Stoudemire sizzles, Suns top Grizzlies for 10th straight

Raja Bell scored 25 points for the Suns, who play at Houston on Wednesday to keep the streak alive. Shawn Marion notched 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Leandro Barbosa netted 13 points and James Jones added 10.

Mike Miller scored 25 points for the Grizzlies, who lost their third straight. Pau Gasol posted 23 points, nine boards and seven assists. Damon Stoudamire had 17 points and nine assists, and Chucky Atkins added 15 points off the bench.

Trailing by five, Phoenix went on an 8-0 run down the first-quarter stretch capped by a Stoudemire jumper with 3:26 remaining for a three-point lead.

However, the Grizzlies answered with an 8-0 run of their own ignited by a Miller layup 19 seconds later, and led 35-32 heading into the second.

In an offensive showdown, the teams combined for 81 second-quarter points, with the Suns holding a 76-72 advantage at halftime.

Memphis started the third quarter auspiciously, scoring the first five points of the stanza, however Phoenix followed with a 9-0 spurt capped by a three- point play by Stoudemire for an eight-point lead with 8:11 remaining.

The Suns outscored Memphis by 10 in the quarter and led 110-96 heading into the fourth, in which they added a point to their lead for the final margin. Memphis hinted at a rally midway through the stanza, going on an 8-2 spurt capped by an Atkins trey with 3:33 left, but the Suns’ defense regrouped and cruised to the win down the stretch.

Game Notes

Stoudemire shot 15-of-21 from the field and 12-of-13 from the free-throw line...This was the second meeting of the season between the clubs. On November 11th, Stoudemire poured in a game-high 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Phoenix to a 96-87 win over Memphis at US Airways Center...Phoenix has won three straight in this series, but has lost four of six at the Grizzlies.