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Suns host Magic aiming to avoid longest skid in 9 years

Dec 9, 2012 - 3:32 PM (Sports Network) - The Phoenix Suns hope to avoid posting their longest losing streak in nearly nine years on Sunday night as they host the road-challenged Orlando Magic.

The Suns have also had their issues as the visiting club this season, falling to 2-10 on the road with Saturday's 117-99 defeat at the Los Angeles Clippers. It was Phoenix's sixth loss in a row overall, with five of those coming on the road.

Michael Beasley scored a team-high 21 points off the bench, Shannon Brown had 19 and Luis Scola added 18 points and 10 rebounds as Phoenix was outscored 32-16 in the fourth en route to its first six-game slide since March 3-12, 2009.

"I am not super concerned with it," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said of the skid. "It is what it is and the guys will play through it. If we are going to get out of this, we have to work our way out of it. In this league no one feels sorry for you. It is not a pity league."

The Suns will look to come together on Sunday in the opener of a five-game homestand and hope to avoid their longest losing streak since dropping eight in a row from Feb. 4-22, 2004.

Phoenix tries to take advantage of an Orlando club that is ending a five-game swing out west and is just 3-7 as the guest this season. The Magic have lost their last two after beginning the trek with consecutive wins and have dropped five of their past seven overall with Friday's 91-82 setback to the Sacramento Kings.

Orlando led by two heading into the fourth quarter, but suffered a four-minute stretch without a basket that allowed Sacramento to go on a 9-0 run.

"Offensively I think we had good shots," the Magic's Glen Davis said. "We should have made those shots. I know I had some really good looks that I missed, but we just got to make sure that we finish a game."

Davis paced the Magic with 20 points and 11 rebounds, Arron Afflalo netted 18 points and Jameer Nelson had 17.

Though Orlando has won four straight and six of its last seven versus the Suns, only one of those wins have come in Phoenix. The Magic notched a victory there on March 13, 2011 to snap an eight-game road skid in this series.

Orlando did post a 115-94 home win over Phoenix on Nov. 4, with Afflalo and Davis netting 22 points each. Nelson did not play in that game due to injury.