The Phoenix Suns are 3-1 on their current six-game road trip with an important game tonight in Milwaukee against the depleted Bucks (23-36). Should the Suns get the expected win, they would finish the trip no worse than 4-2 with a chance at 5-1 on Monday in Oklahoma City. A four-win roadie would be a victory while five-of-six would be well above expectations. But it all starts tonight and the team will be without Vince Carter.
Now, many Suns fans will be happy to see Carter, who is still dizzy after he collided with Channing Frye's hard head on Wednesday, sitting on the bench. His effort level on defense and shooting have been inconsistent and he's failed to step into Jason Richardson's shoes as the team's leading scorer and fourth quarter go-to guy.
Mickeal Pietrus will start in Carter's place and Josh Childress could see time with the second unit unless Coach Alvin Gentry elects to play Jared Dudley extra minutes. That decision will probably depend on how well Dudley is shooting the ball.
The Bucks will be without starting center Andrew Bogut (rib muscle strain) and starting forward Ersan Illyasova (concussion). The Bucks are 4-6 over their last ten games with all four wins coming over sub-.500 teams.
The game tips at 6:30 p.m. local time on My45 TV and will be broadcast on Sports 620 radio. Fans can follow along during the game with other Suns fans at the live game thread at Bright Side of the Sun.