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After dramatic win, 76ers continue road trip in Phoenix

Mar 18, 2009 - 7:19 AM By Dan Pieringer Stats Writer

Philadelphia (34-31) at Phoenix (36-31) 10:00 p.m. EDT

PHOENIX (AP) -- The Phoenix Suns' hopes of pulling back into the Western Conference playoff race have been bolstered by wins over two teams long out of it.

Beating the streaking Philadelphia 76ers would likely provide an even bigger confidence boost.

The Suns look to follow one of their most impressive offensive performances in years with another strong showing Wednesday night when they host the Sixers, who are coming off a dramatic win in the opener of a five-game western road trip.

Phoenix seemingly faded out of contention in the competitive West race during a season-high, six-game losing streak from March 3-12.

After snapping the skid with a home win over Oklahoma City on Saturday night and routing Golden State 154-130 the next day, however, the Suns insist they're still in the playoff picture.

It certainly helped that Dallas (41-27), which currently holds the eighth and final playoff spot, dropped both its games over the weekend. The Mavericks' win Tuesday left the ninth-place Suns 4 1/2 games back.

"It's big for us to make up two games in two days," Suns guard Jason Richardson said after Sunday's victory. "It gives us a lot of energy and the mindset that we can still do this."

Richardson had 31 points and went 11-for-15 from the field against the Warriors, and Shaquille O'Neal, Matt Barnes and Leandro Barbosa each added at least 20 points as the Suns delivered their highest point total since a 161-157 double-overtime victory at New Jersey on December 7, 2006.

It was also Phoenix's highest-scoring game in regulation since the Suns set the franchise record in a 173-143 win over Denver on November 10, 1990.

"This is the game we needed to get us going," Richardson said. "We just need to take care of business and let things fall where they may."

O'Neal, who hasn't missed the postseason since his rookie 1992-93 season with Orlando, thinks the Suns can make a run at keeping his personal streak in tact.

"I don't want to use the word disappointing but coming in we thought we would be one of the teams," O'Neal said. "It's still special and if we stay focused anything can happen."

The Sixers would likely agree with that statement after they overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the West-leading Los Angeles Lakers, 94-93, on Tuesday night. Andre Iguodala capped the comeback with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send Philadelphia to its fourth straight victory.

"This was a great win for us," said interim coach Tony DiLeo, whose team moved with 1 1/2 games of Miami (36-30) for fifth place in the East. "I can't think of a better one. It shows the resiliency of the team."

The Sixers hope the thrill of Tuesday's win can carry over to the rest of their trip, which finishes Monday in Portland. They've won four of their last five on the road to improve to 14-17 outside Philadelphia this season.

In the Sixers' first meeting with the Suns, Iguodala had 22 points and seven assists and Thaddeus Young added 25 points while going 10-for-14 from the field in Philadelphia's 108-91 home win February 9.

O'Neal was held to seven points in that game, and Suns point guard Steve Nash scored only two while going 1-for-8 from the field. Nash has totaled seven points and combined to shoot 3-for-16 in his last two games against the Sixers.