FArting
Lopes Up!
Amare Stoudemire has looked strong since his three-game absence, and the Phoenix Suns have certainly benefited from his return. The Sacramento Kings, meanwhile, continue to struggle even with Ron Artest back in the lineup.The Suns go for their seventh straight win since Stoudemire's return as they host Artest and the Kings in the finale of a home-and-home series Wednesday night.Stoudemire missed three games earlier this month due to soreness in his right knee, the last of which was Phoenix's 105-96 loss to Atlanta on Nov. 7. The Suns (9-2) haven't lost since, and their All-Star center is averaging 21.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in his last four contests.Stoudemire, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on Oct. 2, is beginning to look a lot closer to full strength and is coming off perhaps his best game of the season. He had 26 points and 13 rebounds as Phoenix held on for a 100-98 win at Sacramento (4-7) on Tuesday night.With the game on the line, Stoudemire scored the Suns' final six points and blocked a John Salmons 3-point attempt with a second left. In his last nine games against the Kings, Stoudemire is averaging 26.4 points while shooting 62.7 percent from the field.On Tuesday, Stoudemire helped the Suns improve to 9-0 when reaching 100 points, although they were also held to their third-lowest point total of the season. Phoenix had ridden 56.1 percent field-goal shooting to 110 points or more in its previous three games.The Suns had a subpar game on offense despite facing a Kings team that is allowing 104.1 points a contest.Sacramento has had Artest back the past four games after the defensive stopper served a seven-game suspension handed down by the NBA for pleading no contest to a domestic violence charge.Artest had a season-high 33 points and 12 rebounds against Phoenix. He is averaging 23.5 points and 2.2 steals since returning, but Sacramento has won only two of those four games.The veteran forward is averaging 24 points over his last four games against the Suns, but the Kings have dropped three of those contests.Artest had to carry Sacramento on offense Tuesday with leading scorer Kevin Martin setting a season low in scoring for the second straight game. After managing 19 points in a win over Detroit on Sunday, Martin was held to 15 versus Phoenix."We tried to deny Martin the ball and make him take tough shots," Suns forward Shawn Marion said.The fourth-year guard, averaging 26.2 points per game on the season, had a 43-point effort against New York before his current slump, during which he has shot just 34.4 percent (11-for-32) from the field.Even with Martin struggling, Sacramento was able to keep the game close by outscoring Phoenix 24-14 in the fourth quarter. The Suns have been outscored in the final quarter in four of their last five games."One thing about the Suns is you are never out of the game," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "They will allow you to get back in it."
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=271121021
Suns 110
Kings 98
Barbosa
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=271121021
Suns 110
Kings 98
Barbosa
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