Magic at Suns
Hot starts and cold finishes are becoming the norm for the Phoenix Suns, who are in danger of clinching a losing five-game homestand. The Suns will try to avoid that fate and hold off a three-game slide when they host the Orlando Magic on Friday.
Phoenix squandered a 21-point lead in a 114-103 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday and held a double-digit lead early against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday before dropping a 121-114 decision. "This is our hard right now, the ability to get to a level and keep it there," Suns coach Monty Williams told reporters after the loss to the Kings. "Their bench came in and did a job on us. That is on me to get our guys to a point where we can sustain momentum for 48 minutes. We just didn’t do it well tonight." The Magic are thriving with wins in four of their last five games and dominated on the defensive end while holding their last two opponents to 89 points, giving the team some momentum as it sets out for a six-game road trip. "It was good to win these games before we go on this trip because it's a very hard trip, obviously, for us," Orlando center Nikola Vucevic told reporters. "West coast trips are always tricky, and we are going to play some very good teams out there. For sure, these wins help with the confidence and feeling good about where we're at. I think we're taking steps forward, especially on the defensive end. In the last 10 games, we've been much better after some slippage on that end."
TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: FS Florida, FS Arizona
ABOUT THE MAGIC (18-20): Orlando is allowing an average of 92.7 points in its last six wins and leads the NBA in scoring defense, surrendering an average of 103.4 points. "If we're consistent with our defense and we're consistent playing the defense that we're capable of playing, it should give us a chance to win any game," Magic guard Terrence Ross told reporters. "We need that (defense) big time." Orlando leans on Vucevic on the other end of the floor, and the All-Star is averaging 20.4 points over the last five games after going for a team-high 29 points in Wednesday’s 123-89 win over Washington.
ABOUT THE SUNS (14-23): Phoenix beat the New York Knicks to begin the five-game homestand but dropped 11 of its last 14 games overall and is searching for consistent effort. "We relaxed, and we stopped playing hard," Suns point guard Ricky Rubio told reporters after the latest setback. "They made shots and the momentum was on their side and we couldn't get a stop." The Suns' slump does not include guard Devin Booker, who is averaging 34.7 points on 54.8 percent shooting during a streak of seven straight 30-plus outings.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Magic SG Evan Fournier went 7-of-10 from the floor on Wednesday after struggling to a combined 7-of-23 in the previous two games.
2. Suns C Deandre Ayton scored a season-high 21 points on Tuesday.
3. Orlando earned a 128-114 home win over Phoenix on Dec. 4 behind 32 points on 13-of-15 shooting from PF Aaron Gordon.