The Phoenix Suns need to right their sinking ship fast before they fall out of the playoff race altogether.
Phoenix will try to avoid losing for the third consecutive game and fourth time in five on Tuesday night when it visits Portland. The Suns were in first place in the Pacific Division when they acquired Shaquille O'Neal from Miami on Feb. 6, but they've since been overtaken by the Los Angeles Lakers, who have won 11 of 12 and own a 2 1/2-game lead on Phoenix.
The Suns are now only 4 games ahead of ninth-place Denver in the West. Phoenix wasn't a strong defensive team before the trade, giving up 104.0 points per game, but it has allowed 112.5 in going 2-4 with O'Neal in the lineup.
The Suns have yielded 117.0 points in their last four contests, and gave up 36 in the fourth quarter on Saturday en route to a 119-114 home loss to Philadelphia.
"I think it's probably an understatement if I say we are struggling," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I think it just comes down to playing hard. Playing with emotion. And we have not done it."
O'Neal is averaging 10.3 points with his new team -- 15.2 below his career average. The Suns have outrebounded opponents in five of the six games – and by nearly five rebounds a game (42 to 37.2) – with O'Neal. Phoenix has scored at least 100 points in four of the six games with O'Neal and averaged 106.5 points in those games. That's 3.3 fewer points than its average before the trade.The one positive, other than rebounding, of the trade so far has been the production of Amare Stoudemire, who has averaged 29.8 points since O'Neal joined the team - more than six points-per-game more than the 23.2 he recorded before the arrival of Shaq.
Phoenix has won 10 of its last 11 games and six in a row with Portland, although this will be the first of three meetings between the teams this season.
The Blazers lost for the ninth time in 12 games in Sunday's 110-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors and are six games behind eighth-place Golden State in the Western Conference standings.
Brandon Roy is averaging 23.0 points since returning to the lineup after missing two games with a right ankle sprain, but since the end of their 12-game home winning streak, the Blazers have alternated losses and wins over their last 10 games at the Rose Garden (their last home game was a win over the Lakers).
Steve Nash has four straight double-doubles against the Blazers in Portland and is averaging 15.5 points and 12.3 assists over that stretch against the Blazers, a big reason why Portland hasn't won in the series since March 12, 2006.
ATS | Phoenix | Portland |
| Record: | 39-20-0 (.661) | 31-29-0 (.517) |
| As Favorite: | 38-16-0 (.704) | 16-7-0 (.696) |
| As Underdog: | 1-4-0 (.200) | 15-22-0 (.405) |
| At Home: | 21-9-0 (.700) | 22-8-0 (.733) |
| On Road: | 18-11-0 (.621) | 9-21-0 (.300) |
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