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By ALAN FERGUSON

STATS Writer

(AP) -- After their breakthrough last season, the Washington Wizards have their sights on a deeper playoff run.

Working toward that goal, the Wizards can pull off a pair of impressive achievements Sunday night by recording the best start in franchise history and their longest winning streak in nearly a decade if they beat the visiting Phoenix Suns.

Washington reached 44 wins last season and made it to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2005. The Wizards are now on pace for the winningest regular season in franchise history, needing a victory Sunday to reach 20 wins faster than they ever have.

They matched the franchise-record 19-6 start from 1974-75 with a 105-103 victory in Miami on Friday, their sixth consecutive victory.

"It's just showing our hard work, our resilience," point guard John Wall said. "We just want to be a good team. We know it's early in the season, and there's a lot of basketball to be played. To be able to start the way we have, nobody would think that we would be here.

"We have an ultimate goal to reach the finals. We know how much harder we've got to work and what we've got to do."

Along with their best start as a franchise, the Wizards will seek their longest win streak since a seven-game run Jan. 2-15, 2005. They're also going for a ninth consecutive home victory.

The Wizards are 13 games above .500 for the first time since a 54-28 finish in 1978-79.

Wall and Nene had 20 points apiece Friday, Paul Pierce scored 14 after missing one game due to a sore right toe and Bradley Beal hit four free throws in the final 11 seconds to help the Wizards hold on.

"We found a way to stay with it and pull a game out," coach Randy Wittman said. "You have to do that in a long season like this. I wish we would all play beautiful games every night, but that's not going to happen."

The Suns (14-14) have won back-to-back games since a season-high six-game slide and improved 6-1 in road games against Eastern Conference teams with a 99-90 victory over New York on Saturday.

Eric Bledsoe led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Isaiah Thomas scored six of his 22 in a key 11-0 run in the second half.

"(The backcourt is) the strength of our team," Thomas said. "When we're playing at a high level that gives us the best chance of winning."

Phoenix has won six of seven in Washington, including a 99-93 victory March 26 in the last matchup to snap its three-game overall losing streak in the series.

Goran Dragic had a team-best 25 points in that game and is averaging 20.7 in the past three meetings. He scored 10 points Saturday after putting up 20 on Wednesday in his return from a two-game absence due a strained back.

Wall had 29 points in the last meeting after averaging 14.5 in his first six with Phoenix. He enters this game having shot 54.7 percent in his last six games after hitting 42.3 percent through his first 19. Wall has averaged 12.9 assists in 10 games this month, compared to 8.7 in November.

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