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Struggling Suns to face lowly Kings

Feb 2, 2009 - 2:39 PM Sacramento (10-38) at Phoenix (25-20) 9:00 p.m. EST

PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Coming off their first losing month in years, the Phoenix Suns are hoping February is brighter than January.

The Suns will look to snap a two-game slide when they face the lowly Sacramento Kings on Monday.

Phoenix had not suffered through a losing month since April 2004 - the season before Steve Nash signed as a free agent - before dropping Saturday's 122-111 decision to the Chicago Bulls and falling to 7-8 in January.

Defense was a major problem against the Bulls, who got off 94 field goal attempts and connected at a 50-percent clip. The backcourt combination of Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon had it particularly easy, torching the Suns' guards for a combined 52 points.

After supposedly reinventing the team around defense by shipping out Shawn Marion last season and jettisoning Boris Diaw and Raja Bell earlier this season, Phoenix is allowing 103.4 points per game - 26th best in the NBA.

The Kings should provide a nice opportunity for the Suns to right themselves.

Sacramento owns the worst record in the Western Conference and has dropped eight straight. One of two teams in the West that are worse than the Suns on defense, the Kings have surrendered 106 points or more in each of the last 10 games.