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Suns target quick defensive turnaround

Mar 4, 2008 - 3:09 PM Phoenix (39-20) at Portland (31-29) 10:00 pm EST

PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) - Six games into the Shaquille O'Neal experiment has meant great things for Amare Stoudemire, but it hasn't translated into victories quite yet for the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns hope to avoid their fifth loss in seven games since O'Neal joined the lineup when they travel to the Rose Garden to meet the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.

Phoenix knew incorporating O'Neal in the lineup may take some time, but one thing they expected right away was a better team defensive effort, which hasn't happened. Instead, the Suns - who were allowing 104 points per game before the trade - have surrendered 112.5 points in O'Neal's six games.

Their latest setback - a 119-114 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday - was just the latest example of a lack of effort on the defensive end. The Sixers totaled 36 points in the final period en route to sending the Suns to consecutive losses for the first time since December 8-10.

The trade, which sent forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks to the Heat on February 6, has meant more production for Stoudemire, however.

Stoudemire has averaged 29.8 points since O'Neal first joined the team on February 20 - more than six points-per-game more than the 23.2 he recorded before the arrival of the 14-time All Star.

If recent history holds, Phoenix has a good chance to get back on track as it has won 10 of its last 11 games with Portland, although this will be the first of three meetings between the teams this season.

The Blazers lost for the ninth time in 12 games in Sunday's 110-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Brandon Roy scored 26 points and Travis Outlaw added 17 for Portland, which finds itself six games behind eighth-place Golden State (36-22) in the Western Conference standings.