There are plenty of people out there who have heard that "3 is a Charm". That might be why so many inveterate gamblers look to multiples of three as lucky numbers - 3, 6 and the ever popular 9. But as the folks in Phoenix looked forward to Christmas evening - the Big 3 was a number that inspired some dread as fans braced for the remote possibility of third straight home loss.

Worse than the loss of a favorite puppy - going down to the LA Clippers at home would have marked the decimation of all hopes for this season. After all their 12-17 record so far makes clear that - despite being in the same city - the Clippers don't even qualify to be the step children of the LA Lakers.

But - instead of allowing any coal to get dumped in that big Suns Fandom stocking - our guys beat back the Grinch with an impressive show of B-Ball prowess that must have been brought from the North Pole as they racked-up a 124-93 victory.

Amar'e Stoudemire remained a man on a mission as he led team scoring by knocking down 26 points while grabbing 9 boards. That's a drop-off from Stoudemire's season high 35 points and 14 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Suns 117-113 loss on Wednesday but what do ya' expect when life is so easy that STAT played seven fewer minutes as Coach Alvin Gentry let the second string finish off the hometown win.

And the Suns back-up crew generated some impressive numbers as they put the Clippers to sleep.   

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After stumbling through a few bad games, Jared Dudley came back to life with 25:37 minutes playing time that included some real offensive firepower - including 4-5 from beyond the arc. Along with knocking down 80% from 3-point land , J-Duds hit a pair of 2-pointers for a total of 18 points and led the Suns in the +/- stat with a +27.

Is he back to being the best of the Suns almost starters?!? Hard to tell - but it was a skillful performance that more than compensated for Channing Frye shooting only one 3-pointer all night - and missing the mark.

Another big developement that merits its own headline is - the return of Leandro Barabosa. Possibly the fastest man on the NBA court in the league today, LB is the Suns ultimate good luck charm and they lost a full eight of the 12 games he was out.

And the speedster hit the court running with 12 points during 20:56 playing time. Along with that offensive spark - Barbosa blocked a shot and grabbed a steal in his first outing in weeks. It was enough to warm the heart of even the most chilled Christmas elf.

We'll be back with you tomorrow to look at the Suns prospects moving forward.

See ya'.    

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