(Sports Network) - The Phoenix Suns shoot for a ninth straight win over the Pacific Division-rival Los Angeles Clippers today from Staples Center, as they battle Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, and the Clippers. The Suns have won eight in a row in the series, including a 116-108 home triumph back on Nov. 26 this season, and are 20-5 in the past 25 meetings between the teams. Phoenix is unbeaten in its last four games at the Clippers.
Phoenix hasn't been playing so well lately as evidenced by its two wins in the past eight games. In a 95-83 loss to the Miami Heat in the desert on Thursday, Jared Dudley scored a career-high 33 points, going 7-of-10 from beyond the arc, and pulled down a season-best 12 rebounds. "They trapped me the whole game. Every time I went to the basket, they would over-rotate to me," said Suns star Steve Nash, who ended with just four points to go with 18 assists. "My teammates were open and we got a lot of good shots. We shot 40 percent and most nights we shoot 50. If we shoot 50 percent in that game and we win it."
Suns newcomer Vince Carter has yet to play for his new team because of a sore left knee and is questionable for tonight. Carter was recently acquired from Orlando along with Mickael Pietrus and Marcin Gortat. The Suns are 6-9 away from the desert this season. They will try to prevent a season-high tying third straight defeat Sunday afternoon and look to avoid falling a season-worst three games below .500. Dudley's 60 points in his last two games are his most in a two-game span in his career.
Los Angeles will wrap up a three-game residency today and had a season-high three-game winning streak cut short with Wednesday's 97-92 loss to the Houston Rockets in Hollywood. Clippers rookie forward Blake Griffin posted his 17th consecutive double- double with 24 points and 18 rebounds, while DeAndre Jordan ended with 14 points and 13 boards for Los Angeles, which got 18 points from Eric Gordon. "We needed points, so we were trying to take threes to get back into the game if we didn't have a two," Griffin said on NBA.com. "But I missed too many easy ones tonight and that hurt us. I thought we had energy all the way through, and we kept fighting and fighting. But they hit shots. Kevin Martin played extremely well, especially down the stretch."
In the last four games, Jordan is averaging 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Griffin is posting 24.3 points, 15.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the previous six contests for the Clippers, who are 6-11 as the host this season.