Suns Strokes: Dragic, Dudley best Harden, Rockets
Mar 10, 2013, 6:12 AM | Updated: 6:12 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’ 107-105 win over the Rockets on March 9.
The Good:
Jared Dudley scored a team-high 22 points off the bench while Goran Dragic scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to help the Suns end a two-game losing streak.
And without centers Marcin Gortat (foot injury) and Jermaine O’Neal (personal reasons), the Suns’ bench featured two double-digit rebounders. Hamed Haddadi, in his third game as a Sun, grabbed a career-high 11 boards. PJ Tucker grabbed a career-high tying 10 boards.
The Bad:
The win. The Suns did themselves no favors beating Houston. The Suns now own the seventh-worst record in the NBA (ping pong balls). And with the Jazz and Rockets both losing, the Lakers are now tied with Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West and only a-game-and-a-half behind Houston. Remember, the Suns gain a second lottery pick should L.A. not reach the postseason.
He Said It:
“He was our true point guard. He had eight assists,” Dragic said of Dudley. “When we needed him to score he was scoring and when they double teamed him he would find the open guy and he did this from the bench. He was the player of the game.”
Noted:
• Phoenix eclipsed the century mark at home for the first time since Dec. 19.
• The Suns’ five of nine wins under interim head coach Lindsey Hunter have come against teams with 30 or more victories (Clippers, Grizzlies, Hawks, Rockets, Spurs).
Up Next:
The Suns (22-41) close out this brief two-game homestand against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, March 11.
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