Suns end LA-double dip with 1-1 record
The Suns wrapped up their second game last night with the LA Clippers and are now 1-1 on the year. Playing in their home opener against the Clippers, Phoenix was able to rebound from the previous night's disappointing loss with a win. The short-handed Lakers surprised the Suns on opening night and came out w/ the victory, thanks in large part to Lamar Odom and the surprising efforts of Andrew Bynum.
The Suns and Clippers play each other pretty evenly, so last night's see-saw battle was nothing new. At the end, Phoenix was able to pull it out, thanks to good games from Shawn Marion and Steve Nash. The game also gave hope to Suns fans who were disappointed on opening night by Amare Stoudemire's performance. He responded in his second game coming off the bench with 15 pts and 4 rbs in about 25 minutes of play. Elton Brand led LA with his usual double-double stats (28 pts & 13 rbs). Phoenix shot 53% of the field compared with only 43% for the Clippers, however, LA took 12 more shots than the Suns which helped keep the score close.
If there's anything to point out about the Suns besides the obvoius (no defense), it's the subpar play of Boris Diaw so far. In game 1, he was in foul trouble and barely contributed in the loss. In game 2, he scored 15 pts, but he looked lost out there and didn't seem to have his feet under him or a handle on the ball completely. I'm wondering if the return of Amare has Diaw upset or thinking he doesn't have to put up numbers like he did last year. If he doesn't step it up soon, we may have to start second-guessing the Joe Johnson trade...
Notable performances from last night:
- Michael Redd - 37 pts (w/ only 1 three-pointer)
- Quentin Richardson - 31 pts in triple overtime win
- Carlos Boozer - 24 pts, 19 rbs (showcasing for possible trade??)
- Paul Pierce - 29 pts, 19 rbs (in loss to Hornets)