The Wizards have a nifty little winning streak at home, the best record in the Eastern Conference and score more points than almost anyone. They also boast an MVP candidate.
And then there’s Phoenix.
The Suns have won 13 straight overall, have the NBA’s best record and score more points than everyone. They also boast a two-time MVP winner, one aiming for a third straight.
They’re also the standard for what teams like the Wizards want to be: An offensive powerhouse, without using a dominant big man. The Suns do it differently, however, as they don’t rely on three players to carry the offensive burden. Rather, they have six players averaging in double figures and four who are scoring between 16.6 and 19.6 points per game. And each of those players averages at least 30 minutes a game (the Wizards have three such players in both categories). Both teams will be on local display tonight as the Suns make their lone trip to Verizon Center this season.
“It’s the Phoenix Suns of the East versus the Suns of the West,” Wizards forward Caron Butler said. “It’s going to be a good matchup.”
Oh, yeah, the Suns have won 13 straight games. Which is only their second longest streak of the season. They won 15 straight until Washington snapped the streak in December.
“We’ve got a Phoenix team that’s hot like fire coming in here,” Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas said. “We have to play like wild dogs out there.”
There’s also the subplot of the MVP race, with point guards Steve Nash and Gilbert Arenas. The Suns’ Nash is more of a classic point guard, looking to distribute first and pass second with Arenasdoing the opposite. But both clearly have effective styles.
Not that Arenas is eyeing this as a chance to prove a point. He already did that by scoring 54 in the win at Phoenix.
“Right now, [Nash is] the MVP candidate,” Arenas said. “If it ended today, he’s MVP. Period.”
When the Wizards snapped the Suns’ 15-game streak, they were just starting to get hot; it capped a 3-1 West Coast swing. Since then, they are 10-4 and have a 10-game winning streak at home.
Phoenix (32-8) averages 111.5 points per game; Washington (24-16) is second in the NBA at 107.5 points. But the Suns make 49.9 percent of their field goals, a testament to their running game.
The Wizards, meanwhile, want to continue their hot play.
“We have felt like an elite team since training camp but we had to go out there and prove it,” Butler said. “Everybody’s confidence is at an all-time high.”
Wiz notes
» Wizards forward Caron Butler was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after scoring at least 20 points and recording two double-doubles in four wins last week. In the four games, Butler averaged 23 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2.8 steals a game. Butler already has a career-best 17 double-doubles this season. For the season, he’s averaging 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game. Phoenix guard Steve Nash was named the Western Conference Player of the Week.
» The Suns outscore their opponents by an average of 8.95 points per game. That’s the highest figure in the league and only San Antonio is close, outscoring its opponents by 8.2 points.
» The Wizards could become the first NBA team to snap three winning streaks of 12 games or more in one season. They’ve already ended streaks for Dallas (12) and Phoenix (15) earlier this season. The Suns enter with a 13-game streak this time.
