Suns Strokes: Phoenix hits new level of homecourt futility
Apr 8, 2013, 3:36 AM | Updated: 4:53 am
Sure, you could read the box score and know who won, but we all know that won’t tell you everything that happened in a basketball game. So, we will give you Suns Strokes, providing you with the analysis, quotes and notes from the Suns’ 95-92 loss to the Hornets on April 7.
The Good:
Markieff Morris scored five of his game-high 18 points during a 17-4 run as the Suns made a late push to record their first win since March 18. It was Morris’ fourth effort of 18 or more points this season, second in his last four games. He has now reached double figures seven times in 16 games since returning to the starting lineup.
Luis Scola, who had four points and three rebounds during the run, recorded his 11th double-double of the season, second in his last three games.
The Bad:
With 3:47 remaining in the first half, the Suns led 40-29. Over the next 18:42, the Suns were outscored 52-25 (including 35-19 in the third quarter alone) as they missed 18 of 27 shots and turned it over nine times.
In their last two third quarters, the Suns have been outscored by the Warriors and Hornets by 34 points (67-33), have shot a combined 40 percent (14-of-35) and made a total of 16 turnovers.
Goran Dragic and Michael Beasley, who combined to score 57 points (23-of-30 from the field) in the last game, recorded a combined 14 points. It appears Beasley is once again listening to everybody, as he missed 10 of his 11 attempts and saw his stretch of consecutive games scoring in double figures end at a season-high tying four straight games.
He Said It:
“If you don’t play well for 48 minutes, you don’t play well,” Scola said. “We just don’t know how to well. We don’t know how to play basketball and that’s why we lose. Until we know how to play 48 minutes of basketball, we’re not going to win games. I’m surprised we won (23) games playing this way.”
Noted:
• Suns run their home losing streak to a franchise-worst seven straight games
• Suns run their overall losing streak to nine straight games, the most consecutive losses in a single season since 1988 (February 27 – March 13) and tied for the fourth-longest losing streak in franchise history
Up Next:
The Suns (23-54, third-worst record in the NBA) are on the road for the remainder of the week, playing three games in six days. The trip begins at the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, April 9.
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