Return of the Joker: Shaq-Less Suns at L.A. Lakers Tonight

98-119. 115-122. 106-98. 124-130. 92-105. Alas, these are not Steve Kerr’s winning lottery numbers. They’re actually grim statistics reflecting an alarming trend: the full-on revival of the Los Angeles Lakers as a major pain in the Phoenix Suns’ butt. And they may be an even bigger pain in the posterior…

Defense Seals Deal: Arizona Cardinals Clinch NFC West in Blowout

The defense was stellar in the Arizona Cadinals’ division-clinching 34-10 win over the St. Louis Rams, forcing two fumbles and intercepting a pass in the end zone and returning it 100 yards for a score. But before we get too giddy and start ordering Super Bowl tickets, let’s remember that the Rams aren’t the worst…

Suns Squeak Out a Win after Losing Four, but Against a Depleted Utah Jazz

Sober up. Carlos Boozer didn’t play in the Phoenix Suns’ two-point win over the Utah Jazz at US Airways Center. The Utah power forward, who’s logged 20 points and almost 12 rebounds a game this season, has missed 11 starts with a quadriceps injury. But there’s good news about Saturday night’s game:…

Shaq Scores Four Points as Beaten-Down Suns get Beaten Up by Dallas

Diesel, where the hell were you? Where’s that team you bragged you’d hoist to an NBA  championship in Phoenix? Nowhere to be found in the Suns 112-97 road loss to mighty Dirk Nowitzki (pictured) and his Dallas Mavericks, that’s where. Ain’t gonna happen with the way you (and for that matter, most of the team) played Thursday…

Into the Hornets Nest: Phoenix Suns at New Orleans Tonight

After the surprising New Orleans Hornets elbowed their way into the conversation last season, it’s like every NBA analyst starting taking lessons from Jan Brady of The Brady Bunch. Paul, Paul, Paul! That’s pretty much all you ever hear about the Hornets — praise for their jet-fueled point guard, Chris…

The Heat Is On: Miami and Shawn Marion Visit the Suns Tonight

Rewind, for a moment, to the 2005-06 NBA season. The Miami Heat visit the Phoenix Suns in a marquee matchup. Talk of a future NBA Finals series between the two powerhouses flood the sports talk airwaves. But despite Shaquille O’Neal’s (playing for Miami at the time) team-leading 13 rebounds, the…

Friday Night Lights Frenzy Starts This Afternoon

  It’s one of our favorite times of the year, and not just because of all the great food and the blessed relief that temps under 100 degrees can bring. No, we’re talking about the Arizona high school football championships, and all the goofy color and pagentry that the homestretch…

Phoenix Athletes’ Blogs Bite on Yardbarker.com

Popular sports Web site Yardbarker.com hosts a slew of superstar bloggers from the world of sports — Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, tennis pro Rafael Nadal, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, Dallas Mavericks owner Marc Cuban, golf legend Tiger Woods, and NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon are just a handful of the 80 or so notables who’ve signed up to write blogs on the site. Most of the guest bloggers are dedicated to maintaining a presence on Yarbarker, but the three athletes from Phoenix who have blogs there — Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Suns shooting guard Leandro Barbosa, and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald — have been slipping.