Kings go for fourth straight win at Phoenix

This is the third meeting of the season between the squads. The Kings won the two previous contests, as they beat the Suns on November 6th at Phoenix and on January 17th at ARCO Arena.

The home team has won 11 of 15 and 14 of the last 19 meetings in this series. Sacramento has won two of three and three of its last five at Phoenix.

Phoenix comes into tonight’s game on a winning note and is 2-1 on the current stand. Shawn Marion recorded 21 points and pulled down 16 boards before fouling out with 7.7 seconds remaining to lead Phoenix to a 108-102 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday at US Airways Center.

Reigning MVP Steve Nash finished with 14 points and 10 assists in the win over Memphis for the Suns, who have won four of their last five games overall. Leandro Barbosa ended with a season-high 24 points off the bench, while Boris Diaw had 18 points and James Jones netted 16 in the victory.

Marion was named a reserve for the Western Conference All-Star team on Thursday. He will be making his third All-Star appearance.

The Suns are 18-8 at home this season. They have won two of their last three as the host.

Sacramento enters tonight’s contest on a three-game winning streak. On Thursday, Kevin Martin scored 23 points and Mike Bibby netted 20 as the Kings crushed the Chicago Bulls, 98-80, at ARCO Arena.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim contributed 15 points for the Kings, who tied a season- high with their third consecutive victory. Sacramento shot just 40.8 percent, but hit 26-of-29 free throws while holding the Bulls to a 33.3 percent clip from the field, on the way to its seventh straight home win.

The Kings are just 6-16 on the road this season. They have dropped three straight as the visitor.