PHOENIX SUNS

Suns look to solve their road woes

Dec 27, 2012, 7:38 PM | Updated: 7:51 pm

The Suns will spend the remainder of their 2012 away from the more familiar surroundings of US Airways Center.

A three-game, four-day road trip begins Friday in Indiana before stopping in Minnesota and then arriving in Oklahoma City on New Year’s Eve.

“It’s a test of: Are we going to stand in and compete,” head coach Alvin Gentry said of a trip that will cover 4,088 miles.

In 13 road games this season, the Suns have but two victories. Only Sacramento and Washington have had less success, each with just a single road win.

“Young teams don’t usually have success in the NBA,” Jared Dudley said.

The Suns’ last successful road game was November 27 at Cleveland, winning 91-78. Since then, the Suns have lost six straight away from home.

“It is very difficult to win on the road,” Gentry said.

The Suns are their own worst enemy on the road, allowing ten more points per game on the road (106.5) than they do at home (96.3).

“For us,” Dudley said, “it’s being confident enough take those shots that you normally would take at home on the road. People pass it up and that’s why usually stars do a lot better on the road because the role players don’t play as well.

“For us,” Dudley continued, “it’s just concentrating, limiting our turnovers, being confident. When you have that shot, shoot it and we’ve got to knock them down.”

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