• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Suns-Celtics Preview

Nov 5, 2009 - 11:16 PM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Phoenix (4-1) at Boston (6-0), 7:30 p.m. EDT

Coach Alvin Gentry joked that his Phoenix Suns squandered a chance at an undefeated season following their first defeat this week.

Now they'll try to cause the Boston Celtics to do the same.

The Celtics go for a second 7-0 start in three seasons and a fourth straight lopsided win over the Suns as Phoenix continues its road trip in Boston on Friday night.

With Kevin Garnett healthy and Rasheed Wallace leading a group of contributing newcomers, the Celtics (6-0) join Denver as the only remaining unbeaten teams in the NBA.

They came closest to a defeat Wednesday in Minnesota, winning 92-90 despite allowing the Timberwolves to shoot 52.0 percent from the field - by far the highest mark for a Boston opponent this season.

The Celtics took the lead for good on Rajon Rondo's layup with 4:18 left and allowed just two points after that.

"We didn't get too excited, didn't get too frustrated when we were playing awful," coach Doc Rivers said. "I think that's good. That is a sign of experience. I don't think anybody panicked."

Wallace and fellow offseason acquisitions Marquis Daniels and Shelden Williams have supplemented Boston's veteran core of Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen as the team tries to get back to the finals after winning its 17th NBA title in 2008.

Boston began that season 8-0, and it has a favorable schedule for possibly an even better start. The Celtics' next 10 games are either at home, where they're 73-12 since the start of 2007-08, or against non-playoff teams from last season.

Despite finishing 10 games over .500, Phoenix (4-1) saw its run of four straight playoff appearances end last season after star forward Amare Stoudemire missed the final 29 games following eye surgery.

Although the Suns lost 122-100 to Orlando on Wednesday - with Gentry lamenting that "dreams of an undefeated season have gone down" - Stoudemire had his best game since his return with 25 points and 14 rebounds.

"I am just trying to get back into it," Stoudemire said. "I took seven months off and it is not because I wanted to. It was because of the injury. I am slowly starting to get my feel back. I am getting more and more comfortable out there game by game."

Phoenix was without guard Leandro Barbosa (wrist) for the second straight game, perhaps slowing the team's fast-paced attack.

After making at least half of their shots in each of the first four games and averaging 114.0 points, the Suns shot 45.5 percent against the Magic, with Grant Hill and Jason Richardson each held scoreless.

It's uncertain when Barbosa, averaging 15.7 points, will return.

"(Barbosa) can change the course of a game like this in that he gives us so much speed and he just gives us another weapon out on the floor," Gentry said. "And there's very few times where you'll have LB, J-Rich and Grant where they're struggling. Usually two of those three guys are always playing pretty good."

The team's run-and-gun style has not worked well against the Celtics' defensive-minded system recently. While the Suns won the initial meeting after Boston acquired Garnett and Allen in 2007, the Celtics have won three straight in the series, each by at least 17 points.

In the three victories, Rondo has averaged 23.0 points and shot 64.4 percent from the field, while fellow point guard and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash scored 14.3 per game.

Nash had only four assists Wednesday after averaging 12.5 during Phoenix's 4-0 start.

Stoudemire and Garnett both missed the Celtics' 128-108 road win Feb. 22, and Stoudemire was held to three points after shooting 0 of 7 from the field in the Suns' last visit to Boston, a 104-87 loss Jan. 19.