Bleacher Report - Articles by Bill Anterline

Phoenix Suns-Dallas Mavericks Preview: Judgment Day

Bill Anterline — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:27:05 -0400

4 April, 2009

To many Phoenix fans, tonight is Judgment Day for the Suns. Tonight the Suns take on the Dallas Mavericks away from home. This game could be the Suns' last chance to make up ground on the Western Conference Playoffs race.

So, here's a little match up between starters for both teams:

Point Guard:

Mavericks: Jason Kidd

Suns: Steve Nash

Kidd can command his team almost as well as Nash can. They are both super stars of the NBA. The big difference between the two men is this year's shooting statistics. Kidd is not shooting like he used to and is having a very hard time from down-town.

Nash on the other hand, is averaging over two points more per game than his career average. And not to say that Kidd can't pass (because he does this very well actually) but Nash recently became ranked tenth in NBA history for career assists.

Center:

Mavericks: Erick Dampier

Suns: Shaquille O'Neal

Shaq has been having one amazing year and if you think that he is going to give up trying so hard this late in the season with this much on the line then you are sadly mistaken. I would never disrespect Dampier.

He is a great player, but matched up with Shaq's size, strength, and recently his accuracy (shooting AND passing), he will not be able to get his job done.

Power Forward:

Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki

Suns: Matt Barnes

Assuming Barnes will start since Barbosa will only be on his second game back from a hyper-extended knee, Dirk Nowitzki is going to have a field day. Honestly, even if Barbosa was starting, Nowitzki would have a great night.

Although Barbosa has some quick hands and even quicker feet and Barnes is one of the most aggressive defenders on the team, they can not match up to the German-made machine they call "Dirk." Not to mention that Nowitzki is having one of his best seasons this year.

Small Forward:

Mavericks: Josh Howard

Suns: Grant Hill

There is no guarantee that Howard will be playing tonight. He did not play his last game against Memphis on Friday. Since it is a pretty important game, I would think he would play though.

Howard has been on fire—especially against the Suns, but I am going to give it to the experienced Grant Hill.

He has been playing an amazing game of basketball this year and 'knock on wood' he has stayed healthy. When Grant Hill is healthy, he gives his team a huge push. And I'm not sure but I think that last game was not the first time Howard has been on the injured list this year.

Maybe Hill will "break" that sore ankle of Howard's tomorrow (excuse the street ball terminology).

If Howard does not play, that leaves the job up to James Singleton. No chance there. He only scored seven points against the Memphis Grizzlies. He will not be enough to take on Hill.

Shooting Guard:

Mavericks: Antoine Wright

Suns: Jason Richardson

Once again, no contest. Richardson will probably have a huge night tonight. Antoine Wright will not be able to match up with Richardson offensively or defensively. Once again, looking at Dallas' last game, Wright only scored five points and played for over 34 minutes.

Richardson has had a great streak of games, scoring somewhere in the area of 20 points per game.

Bench:

Mavericks: Jason Terry, Jose Barea, and Brandon Bass

Suns: Leandro Barbosa, Louis Amundson, and Jared Dudley

This is where the tide turns. The Mavericks' bench players have been much more consistent and high scoring than the Suns' bench. Although Barbosa is a great six man, Amundson bring vast amounts of energy to the game every night, and Dudley opens up another shooting option, they do not always do enough to help the team to a victory.

Terry, Barea, and Bass however are all very skillful players and it is expected that they will all play a large role in tonight's game.

Overall, I am going to give it to the Phoenix Suns, 122-117. The game will be aired live on ABC.

Do the Phoenix Suns Still Have a Chance?

Bill Anterline — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:26:14 -0400

April 4, 2009

Everyone has been talking about whether the Phoenix Suns are going to make it past the Dallas Mavericks in time for the playoffs. Many people are even saying that if Phoenix was going to do it, they would have already closed the gap between them and the eighth seat.

Although this might be true, Phoenix is not down and out just yet. With the Mavericks losing their last game to Memphis, and the Suns coming off of a two-win streak, the answer to everyone's question will be given after the next game.

The next game I am talking about, of course, is Phoenix vs. Dallas tomorrow. Right now, Phoenix is three games behind Dallas, but with a win for Phoenix tomorrow, they will only be two games behind and a drastic difference in schedules takes place for both teams once the game is over.

Phoenix has had a much harder schedule of late, compared to Dallas, but after these two teams meet tomorrow that will change. Phoenix only has to play one more ranked team, the New Orleans Hornets, and then four sub-.500 teams, including Memphis (twice), Minnesota, and Golden State.

Dallas on the other hand, plays four games against ranked teams (Utah, New Orleans twice, and Houston) while playing one game against a sub-.500 team, Minnesota.

As long as Phoenix beats Dallas, it will only take the Suns two more wins than Dallas in the last five games of the season and they will have stolen the eighth seat.

And, yes, I know that that actually ties Phoenix and Dallas for eighth place, but looking at the statistics, Phoenix has the tie breaker.

So, the answer can not be given yet as to whether the Suns can do it. Tomorrow is judgment day. If the Suns can manage a win tomorrow in their away game vs. the Mavericks, their odds of getting the last seat in the playoffs will lot a lot better.

The contest will be aired on ABC tomorrow afternoon (April 5, 2009). Good luck, Phoenix!

Utah-Phoenix: Another Close Call

Bill Anterline — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:16:22 -0400

26 March, 2009

The Suns pulled off another tight win tonight against the Utah Jazz. This ended a three game winning streak for the Jazz and once again extended the Suns' winning streak to six.

The game started out quite unexpected for both teams. The Suns could not grab a rebound on either side of the court, therefore giving the Jazz several second chances. The really surprising part was that the Suns, despite their deplorable rebounding held a lead for the majority of the first quarter and still held a small lead going into the second quarter.

The second quarter was all about Utah's star point guard, Deron Williams. Lead by Williams, the Jazz fought back against the Suns' high percentage shooting and managed to get a six point lead by halftime. The score was Utah 58, Phoenix 52.

Just as the second quarter was good to Williams, the third quarter was good to Phoenix's Matt Barnes. Barnes, assisted by Steve Nash had a field day with the fast breaks and squeezed in four baskets with an identical play - along with a few more baskets. Barnes and the Suns pulled ahead by six points entering the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter was very fast paced and had several lead changes. Deron Williams did a great job of fulfilling his point guard duties, not only sinking outside shots, but finding the open man. The only problem was, that the open men were not making as many shots as Utah would have liked.

In the end, the Suns came out with a victory against the 6th ranked team in the Western Conference. The final score was Phoenix 118, Utah 114.

Deron Williams ended the night with 25 points, 3 rebounds and 10 assists. His fellow team mate Carlos Boozer had 14 points, 12 rebounds and 1 assist.

Kudos also to Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver. Brewer scored 17 points, and staying true to his title (7th in steals) had 2 steals tonight. This is great play for someone recently off the injured list. Korver scored 15 points going 5-9 from behind the 3-Point line.

For the Suns, Grant Hill, Matt Barnes and Jason Richardson led the way. Hill ended with 26 points, and 5 rebounds. Barnes came away from tonight with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. This is a huge difference from the previous game against the Nuggets where Barnes only scored three points. Richardson had 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.

A big applause goes to fan favorite Louis Amundson and back up point guard Goran Dragic. Amundson had an amazing night with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. His energy kept the life from falling out of the Suns. Dragic, although still showing a need for control on the perimeter, also had a good night. He came away with 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.

This was a very important game for the Suns as they are trying to beat out the 8th ranked Dallas Mavericks for the last spot in the Western Conference Playoffs. Although the Suns have proven in the past two games that they can beat ranked teams, the real challenges are still ahead:

One: Can the Suns achieve victories on the road? Seven of Phoenix's last eleven games are road games and both of their latest victories were done on home court.

Two: Will the Suns be able to exert the same effort - if not, more than they have lately for the rest of the season?

These are things that a true playoff team can do.

Suns Extend Winning Streak Against Ranked Nuggets

Bill Anterline — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:15:08 -0400

Tonight the Phoenix Suns took on the Denver Nuggets at home in the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Winning this game for Denver could mean passing the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference rankings.

But a win for the Suns would mean staying on their longest winning streak of the season and one step closer to knocking out the Dallas Mavericks for the eighth spot in the Western Conference Playoffs.

First Quarter: The Suns started off the first quarter with great speed and intensity as they quickly took the lead with a 10-0 run before Denver took a time out with eight minutes left.

The majority of the remaining eight minutes was full of back and forth action. The Suns managed to hold a 10 point lead until the last two minutes of play. In the last two minutes, Chauncey Billups led his team in an attempt to come back on the Suns, but fell short thanks to a steal by Steve Nash and a great end-of-the-quarter burst by Jason Richardson.

The Suns held a seven point lead at the end of the quarter. The score was Phoenix 29, Denver 22.

Second Quarter: The Suns continued to hold off the Nuggets starting the second quarter. The back and forth action continued with the Suns edging slowly away from the Nuggets, leading by as many as twelve points.

Every time the Nuggets made a little four or five point run, the Suns returned the favor, stopping the Nuggets from gaining any momentum. Until the remaining four minutes, the Suns successfully used their speedy offense in combination with a solid defense.

Within the remaining 3:53 in the half, the Suns had a series of mishaps resulting in numerous fouls against them and an insufficient defense. Ending the quarter with a 3-Point shot by Linas Kleiza, the Nuggets had climbed within three points. The score at the half was Phoenix 63, Denver 60.

The Leaders at the half for Denver were Kenyon Martin with 13 points, four rebounds, and one steal and Chauncey Billups with 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists.

The leaders for Phoenix were Steve Nash with 11 points, three rebounds, and four assists and Jason Richardson with 11 points, three rebounds, and one steal.

Third Quarter: After the half the Nuggets continued their rise, taking the lead early in the quarter. Carmelo Anthony had an amazing quarter, scoring 14 points for a three quarter total of 24 points. The Nuggets out scored the Suns 32-25 this quarter.

Suns' Shaquille O'Neal in foul trouble, did not play the third quarter, which surely did not help the Suns in any way.

The Suns kept pace with the Nuggets after losing the lead and managed to keep the lead to only four pints by the end of the quarter. The score was Denver 92, Phoenix 88.

Fourth Quarter: The Suns started off the last quarter with a refreshing three-point shot by Goran Dragic to bring the lead down to one point.

Although the Suns' foul trouble continued into the fourth quarter, now adding Louis Amundson to the list, they held strong to a one point lead for over two minutes. Adding to this, Nene Hilario received a type two flagrant foul putting him deep in foul trouble.

With 7:20 left, the lead changed back in the Nuggets' favor and after a following streak of bad shots, Billups manages to push out a three-pointer off of a steal by Kenyon Martin. Grant Hill, having a good game tonight fought back with a drive to the hoop, keeping it a one-point game.

From this point until almost the end of the game, it went back and forth between up three points to up one point for the Nuggets. With 1:28 left, Shaquille O'Neal ties the game at 113.

After a foul on Kenyon Martin with 1:06 left, Grant Hill takes a quick shot to put the Suns up by two, then makes a free throw after being fouled by Chauncey Billups with 50.2 seconds left.

Nash scored the final two points at the foul line securing the victory over the Denver Nuggets. The final score was Phoenix 118, Denver 115.

Despite foul trouble, the absence of both Amar'e Stoudemire (eye surgery) and Leandro Barbosa (hyper extended knee), and the inexplicably low shooting percentage of Matt Barnes, the Suns played a tough game.

Grant Hill and Jason Richardson both played solid games tonight. Hill ended tonight with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Richardson had 22 points, five rebounds, and one assist. Strong play tonight by Jared Dudley who had 12 points, eight rebounds, and one assist.

Carmelo Anthony lit up in the second half of play. He finished tonight with 29 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Also both having great nights were Chauncey Billups and Kenyon Martin. Billups had 20 points, four rebounds, and eight assists, while Martin had 18 points, nine rebounds, and four steals for the night.

Can the Phoenix Suns Make It to the Playoffs?

Bill Anterline — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 02:27:44 -0400

Now, this is not an article saying what will happen if the Phoenix Suns make the playoffs. Everyone knows that eight seed plays first seed in the playoffs—I'll leave it at that.

This is an article asking whether the Suns CAN make it to the eight place in the Western Conference. I know I will not cover every aspect, but I'll try and cover what I can think of.

Point One: Remaining Matchups

Phoenix has two less home games out of the remaining thirteen games. This late in the season, that is not a good sign for the Suns. Currently the Mavericks have a better record at home than the Suns do. The Mavs' record at home is 25-8 while the Suns' record is 22-13.

On the up-side, the Suns play six sub-.500 teams out of their remaining thirteen, while the Mavs only play four teams with sub-.500 records.

To add to this advantage, the Suns have done extremely well against sub-.500 teams ever since the hiring of Alvin Gentry as head coach. I'll also mention that Phoenix has kept many of their recent losses against ranked teams within five points. An extra five points is possible.

Point Two: Team Health

First off, there have been several changes to the Suns' roster this year and some may think that this will hurt chemistry between players. I will not disagree, but for such a big transition year, the team could be doing a lot worse.

Next is the issue of Phoenix not having its starting power forward, Amar'e Stoudemire and biggest bench asset, Leandro Barbosa. With Stoudemire, all we can do is keep him in our prayers and hope that the team can continue to make up for his absence.

But with Barbosa, there is a possibility that he will be back by Wednesday to play against the Utah Jazz. And when the "Brazilian Blur" is hot, he's hot. Lately he's had upwards of twenty points in four of his last six games, beating his season average by more than five points.

There is also the possibility that Barbosa doesn't make it back until the Suns play the Memphis Grizzlies on April 10. This will certainly cause a problem for the Suns and would likely cost the Suns the playoff spot.

Also not looking good for Phoenix is the fact that Dallas is looking strong. All their guns are going to be firing every game. Injury doesn't seem to be plaguing them this year.

Overall, it is a toss up whether the Suns can make it into the playoffs this year. it all comes down to whether they deserve it or not. I am a die hard Suns fan, but in all honesty: if a team cant beat the higher ranked teams, then they don't deserve to move up in the ranks. It is a simple truth. We will just have to wait and see if the Suns prove they deserve to make it to the playoffs.

And just to put a smile on some Suns fans faces: We have seen some great underdog stories take place in the NBA playoffs. One a separate note, the Lakers aren't invincible. The Suns beat them this year without the help of Amar'e Stoudemire or Steve Nash.

Personally, I would love to see a repeat of the 2007 playoffs, when the Suns beat out the Lakers. I know it's probably just a dream, but hey, anything could happen.

Phoenix Suns Set Los Angeles Lakers in Regular Season Upset

Bill Anterline — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:40:47 -0500

Both teams coming off of great wins, the Lakers and the Suns face off for the second time in a week and the last time in regular season play. Both the Lakers' Andrew Bynum and Phoenix's star point guard Steve Nash did not play in today's game due to injury.

First Quarter: The first quarter started off with a couple of lead changes, ending with Phoenix taking a small lead of five points for the majority of the quarter. With about four minutes left Lakers caught up to the Suns.

Immediately after the catch up, Matt Barnes for the Suns made a clutch three-point shot from the right wing causing Lakers coach Phil Jackson to call a time out. Jackson's pep talk did not seem to have the right effect since the next three runs down court included a turn over, then a missed shot and a defensive foul.

The quarter picked up its pace for the last two minutes with back and forth scoring action. The quarter ended with Matt Barnes scoring another hard three-pointer, putting the Suns up eight points at the end of the quarter.

Pau Gasol of the Lakers played a huge role in L.A.'s offense, scoring 12 points. Leandro Barbosa and Grant Hill also had in important quarter, both scoring nine points a piece. The first quarter score was Phoenix 34, Los Angeles 26.

Second Quarter: The second quarter continued this back and forth scoring with a very high intensity. Phoenix really showed their "run and gun" game strategy this quarter. They put the ball down low in the post several times for Shaquille O'Neal and Grant Hill went on a rampage scoring once within three seconds of the Suns possession.

The Lakers strong offense kept them scoring , but they were one step behind the Suns on the defense and that is what made the Suns stay ahead by nine points for most of the quarter.

With five minutes left and just when it seemed like Phoenix could not move any faster, they picked up their game to another level. Barnes pulled off yet another three-pointer and then a quick steal in the back court put them up by 11.

O'Neal made it to the foul line several times later in the quarter making five of seven baskets and totaling 13 points for the quarter, 19 points for the game so far.

Kobe Bryant had a good quarter scoring 15 of the Lakers' 30 points in the quarter.

The score at the half was Phoenix 66, Los Angeles 56. Phoenix was up by as many as 15 points and had four players with double digit points by the half.

Third Quarter: The third quarter started out how many would have expected. The Lakers pulled the lead down to six points with a couple turn overs by Phoenix and several steals.

Suns tried to keep pressure in the Lakers, but the ball kept ending up in Kobe Bryant's hands as he made 17 of 23 points in the quarter for the Lakers. At 6:51 minutes left in the quarter, the Lakers take their first lead since early in the first quarter.

The Suns were not out of the game yet. The Lakers largest lead in the quarter to this point was only five points and with 4:41 minutes left in the game, Barbosa put the Suns back up by 1 point.

This was followed by Matt Barnes rebounding and scoring another two points then a bloc by Grant Hill and a break away two points by Barbosa. O'Neal adds to this by making it a 13-0 run.

The Lakers' Pau Gasol fired back with back to back layups byt Barnes dropped one more three-pointer. With 1:41 left, Bryant and O'Neal both go to the bench as Phoenix's lead jumps back to 10 points.

The quarter ended with a 21-6 run by Phoenix who lead the game Phoenix 91, Los Angeles 81.

Fourth Quarter: The quarter started with back to back three-pointers by Trevor Ariza and Sasha Vujacic, then answered by a three-pointer by Jared Dudley and re-answered by Ariza with another three-pointer. With 10 minutes left in the game the lead was cut to two points.

At this point Louis Amundson turned the momentum around with a monster block on Ariza and then O'Neal tried to make a submission to the highlight reel on a lob pass, but was fouled in the process. He missed both shots at the line, but rebounded for a dunk.

At 8:30 minutes left in the game, Lamar Odom fouls out of the game and then Kobe Bryant goes into foul trouble with 8:18 minutes left, getting his fourth foul. At 7:00 minutes left, Grant Hill picks up his fifth foul against Bryant.

Jason Richardson turns on his jets on a pass from Barbosa with 5:56 minutes left. He pulled off a 180 degree layup on the right side of the basket and made it a five point game again.

For the last five minutes of the game, Phoenix slows down their offense and tries to get it low to the post for O'Neal where he had been extremely successful today.

With 2:48 minutes left, O'Neal went into foul trouble with five fouls as Bryant went 10-10 from the line. Gasol gets his fifth foul against Barnes who makes both shots.

On the two minute mark, Barnes hits his fifth three-pointer of the game, putting the lead to nine points and then going to the line to score two more (giving him his season high).

Bryant attempted to take the game into his own hands but Phoenix locked down their defense and both Amundson and Richardson both stop him cold.

Phoenix can put a big "W" next to this game. They played to win tonight and succeeded. The final score was Phoenix 118, Los Angeles 111.

Despite Steve Nash being absent from the game, the Suns played an amazing game against the best team in the league. Barbosa, O'Neal, Hill and Barnes all had above average games.

Barbosa had seven assist, two steals, and 22 points. O'Neal had seven rebounds and 33 points in the game. That is the most points that O'Neal has ever scored against the Lakers.

Hill had six rebounds, two blocks and 17 points. Barnes had 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and 26 points for the night. He hit five 3-point shots and had his record high in scoring.

The Lakers' Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza had very good games as well. Bryant had 11 rebounds and 49 points for the night. Gasol had seven rebounds and 30 points. Ariza had four assists, four steals, and nine points on the night.

Overall the game came down to Phoenix's fast paced strategy and the Lakers being unable to defend it without getting into foul trouble.

Phoenix-Toronto: Raptors Get Sun Burned

Bill Anterline — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:47:22 -0500

Feb. 27, 2009:

After a brutal game against the Los Angeles Lakers last night, the Phoenix Suns rose up against the Toronto Raptors tonight—eager for a win.

Steve Nash still did not play, due to an ankle injury he received during the recent game against the Charlotte Bobcats, but in his absence the Suns still thrived.

Six of the 10 Suns that played tonight had points in the double digits, including all five starters.

Standing out tonight for the Suns was Shaquille O'Neal with 11 rebounds, three steals, and 45 points.

It was also a better than average night for Louis Amundson, who came away with 10 rebounds and 20 points.

Despite his -23 +/-, the newly traded Shawn Marion also had a solid game with 11 rebounds, three steals, and 27 points.

Overall, Toronto played a strong game, but Phoenix was too set in their ways to be beaten two nights in a row.

The final score was Phoenix 133, Toronto 113.

Next time the Raptors might want to bring some SPF32.

Run-And-Gun Suns Take on Lakers

Bill Anterline — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:11:19 -0500

Feb. 26, 2009

Going into tonight's matchup, the Phoenix Suns have had a great set of games. Now under their new coach, Alvin Gentry, PHX has won 4-5 games losing only to Boston (currently second in the East).

Over these past five games, the Suns have scored over 100 points per game and in three of these they scored over 140 points. This makes their average over the five game span 128.4 points per game and almost 57 percent shooting percentage.

Alvin Gentry has been with Phoenix as an Assistant Coach for four-and-a-half seasons. Since being appointed Head Coach he has made the statement that he agrees that his team needs to work their defense, but the run-and-gun Suns need to make a comeback. He has focused on conditioning his players in a primary move to switch back to the fast paced game the Suns are used to. Since Gentry has been in place, Phoenix has finally proved that they are better than the sub .500 teams this season.

In both the Suns and the Lakers previous game there has been three star players injured. All three players, Steve Nash, Jason Richardson, and Kobe Bryant injured an ankle against their last opponents. This is not to mention that Amar'e Stoudemire is still on the injured list from his eye surgery. Andrew Bynum for the Lakers is also out of the game. Nash sat this game out, but Richardson and Bryant both started for their teams.

1st Qtr: The quarter started off a little rocky for the Suns with Leandro Barbosa missing the first two shots of the game, but after a small lead was acquired by LA, two steals by Barbosa and Grant Hill put them right back into the game.

With six minutes left in the quarter, the Lakers picked up their defense and went on an 8-0 run. From this point on the Lakers took over due to a few bad passes, and several hasty shots on Phoenix's part. The Lakers went up 39-26 by the end, with Bryant's points making up the difference.

2nd Qtr: The Lakers climbed away from the Suns getting as far from them as 18 points in the second quarter. The Suns had as hard of a time in the paint as out of the paint. The Lakers defense was just too strong for any of Suns down in the post including Richardson, Matt Barnes, and Shaquille O'Neal. D.J. Mbenga had a monster of a block that seemed to start the massive defensive lock down.

The Lakers' bench has also made quite a large contribution to this quarter. Almost every player on the team had at least as many points as Robin Lopez (leading bench scorer for Suns so far tonight). By the end of the second quarter the Lakers bench had 30 points.

This quarter was all about the Lakers passing the ball around and making sure everyone scores. Bryant did not score any points this quarter, but everything he threw at the net was put in by either Lamar Odom or Pau Gasol (whether on purpose or by accident).

The second quarter ended with Lakers ahead by 15 points, 70-55 and not one player for the Suns with a positive +/-. The Lakers were shooting a full 20 percent higher than the Suns at the half.

3rd Qtr: Right off the bat (or fingers) Los Angeles intimidated the Suns by Luke Walton throwing a lob at the net for Gasol to slam down. Two plays later Lakers started a 9-0 run before Gentry called a TO for the Suns.

The third quarter was mostly back and forth scoring between the teams for the next 30 points with the Lakers slowly increasing their lead by one point every few plays. The Lakers continued their dominance with several strong plays including a power dunk by Odom from a pass by Gasol. Overall, the Lakers had 54 points in the paint by the end of the third quarter. They led by as many as 25 points and ended the quarter up 102-81.

4th Qtr: The Lakers immediately brought their lead to a new high starting the fourth quarter (27 points). Gentry decided not to play the rest of his veterans for the fourth quarter, assumingly to prevent any unnecessary injuries. So, needless to say, Alando Tucker (up from the D-League), Jared Dudley, Louis Amundson, Goran Dragic, and Robin Lopez gained some valuable experience against Lakers' second string.

It seemed as though the teams were just running through the motions in the final quarter. It was over for the Suns long before this quarter started. The final score was 132-106 in the Lakers' favor.

This kind of performance is expected from the Suns tonight. The Suns have been 2-3 this season when Nash is out of the game. With Nash and Stoudemire out of the game and the team with a depth problem, the outcome of this game was inevitable.

The Phoenix defense did not cut it tonight and that did not have anything to do with the absence of two of their top players. The Suns let their opponent drive too many times to the rim. The offense was not any better. With two starters missing from the game, the running game was extremely inefficient against the leading team in the NBA.

Good game tonight for Leandro Barbosa (7 Ast., 6 Reb., 18 Pts.), and Alando Tucker (18 Pts.). Strong effort by Louis Amundson (1 Stl., 2 Reb.) and Robin Lopez (4 Reb., 6 Pts.).

The Suns will play the Toronto Raptors tomorrow night at home. Currently Toronto is 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 23-36 record. After this matchup, the Suns play another game against the Lakers, this time at home in the US Airways Arena on March 1. With any luck for the Suns, Steve Nash will be healthy enough to play in both of these games.

Knicks Send Suns Home Unhappy, 114-109

Bill Anterline — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:47:20 -0500

Friday, Jan. 23, 2009

Well this Wednesday did not turn out to be the kind of day Phoenix players thought it would be. The New York Knicks' home court advantage must have just been enough to beat Phoenix. The final score was 114-109.

This was the 17th loss for Phoenix this season, making their record 23-17. The win was New York's 17th win, making their record 17-24. Looking at the standings before the game, Phoenix looked like the safe bet.

The game was very close until a string of bad luck for Phoenix in the third quarter when Shaquille O'Neal couldn't seem to hold on to the ball while fighting off the defenders. This quarter played a major role in the total number of steal per team giving New York more than double the number of steals for the game. Phoenix only scored 21 points compared to New York's 30 and from then on, trailed by too large of a margin to come back and win.

The reason for this upset is a result of the bench play. Phoenix's bench only scored 18 points the entire night compared to New York's 57 bench points. Every bench player had double digits in scoring for the Knicks. Despite Phoenix's starters scoring a total of 91 points, the Knicks team as a whole was enough to set the suns.

This was a particularly special game for the two teams. Since this year's trading and new contracts, Phoenix had to face their old coach, Mike D'Antoni on his new home court. Both teams had something to prove.

Tonight's game is Phoenix vs. Charlotte. The Bobcats have an equally low record as the Knicks, 17-25. Once again looking at the standings, Phoenix should be the victor after four quarters of play, but this game also has a bit of pressure attached. Phoenix will be playing against some familiar faces.

This will be the first time that Phoenix plays Charlotte since the four-man trade between the two teams at the quarter mark of the season. It should be especially difficult for Steve Nash, knowing he will have to face off against his close friend Raja Bell. So will Phoenix continue their recent losing streak, or will they display their dismay for Wednesday's loss and mark another 'W' next to their name?

The game is scheduled to start at 7:00pm ET in Charlotte, NC.