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Golden State Warriors have their backs against the wall and need a win to stay in the race for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference, as they visit the
Phoenix Suns tonight at US Airways Center.
The Warriors are a half game behind No. 8 Denver in the standings. If Golden State loses tonight, the Nuggets will be in the postseason since they hold the tiebreaker over the Warriors.
Golden State, which lost to Utah in the 2007 West semis, can only reach the playoffs if it wins its final two contests and Denver drops its last game of the season at home to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday at the Pepsi Center. Golden State, which is 21-19 on the road, will close out the regular season on Wednesday against the Seattle SuperSonics at ORACLE ARENA.
The Warriors play their final road game of the campaign after going 2-1 on a three-game homestand. On Saturday, Baron Davis finished with 25 points and nine assists, as Golden State topped the Los Angeles Clippers, 122-116, at ORACLE Arena.
Stephen Jackson scored 28 points, while Al Harrington and Monta Ellis both contributed 17 points for Golden State, which lost a crucial game to the Nuggets last Thursday. Andris Biedrins notched a double-double with 10 points and a team-high 14 rebounds in the victory.
Phoenix, meanwhile, is No. 6 in the West at one game behind the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets. It will wrap up its regular season on Wednesday at home versus the Portland Trail Blazers. On Friday, Tracy McGrady ended with 22 points, six rebounds and seven assists, as the Rockets earned a 101-90 victory over the Suns at the Toyota Center.
All-Star Amare Stoudemire led Phoenix with 37 points and 11 boards, but scored just two in the final stanza. Shaquille O'Neal collected 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Steve Nash was held to just six points and nine assists in defeat.
The Suns are 28-11 at home this season.
Golden State is 2-1 against the Suns this season, and has won three of the last four contests in the series. The Warriors have dropped five in a row at Phoenix.
