Suns Spots: Big second half paces Suns to 103-88 victory

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 Spots providing you with the analysis, quotes and notes from the Suns 103-88 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Final Score: Suns 103, Kings 88

The Story:

The Suns got off to a slow start Monday night, falling behind by as many as 12 in the first half. But paced by Jared Dudley’s 25 points and an 8-0 run to start the third quarter, Phoenix won going away 103-88 over the Sacramento Kings.

The Good:

Jared Dudley has all but ended the competition at the starting shooting guard position. Following his two-point performance Friday night against the Thunder, Dudley came out looking to shoot at U.S. Airways Center.

The sixth-year pro out of Boston College not only led all scores Monday night with 25 points (9-for-12 from the field), but also played terrific defense on the Kings’ perimeter scorers — Tyler Honeycutt and Marcus Thornton.

The Suns didn’t just win with their offense Monday night, they won on the boards. Against a Sacramento team that dominated them on the glass when the the two squads played a few weeks ago, the Suns were the aggressor in Round 2. Phoenix out-rebounded the Kings 58-48.

The Bad:

Against a better foe, the Suns poor start — seven first quarter turnovers en route to falling behind 16-4 — may have been a bigger issue.

It didn’t cost them the game on Monday night, but 22 turnovers just won’t get it done when the games begin to count on Oct. 31.

Also, while the Suns won the battle of the boards, they still struggled to keep the Kings off the glass at the offensive. Monday night, they gave up 18 offensive rebounds.

Noted:

• The Suns forced 16 turnovers but made them all count, finishing with 32 fast break points.

• Markeiff Morris was fully engaged off the bench against the Kings. The second-year forward finished with an impressive double-double — 14 points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes.

• The Suns’ centers had an all-out block party against Sacramento. Marcin Gortat and Jermaine O’Neal each had four blocks a piece.

• The Suns currently have 13 players on their active roster and can hold as many as 15 when the season begins next week. With that said, bubble players Ike Diogu, Luke Zeller, Diante Garrett and Solomon Jones were reduced to cheerleaders Monday. None saw any game action.

Quote of the Night

“For us to be successful this year, definitely got to come out with a lot more energy than we are. We can’t play too cool. It’s not a too cool team.” — Jared Dudley on avoiding sluggish starts

Coming Up Next:

The Suns have a quick turnaround, as they fly up north to face Mark Jackson and the Golden State Warriors tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. The two teams will also open the regular season at U.S. Airways Center on Halloween night.