The Sun will rise in Phoenix

But, things are starting to look brighter in Phoenix.

On Thursday, the Suns used a total team effort to spoil Johnny Davis’ Magic coaching debut with a 96-89 victory over Orlando at America West Arena.

"Obviously this was a big win for us tonight," Phoenix coach Frank Johnson said after Thursday’s game. "I told the guys, 28 and 12 those are the numbers I love seeing... 28 assists and only 12 turnovers. We were very efficient offensively. You look at the number of players in double figures and you see seven players in double figures, and Penny with seven points. That makes almost eight players in doubles and that is very pleasing to me. It was just a good win for us."

The two stars for Phoenix shined in the win over Orlando as Shawn Marion and Stephon Marbury led seven Suns players in double figures. Marion finished with 16 points on 6-of-13 from the field in 37 minutes of action, while Marbury added 14 points, 11 assists and just one turnover in 41 minutes.

Also contributing to the victory were Jake Voskuhl, who poured in 13. Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson both netted 12 apiece, and Scott Williams and Zarko Cabarkapa each chipped in with 10 points.

"You have to expect good things when your team has seven players in double figures," Marbury said after defeating the Magic. "My eleven assists came off of people just being in the right place and our team playing together and being on the same page. That is the type of play that will eventually have us turning the corner."

The Suns (5-6) have now won two straight after losing three in a row.

"I wouldn’t say that we have turned the corner just yet, but I would definitely say that we are headed in the right direction," said Marbury "This was a good win for us and we were all on the same page tonight."

If Phoenix wants to play in the postseason it will have to rely on Marion and Marbury to lead the way as they did against Orlando.

So far this season, the 26-year-old Marbury leads the Suns in scoring (19.9 ppg), assists (7.9 apg) and steals (1.73). He is shooting just under 43 percent from the field and is averaging 41 minutes on the hardwood a night.

Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Marion is second on the team in scoring (17.1 ppg), rebounds (8.5 rpg), blocks (1.64 bpg) and steals (1.55 spg.) He is playing just over 40 minutes per night and is hitting on 43.6 percent of his shots from the floor.

The third wheel is Stoudemire, who was the 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year. He has been a solid third option for Phoenix, averaging 16.0 points and a team-best 9.7 rebounds this season.

The Sun is starting to rise in Phoenix, and if Marbury and Marion can lead the way with Stoudemire and the rest of the supporting cast following, it could get interesting in the Valley of the Sun.