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GAME DAY PREVIEW Game time: 8:00pm ET Houston (4-11) at Phoenix (10-4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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PHOENIX (Ticker) -- The red-hot Phoenix Suns shoot for their sixth straight victory tonight when they host the Houston Rockets, who are coming off a big win in Vancouver behind rookie Steve Francis.
Phoenix has outscored its last six opponents by an average of 18 points and have not lost since a 91-82 setback to the Los Angeles Lakers on November 15. The Suns have not won six in a row since a 10-game run from March 27-April 15, 1998. Phoenix is 8-1 at home this season. In his first game in the city and country he shunned, Francis overcame nearly three hours of steady abuse to play the best game of his rookie season, leading the Rockets to a 118-110 overtime victory over the Vancouver Grizzlies on Monday. Before fouling out midway through the extra session, Francis collected 24 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds and no turnovers. He also hit the game-tying shot with 2.6 seconds left in regulation and started a decisive run in overtime with a 3-pointer. Francis is averaging a team-best 17.1 points per game. The Rockets will be without center Hakeem Olajuwon for four to six weeks due to an inguinal hernia. Charles Barkley is having a solid campaign after announcing that this would be his final NBA season, averaging 14.8 points and 12.1 rebounds per contest. These teams split four meetings last season.
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