Suns Strokes: Suns embarrassed by Celtics
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’ 113-88 loss to the Celtics on February 22.
The Good:
Markieff Morris played well in his first game since being reunited with his brother. He finished with 11 points on 5 of 8 shooting, with four rebounds in 25 minutes of play.
The game was the Suns’ first sellout of the 2012-13 season (18,422).
Goran Dragic set a career-high third straight game with double-digit assists in the contest. He also has three straight games with at least 15 points and 10 assists.
The Bad:
The Suns fell behind early, and the Celtics never let the home team back in the game after taking a 13-0 lead off the tip in the first quarter.
The Celtics closed out the season sweep of the Suns for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
A majority of the 18,422 sellout crowd was made up of Celtic fans, and they seemed to be the only ones who stayed late in the fourth quarter. The arena sounded like a Boston home game.
The Suns have averaged 37.5 points in the first half of their last two home games.
He Said It:
“That is totally unacceptable; coaching-wise and player-wise,” Suns head coach Lindsey Hunter said. “The way we performed [Friday] that cannot happen.”
Noted:
• Before the game Hunter said that he wanted the newly acquired Morris brother to go through at least one practice before he saw time on the court. However, with 6:32 to go in the game, Morris checked in for his first time as a Sun. His brother was also on the court.
• Boston is now 9-3 since Rajon Rondo went down with his season-ending injury.
• Marcus and Markieff Morris joined Dick and Tom Van Arsdale as the only sets of twins ever to be teammates in NBA history.
Up Next:
The Suns (18-38) continue their homestand on Sunday, February 24th, as they welcome the rival San Antonio Spurs into U.S. Airways Center at 6:00 pm MST.
