Denver is also interested in the 30-year-old Lue, a 10-year NBA veteran who was shipped to the Kings in the Mike Bibby deal last month. He didn't play in a game for Sacramento before being waived.

In 33 games with Atlanta this season, Lue hit 30 of 69 3-pointers (43.5 percent) and is a 38.7 percent shooter in his career. He's also a teammate and two-time winner with Shaquille O'Neal in Los Angeles.

He would be the smallest (6-foot, 175 pounds dripping wet) of what is already a small group of Phoenix guards. But like Giricek, the move would be at minimal cost to the Suns -- the prorated veteran's minimum -- and give the team some insurance at the point after Marcus Banks was shipped to Miami in the O'Neal deal.

If both Giricek and Lue are added, the Suns would have a full roster of 15 players for the first time since the 2004-05 season.

SIXERS 119, SUNS 114: This wasn't the Lakers or the Pistons or the Hornets scoring at will and making the Suns look lottery-like. This was the No. 8 seed in the awful East, a team that averages 95 points a night and was playing on the road for the second time in two nights. The same team that missed its first 14 shots of the game in a lopsided loss at Golden State the night before.

But the Suns made the Sixers look like the Warriors this time as their defense -- such as it was -- allowed 57 percent shooting, 30 fast-break points and 25 points off 18 more turnovers.

Phoenix wasn't just sloppy -- it was downright awful. This wasn't about working Shaquille O'Neal into the lineup. This was about showing up.

"It comes down to playing with heart, playing with emotion and urgency, and we haven't done it," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We're trying to figure things out without putting the necessary energy and emotion in, and we get ourselves in trouble. We came out flat for no apparent reason."

With 21 games to play, the Suns fell into a tie with Dallas for the fifth place in the West, just one-half game ahead of streaking, seventh-place Houston. Instead of looking up at the Lakers, two games ahead, the Suns are only three games up on the eighth-place Warriors.

The Suns fell down by 12 in the first quarter Saturday, then caught up. They spotted them a 10-point lead in the third quarter and roared back to take the lead. But when the Andre Igoudala's 50-foot bomb to end the third quarter sparked another 13-3 Sixers run, the Suns never fought back until D'Antoni got in their faces and reminded them of the Western Conference standings, which are getting uglier by the minute.

Igoudala was trouble, too, pouring in 32 points and fully enjoying the experience -- a far cry from the joyless, expressionless Suns. Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 26 points and 11 rebounds but admitted himself that he was among those who didn't play well.

Phoenix got 39 points off the bench from Leandro Barbosa (22) and Boris Diaw (17) and 21 points and 11 assist from Steve Nash, but the Suns aren't running and scoring fast enough to make up for a defense that isn't stopping anyone.

Not enraptured with Raptors

The Magic are home Tuesday against The Toronto Raptors, the team they hope to avoid in the playoffs. The Raptors always seem to have their way when they come to visit.

The Raptors have beaten the Magic seven of the last nine times in the series. The Raptors won all four times last season, and they trounced the Magic late last month in Toronto.

The Magic (38-23) probably can avoid the Raptors if they remain in the No. 3 playoff seed. If they are passed by Cleveland, they would fall to No. 4 and possibly could face the No. 5 Raptors.

Raptors forward Chris Bosh has been a Magic killer, dominating them with his inside-out style of play. He is too mobile for Dwight Howard to cover and too big for Rashard Lewis.

The Raptors also used point guard Jose Calderon to run rings around the Magic point guards, getting 19 points and 13 assists the last time they played.

MAGIC 118, KNICKS 92: Although they started slowly, the Magic coasted to an easy victory Saturday over the hapless New York Knicks, riding another big game from Dwight Howard.

Howard had 26 points and 22 rebounds -- his seventh 20-20 game of the season -- and he cleared the path for everyone else to follow.

Hedo Turkoglu had 25 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Rashard Lewis had 22 points and seven rebounds. Carlos Arroyo and Maurice Evans had 13 and 11 points, respectively.

The Knicks were led by 23 points and seven assists from Jamal Crawford. They fell behind late in the second quarter, and they hardly challenged after intermission.

The Magic, led by Howard, held a 54-37 rebound edge. The Magic also outscored the Knicks, 56-42, in the lane.

The Knicks provided little resistance defensively, allowing the Magic to shoot 51.9 percent from the field. Howard hit 10 of 16 shots from close range.