Suns Strokes: Phoenix falls flat against Memphis

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’ 92-81 loss to the Grizzlies on January 6.

The Good:

Possibly the only bright spot in the Suns’ 92-81 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies was the fact that P.J. Tucker recorded a career-high 17 points. Tucker’s previous career high was 15 points against New Orleans on November 23rd, 2012. That was also Tucker’s ninth career double-digit scoring game.

The Bad:

The Suns have now lost eight of their last nine games. After snapping a six-game skid last Wednesday against the Sixers, the Suns have now lost two straight with losses to Utah and Memphis. Also after Sunday’s loss, the Suns still sit at 1,999 wins.

The Suns have been held to 81 points or fewer in consecutive games for the first time since January 2005. Phoenix had been averaging 97.2 points its previous five games before playing the Jazz and Grillies..

The Suns recorded only one fast break point and were outscored in the paint once again 44-34.

Phoenix also had just two players score in double figures, Tucker (17 points and Marcin Gortat (12 points). Gortat was also two rebounds shy of keeping his double-double streak alive.

Noted:

• Wesley Johnson made a rare appearance for the Suns Sunday night. He played first half minutes for the seventh time this season and for the first time since December 9th, 2012 against Orlando. He scored six points on the night.

• Johnson saw minutes in place of Michael Beasley, who didn’t play due to a coaching decision. In his past four games, Beasley had just four points on 2-of-12 shooting.

He Said It:

“As a whole organization, we’re all in it together. You definitely can never fragment and point because we’re all professionals and we all have a little to have to do with this. It’s not just one guy making mistakes. The only disheartening thing is that it’s the same mistakes. It’s the bad shot selection, the turnovers and that’s not gonna win you these games. Plus against a really good team. That’s a good team that when we played the right way last time, we beat them.” – Jared Dudley

Up Next:

The Suns hit the road for a four-game road trip that starts in Milwaukee Tuesday night at 6 p.m. MST. After that, they head to Boston, Brooklyn and finish in Chicago on Saturday January 12th.