With the NBA Draft fast approaching on June 28, we at Bright Side of the Sun want to cover all the bases regarding the possible players who the Suns could draft with the (likely) #13th pick.

Depending on the decisions the Suns make in free agency this season, nearly every position could be considered an area of need.

Being that this is considered the most talented draft in recent years, there will likely be several very good players left on the board when it's time for the Suns to make their selection--and they'll likely have a very tough decision to make as to which player they think will be the best fit for this organization.

So what better way to start off our NBA draft coverage than with the position at the very heart of the team?

Without further adieu, I give you my favorite point guard of the draft...Kendall Marshall

Kendall Marshall is a 6'4" point guard from the University of North Carolina who is known for his outstanding passing ability and his game management skills.

Marshall averaged 9.7 assists per game this season, which was second in the NCAA behind Scott Machado of Iona, who averaged 9.9. But Marshall played against much tougher competition than Machado--competing in the ACC at North Carolina, one of the best basketball schools in one of the toughest conferences in the nation.

However, though Marshall is almost unanimously regarded as the best passing point guard in the nation, there are also some concerns over his ability to score at the next level along with his mediocre athleticism.

So would Marshall be the right player for the Suns to take with the 13th pick in the draft? Read on after the jump as I attempt to help answer this question.

Continue reading this post »

Here at Bright Side of the Sun we take the words TOTAL COVERAGE pretty dang seriously.

While our beloved Suns are off taking nice vacations, we are still slaving away, attempting to provide you all with first class Suns coverage.

So friends, without further adieu, we present you with the Phoenix Suns Season in Review, 2011-12.

Up for discussion today is Marcin Gortat.

Continue reading this post »

Although NBA free agency doesn't start until July 10, 2012...it's apparently not too soon to start speculating about free agents and future acquisitions. A couple of interesting (or not) rumors surfaced involving the Phoenix Suns today--one involving arguably the greatest player to ever don a Suns jersey, and another about some guy in Cleveland.

Apparently, at least according to one writer, the Phoenix Suns are "in the lead" to eventually sign 6'6" Cleveland Cavaliers guard Alonzo Gee to a multi-year deal worth approximately $4 million per year. How credible is this information? Who knows...but even though there's another couple of months until free agency officially kicks off, it would make sense that the Suns' front office is at least exploring all their options.

In other news, as was also reported at SB Nation Arizona, Sam Smith of NBA.com wrote in his article that:

All indications in Phoenix are the Suns will make Steve Nash a limited offer and he’ll move on. It makes sense as the Suns will have $23 million in salary cap room and they’ve gone as far as they can go. The Suns were always a player destination, and this will test whether they still are under the frugal Robert Sarver management. Many believe Nash instead of chasing a title with a contender for a lesser salary will go back to Canada and the Raptors for a three-year deal and help bring their young players along.

Again, who knows how much, if any, of this has any substance to it. I personally can't imagine Steve Nash leaving Phoenix to go and NOT chase a title in Toronto. I understand the whole home-town thing, but let's not forget that Nash has already spent the majority of his professional career in Phoenix and is probably more committed to this city than he would be to Toronto.

I could understand Nash leaving Phoenix for Miami or New York to give himself a better chance of winning a championship before he eventually retires...but Toronto? I just don't see it. Phoenix is probably just as much of a home town to Steve as any place in Canada would be at this point. Not to mention, while he grew up in Victoria, B.C., he was actually born in Johannesburg, South Africa for what it's worth.

Here at Bright Side of the Sun, we take the words TOTAL COVERAGE pretty dang seriously. While our beloved Suns are off taking nice vacations, we are still slaving away, attempting to provide you all with first class Suns coverage.

So friends, without further adieu, we present you with the Phoenix Suns Season in Review, 2011-12.
Today's review will be Channing Frye.

--------------------------------------------------------

Update: Frye has shoulder surgery

--------------------------------------------------------

Channing Frye has long had the reputation of being a stretch power forward/center who relies mostly on efficient three point shooting to be an effective part of the offense. Although Frye is 6'11" tall, he is not usually known for providing size or strength to his team down low, but rather is used mostly as a weapon beyond the arc who is best at catching and shooting when open.

Or at least that's how he was perceived in the past.

Read on after the jump for an in-depth look at Frye's statistics and an analysis of his overall play during the past season.

Continue reading this post »

Last night the Phoenix Suns played their biggest game of the season on the road against the Utah Jazz. Both teams were fighting for the 8th and final seed for the NBA Western Conference playoffs and only one would survive. Unfortunately for the Suns, it wouldn't be them.

This loss officially ended the Suns' valiant fight to make the playoffs after a really bad first half of the season, and a pretty darn good second half. The Utah Jazz have clinched the 8th seed while the Suns will once again be bound for the lottery.

Here are the final Western Conference standings:

The Suns still have one more game left to play tonight, but honestly last night's loss to Utah felt like the end of the season. The playoff standings are set and the Suns just didn't get it done...So close, yet so far away.

After weeks of bouncing between the 9th and 10th spots in the NBA Western Conference standings, and getting oh-so-close to the playoff seeding yet never reaching the summit, the Phoenix Suns have finally done it. Thanks to a much needed win against the Portland Trail Blazers last night, as well as some help from the Denver Nuggets who knocked off the Houston Rockets, the Suns are officially in the 8th and final playoff spot ... at least for now.

But this is no time to rest easy.

The Suns now have five important games left during the regular season, with which they are in full control of their own destiny. However, they must continue to play each and every game like it is their last, as they are in a statistical dead heat with the Houston Rockets who the Suns merely have a tie-breaker over. Not only that, they also remain only a half-game ahead of the pesky Utah Jazz who also defeated the Dallas Mavericks last night in a triple overtime thriller.

Here are the five games remaining for the Suns to close out the regular season:

Oklahoma City	Wed 04/18	7:00 PM MST
Los Angeles Clippers	Thu 04/19	7:30 PM MST
Denver	Sat 04/21	2:30 PM MST
@ Utah	Tue 04/24	7:30 PM MST
San Antonio	Wed 04/25	7:30 PM MST

Ouch.

As you can see, a Suns playoff berth is still anything but a sure thing. But for now, the Suns have reached their goal and should feel very proud of what they've accomplished ...They just can't get complacent.

Read on after the jump for a look at the current standings, a quick recap of last night's action and what to keep an eye on tonight.

Continue reading this post »

Last night was a heartbreaking loss for the Phoenix Suns who went from looking at a tie for the 8th and final seed of the NBA playoffs to falling back to the 10th spot in the Western Conference after the loss to the Denver Nuggets.

If you saw the game last night, or read the previous recap of the game, then you already understand what the biggest cause of the loss was--turnovers. The Suns committed 16 turnovers that led to 26 points for the Nuggets...Compare that to the season low 5 turnovers committed by the Nuggets which led to just 4 points for the Phoenix Suns, and it becomes crystal clear just how big of a disadvantage that really was.

In addition to the turnovers, the Suns offense looked disjointed and out-of-sync, especially when the Suns' starters returned halfway through the 4th quarter. Up until that point, the Suns' bench had gone on a 13-1 run to give the Suns a 92-87 lead. But once the starting unit returned it was turnovers, bad shots, missed shots, and slow transition defense quickly turned the tables.

If the Suns would have been able to overcome such a significant pitfall it would have spoke to their tremendous effort and resolve to overcome such a sloppy offensive game...and don't get me wrong, the effort was definitely there, but Denver fought just as hard and ultimately capitalized on the Suns mistakes going on a 18-4 run to close out the 4th quarter and win the game.

Read on after the jump for some post game quotes, twitter posts, and a sad photo

Continue reading this post »

Tonight the Phoenix Suns took on the Denver Nuggets in a game with huge playoff implications for the NBA Western Conference playoff race. The Suns weren't able to overcome sloppy offense and 16 turnovers, and lost a close one against the Nuggets on the road 105-99.

In doing so, the Suns slip back into 10th place after the Utah Jazz won over the Golden State Warriors as well. the Denver Nuggets hold onto their 8th seed in the playoff race and push their win streak to six consecutive victories over the Suns.

The Nuggets were led by the lights out shooting of Aaron Afflalo who scored 30 points on 11-19 shooting and 5-9 from beyond the arc. Al Harrington also did his part off the bench scoring 23 points on 8-19 shooting and going 4-10 from long range.

For the Suns, it was Shannon Brown who led the team with 18 points, but it should also be mentioned he was usually responsible for guarding Afflalo, who was left open far too often. Steve Nash did his part, scoring 14 points and dishing out 11 assists, and Channing Frye had a nice game as well with his 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Although the Suns shot the ball more efficiently at 42% compared to 40% for the Nuggets, and also won the battle of the boards in a big way 66-54, the game ultimately was decided by the 16 turnovers the Suns committed which led to 26 points for the Nuggets.

This is a tough game to swallow, but the Suns play again tomorrow night at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. That game suddenly becomes much more important after the loss tonight which set the Suns back in their quest for the post season.

Hang in there Suns fans, it ain't over yet! Read on after the jump for a look at the game notes

Continue reading this post »

Well it's all tied up after the first half 52-52. The Suns should be winning this game but the story so far has been the 9 TO's and the poor play of the bench. The Suns are winning the rebounds though so if they can take better care of the ball and if the second unit can step up they should be able to win this one.

Here we go!

What else is there to say besides the Suns really need this win...Let's get it!

Tonight the 28-26 Phoenix Suns, who currently occupy the 9th spot in the Western Conference, will take on the 29-25 Denver Nuggets, currently occupying the 8th and final seed in the NBA's Western Conference playoff race. If the Suns can win tonight in Denver, and receive a little help from Houston by losing to the Los Angeles Lakers tonight as well, then Phoenix will move into a three-way tie with the Nuggets and Rockets for the 8th seed.

The Suns have been on a hot streak lately in their push for playoff contention, winning their last three consecutive games and 16 of their last 23 in all. The Nuggets on the other hand have been playing a bit less stellar lately, but that's in large part due to a seven-game road trip which they just ended on Wednesday with a loss to New Orleans to go 4-3 over that stretch.

With only 12 games left including tonight's, there simply isn't much room for error for the Suns. I won't go so far as to call this game a "must win", but it's certainly a high stakes game that could either propel them into the heart of the playoff hunt, or set them back significantly. After a huge win against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, a win tonight against the Nuggets would give the Suns a huge boost to both their playoff chances as well as their confidence in themselves and their team as a whole.

Do the Suns have what it takes to get a big win in Denver tonight? Read on after the jump for a breakdown of what to expect in tonight's match-up.

Continue reading this post »

The NBA Playoff race in the Western Conference remains as congested and as up-in-the-air as ever. While the top four teams have somewhat distanced themselves from the rest of the pack, the hunt for the 5th through 8th seeds are still very much up for grabs for the other eight teams who are battling to make the post season.

The teams currently ahead of the Phoenix Suns (10) in the standings that are realistically within reach are the Memphis Grizzlies (5), Dallas Mavericks (6), Denver Nuggets (7), Utah Jazz (8), and Houston Rockets (9). Other than the Nuggets, all of these teams played last night and either slightly helped or hurt their causes with the result.

Read on after the jump for a look at the most up to date standings and a quick summary of the games that mattered most.

Continue reading this post »

Well here it is ... the 68 teams who were originally selected for the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament have finally been narrowed down to the final two. Tonight, the overall No. 1 seed Kentucky Wildcats will take on the Midwest Region's No. 2 seed Kansas Jayhawks live from New Orleans at 6 p.m. PST to decide who will cut down the nets, take home the Wooden trophy and win the championship.

The Kentucky Wildcats are the favorites to win tonight, as they have been all season long due to their overwhelmingly talented team of players, anchored by none other than PF/C Anthony Davis -- the best big man prospect in a decade and sure-fire No. 1 pick in this summer's NBA Draft. But Kentucky is not a one-man show, as the Wildcats also feature other top prospects such as forwards Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Terrence Jones, along with guards Marquis Teague (brother of the Atlanta Hawks PG Jeff Teague) and Doron Lamb ... all of whom are also potential first round picks in the coming draft.

On the other end of the court, the Kansas Jayhawks are a team built on toughness and a never-quit attitude which is personified by their star player Thomas Robinson -- the most athletic, powerful, exciting power forward in college basketball, and a lock for a top 5 pick in the coming NBA draft. Robinson is joined by PG Tyshawn Taylor and C Jeff Withey as the core of the fast and furious Jayhawk team who are looking to shock the world by upsetting the uber-talented Wildcats.

Continue reading this post »

Coming out of the NBA All-Star break, the Phoenix Suns were one of the hottest teams in the league going 9-2 over their first 11 games. The Suns who came into the All-Star break with a very underwhelming record of 14-20 over the first half of the season suddenly began playing very well together and clicking on both sides of the court.

For the first time all season, the Suns seemed to be figuring it out ... and they appeared poised to overtake some of the teams clustered at the bottom of the eight playoff spots.

This led many fans and even some analysts to begin taking the Suns seriously again as possible playoff contenders in the Western Conference and recognizing them as one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA who seemed to be peaking at just the right time.

However, since that time the Suns have seemingly crashed back down to Earth losing four of their last six games. The Suns had gone from a losing record to getting back to .500, to a winning record and then back to .500, and now back to a losing record once again.

So what happened?

Well, there are many possible explanations for what has taken place over the last six games, and I will attempt to identify some of the most logical causes ... as well as make some predictions about what could be in store for the Suns over the last 15 games of the season.

Read on after the jump for a breakdown

Continue reading this post »

Tonight, the Phoenix Suns took on the Los Angeles Clippers looking for their third win in a row against the Clippers this season and their fifth consecutive win against them overall. The game started out well for the Suns who jumped out to an early first quarter lead, mainly behind the scoring and rebounding of Marcin Gortat and Channing Frye.

However, once the second quarter started and the bench unit came in things went downhill fast as the Suns only scored 14 points in the second quarter while the bench went scoreless for over six minutes. The starters came back in and eventually made some shots, but the damage had been done and the lead had been lost as the Clippers went into the half up 44-41.

The second half didn't go much better for the Suns as they fell behind by 10 points in the third quarter due to some hot shooting by Caron Butler and Randy Foye. Blake Griffin also had a couple of and-ones and the Suns just couldn't seem to find a rhythm.

The fourth quarter saw some improved play from the bench, namely with Robin Lopez grabbing some offensive rebounds and getting to the line. But it still wasn't enough as the Clippers were able to hold their lead; even after Suns' head coach Alvin Gentry unsuccessfully went to the zone hoping to stop the Clippers the way they did the last time they faced them.

Steve Nash had 15 assists but went scoreless tonight from the field missing all four of his shots and only scoring one point off a technical free throw ... this was likely due to the back issues he was dealing with since last night's game against the San Antonio Spurs. Grant Hill sat out this game with a sore right knee, and his defensive presence was also missed tonight as the Suns just couldn't seem to stop Caron Butler and Randy Foye from scoring in the first half. Marcin Gortat had a good game scoring 23 points and grabbing 7 rebounds, and Channing Frye also contributed nicely with 16 points and 7 rebounds.

For the Clippers it was the Blake Griffin show as he scored 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Chris Paul also had a great game scoring 15 points and dishing 15 assists as well. DeAndre Jordan hit an impressive 7-8 free throws and ended up with 13 points to go with his 6 rebounds, and Caron Butler contributed nicely with his 14 points as well. The Clippers just out-hustled, out-rebounded and out-scored the Suns tonight ... they deserved this win.

Full recap coming tomorrow morning. This one hurt, but the Suns are still firmly in the playoff race after getting some help when the Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets also both lost tonight.

Hang in there Suns fans ... Continue on after the jump for the Game Notes.

Continue reading this post »

Ok, well that was an U-G-L-Y first half for the Suns, but fortunately the Clippers couldn't score either! Clippers lead 43-41 at the end of the first half, but the Suns are still very much in this game and just need a stronger 2nd half to get this much needed win!

Let's go!

Grant Hill is officially out tonight, but no word yet on how Steve Nash is feeling today. But hey, we beat these guys last time without either of our two star veterans...We can do this!

Here we go!

For more exclusive content, follow us on Twitter @Brightsidesun and "Like" us on Facebook.

Last night the Phoenix Suns lost a hard fought (at least offensively) game to the San Antonio Spurs at home. Tonight the 25-25 Suns will try to win their third game against the 28-21 L.A. Clippers on the road to go 3-0 against them so far, and more importantly, to get back to a winning record and one game closer to a playoff berth.

The L.A. Clippers have won their last four games at home. In fact, their last loss at the Staples Center came at the hands of the Suns on March 15th when Phoenix shocked nearly everyone by beating the Clippers without both Steve Nash and Grant Hill. If the Suns are looking to repeat that winning formula then tonight would be a great time since Grant Hill is questionable with a strained knee, and Steve Nash is apparently having back problems again after it tightened up on him in last night's loss to the Spurs.

How will the Suns respond after last night's game? Will Shannon Brown continue his hot streak tonight? Will Jared Dudley score more than two points? Answers to these questions and more after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

No surprise, the playoff race in the NBA Western Conference is just as tight as ever with no letting up in sight. Currently, the only difference between the fourth seed in the playoffs with home court advantage, and the 12th seed with nothing to play for but ping pong balls is a mere five games. This means that every single game is critical from this point on, especially for the Phoenix Suns who now occupy the 10th seed.

The Suns still have 17 games left to play, and not only will they have to earn a playoff spot by beating some very tough competition through the end of the regular season, they will also have to rely on some losses by the other teams currently ahead of them in the standings ... and last night, no such help was given.

Although the Suns didn't play last night, they still dropped from the 9th seed just yesterday due to no fault of their own. Inactivity alone was enough to lower the Suns in the Western Conference standings today after the other teams in the playoff hunt ran the table last night.

Here are the most recent games that mattered and an update on the current standings after the jump ...

Continue reading this post »

Last night, the Phoenix Suns took care of business at home by beating the Detroit Pistons who had previously won five of their last seven games. The Suns led early but fell behind in the second quarter, and although the Suns kept it close, the Pistons held onto the lead all the way until the fourth quarter. But the determined Suns just kept pouring it on, hitting clutch shots and getting crucial stops at the end of the game to pull ahead and eventually win the game 109-101.

But this wasn't just any game. No, this game was a milestone of sorts that would prove to the fans, the NBA, and also the team itself that the Phoenix Suns were back. After a disappointing start to the season and plenty of struggles along the way, the Suns have seemed like a different team altogether since the All-Star break, winning eight of their ten games against some tough competition. This was the Suns' third game in just as many nights, and after winning their first two, the Suns were in position to go undefeated over the taxing three-game stretch.

By winning the third game in a row of a brutal back-to-back-to-back stretch, the Suns not only joined the prestigious ranks of the Miami Heat, OKC Thunder, and Chicago Bulls as the only teams to win all three of their consecutive games, they also brought their playoff hopes back to life by earning a record of 22-22 and reaching the .500 mark; an NBA barometer of sorts that separates the wheat from the chaff, or the contenders from the pretenders if you will.

The Suns are now in 9th place in the Western Conference standings, and only two games behind Denver for the 8th and final playoff seed. Even better, the Western Conference is so bunched together that the Suns are also only three games behind the L.A. Clippers for the fourth seed. What once seemed like an impossible long-shot now seems well within reach...The Suns are officially back in the playoff hunt.

Continue reading this post »

In what was a tough match-up against a young, confident Detroit Pistons team, the Phoenix Suns had their work cut out for them tonight as they won a hard fought battle at home 109-101 to end their back-to-back-to-back stretch with a 3-0 record. More importantly though, the Suns were finally able to reach the vaunted .500 mark on the season at 22-22, returning to relevance, and now officially in the playoff hunt!

The Suns are now 8-2 since the All-Star break and playing with much more confidence overall and consistency in the second unit which has really bolstered the team. Detroit gave a valiant effort with the very talented back court of both Rodney Stuckey scoring 23 points and dishing out 8 assists, along with Brandon Knight who scored 17 points along with his 6 assists as well.

The leading scorer for the Suns tonight was Jared Dudley who scored 23 points and 7 rebounds on hot shooting and tons of hustle. But make no mistake about it, this was a total team effort tonight with big contributions from just about everyone who saw the floor. Steve Nash dished out a season high tying 17 assists, Channing Frye had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, Marcin Gortat had 16 points and 5 rebounds, Grant Hill pitched in with 14 points, and even big Robin Lopez took over in the fourth quarter with 14 points and 4 rebounds.

Full game recap coming tomorrow morning. For now enjoy the win Suns fans, and read on after the jump to see the game notes!

Continue reading this post »

Well, that didn't go exactly as planned, the Suns are down 59-54 at the half after Detroit outscores the Suns 32-23 in the second quarter. Let's hope Alex's rule takes a vacation tonight and the Suns can take care of business in the second half!

This is it...The last game of a back-to-back-to-back in which the Suns are undefeated thus far, and now have the chance to go 3-0 over the stretch and also get back to .500 on the season!

Buckle up, and enjoy the ride...Let's go!

After a stunning victory last night against the Los Angeles Clippers, a huge win on the road against one of the supposed powerhouse teams of the West while playing without Steve Nash and Grant Hill, the Phoenix Suns will return home tonight to close out their final game of a back-to-back-to-back series against the Detroit Pistons.

The 21-22 Suns will be looking to go undefeated over their second and final three-games-in-three-nights stretch, and most importantly to officially return to the playoff discussion by reaching the .500 mark milestone for the first time since they were 4-4 to start the season. On the other hand, the 16-27 Pistons are also surging of late going 4-1 over their last five games, and after playing their best game of the season (offensively) on Wednesday night when they shot over 58% from the field in their 124-112 win against the Sacramento Kings.

The Suns have won the last three home games in a row against the Pistons, and after resting their two veteran stars last night they should be in prime position to close out their three game stretch at home with another victory. But the Suns can't make the mistake of taking this Pistons team lightly. In order to win tonight, the Suns will have to come out focused and ready to take care of business against a dangerous Pistons team who is looking to make a statement of their own.

Read on after the jump for a breakdown of what to expect tonight...

Continue reading this post »

Well, today's the day...the NCAA tournament is officially here and the games have begun! To coincide with the start of the tournament, I have completed the third and final video of my college players to watch series with this video focused on the power forwards and centers that could help the Suns in the coming draft.

Like my last video on wings, the center and especially the power forward position is ripe with talent this year. So I only focused on the top-level talent that would likely be picked in the early to mid first round where the Suns are likely to be drafting.

Some of you may be wondering why would the Suns draft another big man with their first pick in the draft when they already drafted Markieff Morris last year and they already have either good or at least capable starters and backups. Well, the Suns may not be set at these positions after all. Remember, Robin Lopez will be a free agent after this season and it doesn't seem that the Suns are planning on re-signing him. They could choose to either draft another back-up center, or what I think is more likely, move Channing Frye to the back up center spot and draft another power forward. So this is still potentially a position of need right along with the wing and point guard positions going forward.

Read on after the jump to view the video...

Continue reading this post »

Hey everyone, here is the second video in my college players to watch during March Madness series. In this video I listed my four favorite small forwards and shooting guards (Harrison Barnes, Austin Rivers, Jeremy Lamb, and Bradley Beal) who I believe could be of interest to the Phoenix Suns in the up-coming draft.

Like I mentioned in my last post, with the draft still months away it's impossible to know exactly what direction the Suns will choose to go regarding the players they may be interested in. This purpose of this video is to identify some of my personal favorite shooting guards and small forwards in college this season that the Suns could pick in the first round. Unlike the point guards, all of these wings are projected to be first round picks due to the number of talent at the position this year, so I wanted to focus on the players that would likely make the biggest impact.

I believe all four of these players could be great additions to the Phoenix Suns for various reasons, and I believe that they are all going to be realistic possibilities for the Suns in the coming draft.

Read on after the jump to view the video...

Continue reading this post »

Last night, the Phoenix Suns lost a shoot-out to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game that went back-and-forth until the bitter end.

The Suns started out the game well with the starting unit jetting out to an early lead thet they held throughout the first quarter behind the hot shooting of Jared Dudley and Steve Nash. However, Marcin Gortat picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter, and was replaced less than halfway in by Robin Lopez who played most of the minutes from that point on as Gortat couldn't stop picking up the fouls every time he entered the game.

For the Wolves, it was Nikola Pekovic who came out hot early on making the most of his opportunities to score when the Suns doubled Kevin Love; taking advantage of mismatches and late defensive rotations. The Suns' plan to shut down Love seemed to work, but Pekovic was more than willing to be the go-to scorer and he made the Suns pay. Pekovic scored 15 points in the first quarter alone before the Suns finally starting adjusting to him. Still, the Suns maintained a lead through the first quarter due to shooting 62% from the field, and led the Wolves 34-28 heading into the second quarter.

The Suns second unit struggled in the second quarter as the T-Wolves' bench thrived. First it was Michael Beasley who came out hot hitting his first three 3-pointers and starting out 6-7 from the field overall, scoring 15 points in the second quarter alone. Beasley's hot shooting was exacerbated by a back injury that forced Grant Hill to head into the locker room for most of the second quarter.

Derrick Williams and Wayne Ellington also joined the party off the bench as they each pumped in 12 points of their own as the Wolves bench exploded for 40 points in the first half. The T-Wolves outscored the Suns 35-22 in the second quarter to lead the Suns 63-56 at the half, and as our own Alex Laugan has pointed out, the second quarter has been able to predict the eventual outcome of the game with nearly 90% accuracy...So perhaps we should have seen this coming.

Read on after the jump for more...

Continue reading this post »

In what was a shootout reminiscent of the run-n-gun Suns of old, The Phoenix Suns battled back and forth with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but ultimately came up short at the end losing 127-124.

The Timberwolves were led by Kevin Love and his 30 points and 7 rebounds after a very slow start to the game. Nikola Pekovic was also a handful in the paint scoring 24 points and grabbing 8 boards. The Suns were led by Jared Dudley and his 28 points, 9 rebounds to keep the Suns close throughout the game. Steve Nash also gave a valiant effort with 25 points and 10 assists as well.

Marcin Gortat sat on the bench throughout most of the game due to foul trouble early on, and he was never able to overcome his struggles and missed two free throws near the end of the fourth quarter that could have put the Suns down by only one. Robin Lopez played fairly well tonight scoring 10 points and blocking 3 shots in his 24 minutes of play, but the Suns just aren't the same team without Gortat.

Full Recap coming tomorrow morning. Continue on after the jump to see the game notes

Continue reading this post »

Not exactly the first half we had hoped for...The Suns' starters got it done but the bench will need to play better in the second half if the Suns are going to turn this around. The Timberwolves bench scored 40, yes 40 points in the first half! That can't continue...Let's step it up and get this win!!!

Will the Suns be able to keep their momentum rolling tonight to get within one game of being at .500?

Let's go!