS. SUNS
American West Arena, Phoenix, 8:30 p.m., PST

TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Jazz, 10-12; Suns, 18-3.

KEY MATCHUP: AMARE STOUDEMIRE VS. CARLOS BOOZER
This will be a new look for Stoudemire as in the 1st matchup, he went up against Curtis Borchardt and Mehmet Okur. With Borchardt on IR, the Jazz moved Boozer to the center spot to matchup with Stoudemire. In the first meeting between the two teams, Boozer had 20 points and 9 rebounds, while Stoudemire went for 27 points and 12 rebounds. It will be two stallions going at each other.

INSIDE THE JAZZ
Gordan Giricek was injured on December 10th and has been rehabiting his broken toe. The injury happened against the Portland Trailblazers. Since the injury, the Jazz went with a lineup of Boozer, Kirilenko, Harpring, Bell and Arroyo.

INSIDE THE SUNS
Stoudemire has been playing monsterous the past few games. He scored 24 points and had 15 rebounds against the Magic, 17 points and 17 rebounds vs. the Bobcats and 25 points, 16 rebound performance against the Lakers. The last time the Suns met up with the Jazz at the end of November, they defeated them 108-96.

PROBABLE STARTERS

C-Carlos Boozer
PF-Andrei Kirilenko
SF-Matt Harpring
SG-Raja Bell
PG-Carlos Arroyo


C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Richardon, Second-Half Burst Propels Suns
43 points in the 1st quarter started things off the right way for the Suns

Jazz-92
Suns-102


Stoudemire and Boozer colliding in the air

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- The Phoenix Suns gotten off to a fast start in the first quarter, but the Utah Jazz still tried to contain the NBA's best transition team. Quentin Richardson sank 3-of-6 3-pointers and scored 21 points to help lead the Suns to a 102-92 victory over the Utah Jazz. Early in the first quarter, the Jazz did not look like a team that had played at home a day earlier and traveled to Phoenix. Led by Carlos Boozer’s 10 points, Utah jumped out to a 26-19 lead before Phoenix's high-octane offense produced a season-high 43 points and going on a 17-10 run, while shooting 69 percent (7-of-8) from the field late in the 1st quarter.

"We wore them down a bit," Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They played last night and we kept running them. We had spurts, from everybody." Casey Jacobsen, who scored 10 points, hit a 3-pointer to put the Suns ahead for good and Amare Stoudemire capped the spurt with a three-point play. Stoudemire scored 11 of his 26 points during the second quarter. Johnson had two 3-pointers and scored 8 points in the third quarter as Phoenix kept its lead at 14 points with a 85-71 lead after 36 minutes of play. "We have a talented ballclub and I think the sky is the limit," Johnson said. "I think early in the first quarter, they came out with a lot of energy and that caught us off guard but like good teams, we found a will and a way to win."

Marion produced a near double-double, posting 17 points and 9 rebounds, including six assists for the game. "In the closing minutes of the 1st quarter, it just happened, we had everything going," Marion said. "We were stopping them and creating easy baskets for us. When we do that, we play our best." Carlos Boozer had a game-high 34 points and 13 rebounds and Andrei Kirilenko added 14 and 10 for Utah, which surrendered a season-worst 69 points in the first half. "We did some good things in the first quarter, then we stopped doing what we were doing," said Harpring, who scored all of his 11 points in the first half. "We weren't executing, we were doing more 1-on-1 stuff. When we got bad shots, they got rebounds and then they're off to the races." The Suns outscored the Jazz, 14-10, on the fast break and entered Wednesday's game leading the league with 19.4 fast-break points per game.

The Suns have won six straight games, averaging 107 points during that span with an average margin of victory of 16.5 points. Their 19-3 record is the best start to a season since current Suns point guard Steve Nash led the 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks to a 21-3 beginning. "This team destroys you and destroys your will to win," Sloan said. "They play as efficient as any team I've seen in a long time. They do everything you want a team to do, and they seem to like each other."

Box Score



Game Photos
Joe Johnson with the jumpshot over Boozer
Steve Nash going in for the layup
Richardson driving to the goal on Bell
Carlos Boozer scoring two of his 34 points
Steven Hunter shooting the hookshot over two defenders

[-BHZMAFIA-]

SUNS VS. SONICS
Key Arena, Seattle, 7:30 p.m., PST

TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Suns, 19-3; Sonics, 6-16.

KEY MATCHUP: SUNS GUARDS/FORWARDS VS. ALLEN AND LEWIS
If the Suns want to be almost guarenteed a victory, they will have to stop Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. Allen leads the team with 25.5ppg, 5.2apg and 4.4rpg, while Lewis is averaging 21.7ppg and 9.3rpg. Expect to see Shawn Marion playing alot of SF tonight to matchup against Lewis. The Suns will use a combination of different guards and forwards to try and stop the dynamic duo.

INSIDE THE SUNS
The Suns are going for their 20th win of the season and to also keep their 1/2 game lead over the Spurs for the best record in the NBA. Phoenix didn't recieve their 20th win last season utnil they beat Seattle on February 27th.

INSIDE THE SONICS
Seattle is 4-2 in their last 6 games and tonight will be their 3rd straight home game on their 4 game home stand. They have taken 3 days off since they beat the Lakers on December 14th. They have teh 2nd to worse record in the Western Conference.

PROBABLE STARTERS

C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash


C-Jerome James
PF-Reggie Evans
SF-Rashard Lewis
SG-Ray Allen
PG-Luke Ridnour

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Suns Stun Sonics Down Stretch
The Fab-5 all had their stroke going tonight

Suns-128
Sonics-108


Johnson was one of the 5 Suns players with 20+ points tonight

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- In a heavily wild-west affair, Shawn Marion was quiet until making some noise when it counted to keep the Phoenix Suns rolling. Marion scored 10 of his 22 points in the final three minutes and the Suns stepped up their defensive game down the stretch to survive for the seventh straight time on the road, posting a 128-108 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics. "It was just my turn," Marion said. "We have so many weapons on this team, but it was my turn tonight."

The best scoring team in the NBA, Phoenix was in danger of seeing its six-game winning streak snapped before Marion keyed a late run. After a 14-4 cut the Sonics deficit to 3 points after 3 minutes into the 4th quarter, Marion silenced a raucous crowd with a 3-pointer to trigger a 10-1 burst as the Suns never looked back. Steve Nash fed Marion for a dunk on the Suns' next possession. After Quentin Richardson nailed a three-pointer to move the Suns to a double-digit lead, Stoudemire made five straight free throws so help seal the win. "We didn't play very well tonight, but someone always seems to go on a run when we need it," said Nash, who had 9 assists. "I thought our defense in spurts was really good and it has been all year."

Joe Johnson scored 25 points to lead four other players with at least 20 for the Suns. His layup with 44 seconds left put the Suns up, 122-108. "If we make stops and don't break down on the defensive end of the floor, you have a chance to win this game," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "Defensively we just broke down that last minute." Phoenix improved its league-best road mark to 10-1. "That was a great game," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They started off really fired up despite us leading at the end of the 1st quarter. We held tough like we've been doing most of the year. We made some stops at the end. We just don't lose heart." Seattle's Rashard Lewis scored 32 points but just six in the fourth quarter and did not make a 3-pointer in the 2nd half, going 0-9 after going 4-6 in the 1st half. One of the league's best 3-point shooting team entering the game, the Sonics were just 8-of-32 from the arc.

"We just had breakdowns at the end that allowed them to get back into the game, and then we missed a couple of shots at the end and that's the ballgame," McMillan said. Despite the loss, Allen thought the game was fun. "It was a great game to be a part of," Allen said. "It was very up-tempo. Shots were rolling in from everywhere. But the final conclusion is that they beat us. We could have won, but it's over with now." The Suns shot a total of 39 free throws in tonight’s game and made 33 of them.

Box Score



Game Photos
Johnson diving in front of the Sonics bench for the ball
Rashard Lewis trying to get out of the double team
Shawn Marion with the two hand jam
Marion going up high for the layup
Richardson going to the bucket against Lewis
Stoudemire making a strong move against James

[-BHZMAFIA-]

WIZARDS VS. SUNS
American West Arena, Phoenix, 7:00 p.m., PST

TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Wizards, 10-11; Suns, 20-3.

KEY MATCHUP: SHAWN MARION VS. ANTAWN JAMISON
Jamison didn't lose a step from being traded as a 6th-man from Dallas, to a big time starter in Washington. He averages 23.6ppg and a career best-best 10.4rpg for the 10-11 Wizards. Marion is the more athletic forward and will have to stop Jmaion's runner in the lane which is his favorite move.

INSIDE THE WIZARDS
Unfortunately for the Wizards, their starting PG Gilbert Arenas will miss his 12th straight game after getting injured against the Raptors on November 23rd. He has a torn achilles tendon and is very close to recovery, but doctors won't let him go tonight. Steve Blake, the 2nd year guard from Maryland, will start in his place.

INSIDE THE SUNS
Phoenix is still ranked 3rd in the NBA Power Rankings despite having a better record than the Spurs and Celtics. The Suns are now on a 7-game winning streak and is 1 win away from tying their season-high 8 game winning streak.

PROBABLE STARTERS

C-Brendan Haywood
PF-Antawn Jamison
SF-Jarvis Hayes
SG-Larry Hughes
PG-Steve Blake


C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Suns Win; Improve to 21-3
Stoudemire had a season-high in tonight’s game

Wizards-87
Sonics-116


Barbosa and the Suns continue to roll in the NBA

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash helped a team make history again. Amare Stoudemire had a season-high 34 points and 9 rebounds and Nash added 18 and 9 assists as the Suns extended their winning streak to eight games with a 116-87 victory over the Washington Wizards. Phoenix has won 17 of its last 18 games to improve to a league-best 21-3 this season. The Suns kept pace with the best start in the NBA since a Nash-led Dallas squad opened 22-3 two years ago.

"There are some similarities to that Dallas team," Nash said. "We are both high-scoring teams (that are) difficult to defend, but we have our own identity. We are more athletic and more versatile." Steven Hunter, who got extra playing time due to Amare Stoudemire's foul trouble, scored two points and 6 rebounds during the game. "Amare was getting in foul trouble, so I wanted to come off the bench with some energy," Hunter said. "To win a championship or go deep in the playoffs, we need a 10-man rotation and I think we have more than capable guys. We want to show people that our bench is a good bench." Stoudemire, who was 16-of-25 from the floor, scored 15 points in the third quarter. With Phoenix holding a 90-70 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter, he singlehandedly doubled the Suns margin, scoring eight consecutive points over the last two minutes. "I wanted it a little bit more," Stoudemire joked. "Everybody was tired but we sucked it up a bit. It was a team thing."

Joe Johnson had three of Phoenix's 8 3-pointers and scored 23 points for the Suns, who had four players in double figures. Antawn Jamison had 27 points and nine rebounds and a Larry Hughes scored 20 points for Washington, which is 1-1 on its five-game road trip. The Suns improved to 13-1 in back-to-back situations. They did not win their 21st game last season until March 3 in their 62nd game. "They are a wonderful team and a wonderful team to watch," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "Steve Nash is the orchestrator. They've got shooters and are unselfish."

Box Score



Game Photos
Larry Hughes slashing to the basket
Jamison getting the easy layup
Johnson drawing contact on Hughes
Marion stripping Haywood of the ball
Stoudemire dunking on Haywood with two hands
STAT calling for the ball in the post

[-BHZMAFIA-]

SUNS VS. NUGGETS
Pepsi Center, Denver, 7:00 p.m., PST

TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Suns, 21-3; Nuggets, 14-10.

KEY MATCHUP: AMARE STOUDEMIRE VS. MARCUS CAMBY
Stoudemire has been playing excellent basketball as of late. He will go up against Marcus Camby who is close to averaging a double-double with 11.8ppg and 9.8rpg on the season. Stoudemire's points and rebounds have went up in the month of December avearging 22ppg and 11.3rpg as of now. The much strong Stoudemire will see alot of touches tonight.

INSIDE THE SUNS
The Suns are coming off a 29-point win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday. Stoudemire had a season-high 34 points in the game to lead all scorers. Phoenix matched their longest win streak total at 8 after beating the Wizards. A win tonight will give them their longest winning streak of the season.

INSIDE THE NUGGETS
Denver is 4 games over .500 and are in playoff contention in the West. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and are on a 2-game winning streak. The duo of K-Mart and Melo are averaging a combined 38.9ppg, 18.8rpg and 7.6apg.

PROBABLE STARTERS

C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash


C-Marcus Camby
PF-Kenyon Martin
SF-Carmelo Anthony
SG-Voshon Lenard
PG-Andre Miller

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Amare and Nash Lead the Way
Stoudemire’s 4th quarter spurt gave the Suns their 22nd win

Sonics-101
Nuggets-94


Marion with the showtime dunk near 3 Nugget defenders

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- Playing at a high altitude clearly did not affect Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns. Stoudemire scored 28 points and Nash added 17, including 9 points in the 4th quarter, as the Suns edged the Denver Nuggets, 101-94, for their ninth straight victory. Steve Nash collected 8 assists and five rebounds for the league-leading Suns (22-3), who have won 18 of their last 19 games. Despite missing 7 of their nine 3 point attempts, the Nuggets hung tough, leading by six points at the end of the 3rd quarter.

In a hectic crunch-time sequence, Nash had launched a three attempt that railed off the rim, but Stoudemire grabbed the rebound and tipping in the following shot that gave the Suns a two possession lead over the Nuggets. "It was a great game," said Phoenix head coach Mike D'Antoni, whose squad shot 51 percent (40-of-78). "I thought we were a little sluggish and they were, too. It was like two heavyweight fighters going back and forth." Denver led mostly the entire second half and held a 74-68 edge at end of the 3rd quarter. Phoenix went on an 13-0 run to open a 81-74 advantage at the beginning of the 4th quarter but Denver fought back and closed the gap to 91-87 with just under three in a half minutes left to play in the game.

"I am very proud of the effort that my players gave tonight," Nuggets head coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "We played pretty well against the hottest team in the league. We just came up a little bit short." Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin collected 22 points apiece of
for the Nuggets, who shot 47 percent (37-of-78). "We made a good scramble at the end," Miller said. "It was a good effort by both teams. We had a tough road trip and we still came out and played hard." Neither team led by double digits points during the exciting fourth quarter. "The final minutes are the fun time to play the game," Nash said. "Especially when it's close like that and you're on the road. It's just fun to challenge yourself." Andre Miller added 15 points and 8 assists and Camby chipped in 7 and 12 for the Nuggets, who visit Seattle on Wednesday night.

Box Score



Game Photos
Richardson gettin hacked by Camby as no foul was called
Camby taking the short jumper
Carmelo Anthony shooting the fadeaway jumper
Kenyon Martin grabbing the rebound
Marion blocking the 5'5" Boykins jumper
Nash trying to penetrate to the basket
Stoudemire throwing the ball down authority