• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Suns eye 14th straight win over Raptors

Mar 23, 2011 - 3:17 PM (Sports Network) - The Phoenix Suns will shoot for their 14th consecutive win over the Toronto Raptors Wednesday when the two teams square off in the desert.

The Suns missed out on a good chance to improve their position in the Western Conference playoff picture on Tuesday when the Lakers carved out a thrilling 139-137 triple-overtime win versus Phoenix at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant, hobbled by a bum ankle and sore shoulder, played 48 minutes and finished with 42 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in a playoff-like atmosphere in Hollywood.

Channing Frye had a career-high 32 points to go with 14 rebounds, while Steve Nash totaled 19 points and 20 assists in the crushing defeat.

The Suns, who had seven players score in double figures, didn't lose without a fight, climbing back from nine down with three minutes left in regulation.

"I thought we hung in there. We had opportunities," Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said. "We did a great job of getting back into it, but we couldn't get over the hump."

Marcin Gortat totaled 24 points and 16 boards for the Suns, whose double digits scorers included: Vince Carter (17), Aaron Brooks (15) Grant Hill (11) and Mickael Pietrus (11).

Phoenix is now tied with Utah for 10th place in the West, three games back of eighth-place Memphis as they attempt to make the postseason for the sixth time in seven years.

The Raptors, meanwhile, fell to 1-1 on a five-game road trip Monday in Denver when Ty Lawson scored 23 points, one of seven Nuggets in double figures, as Denver rolled past Toronto, 123-90.

Andrea Bargnani led Toronto with 20 points, DeMar DeRozan added 14 points and Alexis Ajinca posted 11 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who saw a two-game winning streak come to an end.

"They were quicker to the ball, we couldn't keep guys in front of us," Toronto head coach Jay Triano surmised.

With a win tonight Phoenix will sweep the home-and-home season series with the Raptors for a seventh consecutive season. Toronto will also be officially eliminated from the postseason picture with a loss or a win by Indiana tonight.