Robin Lopez had five fouls in five minutes. Jarron Collins had three fouls in six minutes and Channing Frye had four in 27 minutes.

"They did a good job of double-teaming me," Howard said. "I had to trust my teammates. Every time I caught the ball they were coming. Coach (Van Gundy) told me that as I go, the team goes. They were going to make sure they took me out first and let our other guys beats them. It's a good strategy but I just have to find ways to still be aggressive."

But Howard was a forgotten man after missing five straight free throws late in the third quarter. The Magic tried to win the game from long range and came up a few three-pointers short.

It was a big game for the Suns. After losing four of their first five games in December to tarnish a 14-3 start, Phoenix heads to Denver Saturday night for one of the toughest back-to-backs in the league in facing the Mile-High Nuggets. And with San Antonio, Portland, Boston and Cleveland all looming on the upcoming schedule, this was one the Suns couldn't afford to let slip away.

It's definitely a tough stretch for us right now," said Suns forward Amar'e Stoudemire, who finished off a 28-point night with a huge rebound and put-back in the final seconds. "I think it is very important we take care of home court. So if we continue to play as well as we have at home, that will be a positive for us."

SUNS 106, MAGIC 103: Amare Stoudemire had 28 points, including a dunk off his only offensive rebound of the game with 6.9 seconds left as the Suns gave back a 19-point first half lead but mustered just enough to stay perfect at 8-0 at home this season.

Steve Nash added 20 points and 18 rebounds for the Suns, matching the assist total of the entire Orlando team. Rashard Lewis scored 24 and Mickael Pietrus had 23 for the Magic, who jacked up 38 three-pointers but only made 13.