The set-up: The 28-21 Memphis Grizzlies will make the third stop on their current six-game road trip Monday night in Phoenix, to face the 15-32 Suns. Memphis will try to make it back-to-back triumphs in tonight's game, something it has done just once this month. the Grizzlies haven't won as many as three in a row since a six-game winning streak to open December. The Suns come the losers of three in a row, as defensed continue sto be an issue. The Suns rank 29th in points allowed (112.0 PPG) and have not held an opponent under 100 points in any of their last 10 contests.

Memphis: The Grizzlies could not stop Damian Lillard in the fourth quarter of a 112-109 loss at Portland (Friday) to begin the trip but were able to win 102-95 in Utah on Saturday, aaginst the up-and-coming Jazz. PF Zach Randolph (14.1 & 8.4) has a season-high 28 points and added nine rebounds. "He was really disappointed with the loss the night before," Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale told reporters of Randolph. "He really wanted that game in Portland. I saw it on his face after the game and the things he said after the game. He was really upset. I expected him to come out and play really well (Saturday)." Randolph, center Marc Gasol (20.8 & 6.1) and PG Mike Conley (18.7-3.8-6.2) combined to score 69 points on 28-of-46 shooting in the win at Utah. "We really did a good job of moving the basketball tonight," Conley told reporters. "Really playing off one another, especially when one guy has it going. We didn't go away from that. (Randolph) had so many opportunities down low early and just kept trying to exploit that as long as we could, and when they took that away we went to Marc and when they took that away we went to me. We were just trying to go down the line and find different areas to try and attack them."

Phoenix: PG Bledsoe (21.4-5.0-6.3) scored a career-high 41 points on Saturday against Denver (besting his previous best of 40 set six days earlier) and is averaging 31.8 points in the last four contests. His backcourt mate, second-year Devin Booker (20.8) of Kentucky, is thriving on the offensive end as well and added points. He has now scored at least 20 points in each of his last 12 contests, averaging 26.7 PPG in that span. Let's also not forget center Tyson Chandler, who earlier this month broke the Phoenix franchise record with seven consecutive games with 15 or more rebounds. His current average (12.2) is his highest in 10 years and is well above the full-season record for a 16th-year NBA player. That mark is held by Moses Malone at 10.0 per game.

The pick: One has to love the guard combo of Bledsoe and Booker plus Chandler's numbers speak for themselves but "oh those defensive woes." Phoenix surrendered an average of 125.0 PPG in back-to-back losses to the Denver Nuggets in the team's last two games, Thursday in Denver and back at home on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies rank 3rd in the NBA in points allowed ((99.6), opponents' FG percentage (43.7) and opponents' three-point shooting (34.1). Make Memphis an 8* play.