Phoenix Suns Defeat Rockets 112-105, Pick Up Huge Road Victory

The Suns knew they were facing a tough challenge on Friday night, heading into Houston against a Rockets team battling for a playoff spot. Despite a slow start, the Suns used a huge third quarter as they rolled to a 112-105 victory. The squad is now 31-28 on the year, improving their road record to 14-17.

Steve Nash and Marcin Gortat were the stars on Friday. Nash scored 18 points and dished out 10 assists, while Gortat recorded a double-double of his own with 20 points and 15 boards. Jared Dudley shot the ball very well (7-for-12 from the field, including 3-for-5 from behind the arc) on his way to 19 points. In his first game from a knee injury, Grant Hill scored four off the bench and brought down six rebounds.

Rockets point guard Goran Dragic hit all 11 of his free throws on his way to 22 points and seven assists. Luis Scola had a big game with 21 points and six rebounds, while veteran center Marcus Camby went off for 14 points and 18 rebounds.

Next up for the Suns: a very tough road game in San Antonio with the Spurs. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET on Saturday evening.

For more on the club, head over to Bright Side of the Sun.

Suns Vs. Rockets: Grant Hill To Come Off The Bench For First Time Since 2008

Phoenix Suns' ageless veteran Grant Hill will be making some personal history Friday night against the Houston Rockets, looking to come off of the bench for the first time since way back when in 2008.

Per Paul Coro on Twitter:

Grant Hill will play tonight at Houston. His white jersey at shootaround indicates he's coming off the bench for the first time since 2008.

— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) April 13, 2012

Hill is still recovering from a recent knee surgery, but obviously feels that he is ready enough to go if he is trying to suit up for tonight's game. The Suns need to win every possible game they can from here on out if they want to sneak into the second season, but having Hill around will certainly help. That is if he can be productive, of course.

For more news and notes on the Phoenix Suns, make sure that you check out Bright Side of the Sun, SB Nation's dedicated Suns blog.

Phoenix Suns Vs. Houston Rockets: TV Schedule, Lineup And Now Is 'Must Win' Time

There's simply no time left on the calendar for the Phoenix Suns (30-28) to keep losing games if they want to be a playoff team and not a lottery team. That much is very clear and plainly put by center Marcin Gortat.

Phoenix Suns face 'game for everything' vs. Rockets
"It's the game for everything," Suns center Marcin Gortat said. "We have to win this game and another game in San Antonio (on Saturday night). We can't lose any more games if we want to make the playoffs. We can't trip any more."

The task won't be easy, however, as the Suns take on the Houston Rockets (32-26) who are playing extremely good basketball. Led by former Sun Goran Dragic, the Rockets are 5-2 over their last seven games but did lose to the Utah Jazz in their most recent game on Wednesday.

This one should be fun if you think high stakes makes for entertaining sports.

Projected Lineups:

• Point guard: Steve Nash --- Goran Dragic
• Shooting guard: Shannon Brown -- Courtney Lee
• Small forward: Jared Dudley -- Chandler Parsons
• Power forward: Channing Frye -- Luis Scola
• Center: Marcin Gortat -- Marcus Camby
• Key subs: Suns (Sebastian Telfair, Robin Lopez, Michael Redd). Rockets (Patrick Patterson, Chase Budinger, Kyle Lowry, Samuel Dalembert)

TV broadcast info:

The Suns game tips off at 5:00 p.m. Arizona time on Fox Sports Arizona, ESPN and Arizona Sports 620 radio. Bright Side of the Sun will have the live game thread.

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