Amar? Stoudemire again felt stiffness and soreness in his troublesome knee and spent the end of the workout exercising with the trainers while his teammates pressed on.

As with Raja Bell, Stoudemire said he expects to play tonight in the first of back-to-back meetings with the Kings ? this one in Sacramento. But having to beg off another practice shows the Suns center is still day-to-day.

?Today I was a little sore but it?s normal. It?s not going to be 100 percent all the time,? he said. ?I want to practice and play every day, but I?m going to be smart and cautious about the situation. I couldn?t quite get it going today, so I saw it as a day to exercise and get stronger.?

Phoenix coach Mike D?Antoni was surprised to find Stoudemire struggling. ?I didn?t think anything was wrong, then we started and he couldn?t quite get through it,? he said.