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Grizzlies-Suns Preview

Nov 24, 2009 - 6:03 PM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Memphis (5-9) at Phoenix (11-3), 9:00 p.m. EDT

Coming off their most lopsided victory of the season, the Phoenix Suns look for their 15th straight win at home Wednesday.

Phoenix, though, will face a resurgent Memphis Grizzlies team that's won four of five.

Following Thursday's 110-103 loss at New Orleans, the Suns (11-3) rebounded with a 117-91 win over Detroit on Sunday to improve to 5-0 at home this season. Led by Amare Stoudemire's 21 points, six Suns scored in double figures as they shot a season-best 57.5 percent, including 11 of 18 from 3-point range. It was Phoenix's biggest victory since a 139-111 win over Sacramento on April 3.

"We did a good job tonight," Steve Nash said Sunday after hitting 7 of 8 shots and totaling 20 points with nine assists. "Clearly we were disappointed in our last outing."

Phoenix, which has won 14 consecutive games at US Airways Center since 119-111 loss to Cleveland on March 12, has also won six straight at home against Memphis. The Suns won three of four overall against the Grizzlies last season.

Nash averaged 15.0 points and 9.0 assists as the Suns won both home games versus Memphis in 2008-09 by a total of 14 points. The two-time MVP missed the 101-89 victory at Memphis on Dec. 30 with back spasms.

Stoudemire, looking to score 20 or more points for the fifth straight game, missed the last two matchups with the Grizzlies last season due to a partially torn retina that sidelined him the final 29 games. He is averaging 21.9 points and 9.7 boards in 21 career games versus Memphis.

While Phoenix is the only team in the league to score at least 100 points in each of its game, the Grizzlies (5-9) are playing their best defense of the season.

After giving up 111.1 points per game during their 1-8 start, the Grizzlies are holding opponents to 96.6 points per contest during their current 4-1 stretch.

"It all comes from defense," second-year center Marc Gasol said after scoring 18 points with a season-high four blocks in Monday's 116-105 victory over Sacramento. "We're playing better defensively."

Memphis, which opens a five-game trip Wednesday, has also been doing better on the offensive end in the last five games, averaging 103.8 points and shooting 51.0 percent.

Rudy Gay, who leads Memphis with 21.9 points per game, is averaging 24.2 and hitting 53.9 percent during this stretch. Gay hit three 3s and scored 26 points in the Grizzlies' last visit to Phoenix - a 119-100 loss on April 13.

O.J. Mayo had 20 in that contest. He also scored 20 in a 106-89 win on April 10 that ended a 10-game overall skid to Phoenix.

Memphis, which is 1-6 on the road this season, goes for its first victory in Phoenix since a 115-103 win Nov. 11, 2005.