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Wizards search for first road win in Phoenix

Dec 5, 2010 - 3:51 PM (Sports Network) - The Washington Wizards kick off a three-game western road trip tonight in Phoenix, searching for their first road win of the season.

The Wizards are a miserable 0-9 as the visitor on the year but improved to a solid 6-3 on their home court Friday when Andray Blatche scored 10 of his 19 points in the final quarter and pulled down nine rebounds, helping the Wizards to an 83-79 win over Portland, sending the Trail Blazers to their sixth consecutive defeat.

Cartier Martin drilled the go-ahead jumper from beyond the arc to start a string of 10 straight Washington points in the fourth quarter. Gilbert Arenas ended with 15 points for the Wizards, who snapped a four-game slide. JaVale McGee chipped in 13 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.

"All we did yesterday was work on defense," Wizards coach Flip Saunders said. "Our offense kind of showed it. If you want to be good in this league, you're going to have to learn to play defense. Right now that's our point of emphasis."

Rookie guard John Wall had 10 points and four rebounds in his return to the starting lineup for the Wizards, but he went 3-of-13 from the field. Wall played in just three of the previous nine contests due to injury.

Washington will also visit the LA Lakers and Sacramento on their trek.

The Suns, meanwhile, earned their second straight win on Friday when Channing Frye pumped in a season-high 29 points and Jason Richardson added 21 to pace Phoenix in a 105-97 win over the Indiana Pacers.

The duo combined for 31 points in the second half and finished the game 8- of-13 from three-point range. Steve Nash ended with 12 points and 11 assists for the Suns, who have won back-to-back contests for the first time since a three-game streak November 12-15.

"When we can space the floor and Channing shoots the ball like that, it brings the big guys out from the basket," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "Channing did a great job. He shot the ball well, and he did a good job defensively. When he plays like that it creates avenues of driving and spacing becomes much better."

Phoenix has swept the home-and-home season series with the Wizards for the past three seasons and has won seven straight overall versus Washington, outscoring the Wizards by an average of nearly 18 points a game in that span.