Category: Phoenix Suns Blog

Suns blog – Phoenix Suns blog, on Suns basketball news, rumors and more

Josh Howard out two games

Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard has a sore left ankle, will remain in Dallas and will miss the next two games in order to have more specialized testing done.

The Mavs don’t play tonight but begin a four-game road trip Tuesday night in Phoenix.

After facing the Suns they’ll visit the Trail Blazers, Warriors and Lakers, so this is a tough time for any key players to be unavailable.

Howard this season in 32.3 minutes per game is averaging 18.0 points (third on the team), 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists, shooting 45.6% from the field, with very few steals or blocks.

Parker scores 30, Spurs beat Suns 103-98

The AP reports: Tony Parker scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and the San Antonio Spurs sent the sliding Phoenix Suns home winless on their four-game road swing with a 103-98 victory Sunday. Parker punctuated his fourth 30-point game in his last seven outings with a win-cinching runner with 26.2 seconds left…  Tim Duncan scored 17 points and helped hold Shaquille O’Neal to 14, his lowest total in his past five games. Shaq had averaged nearly 30 in his previous four outings. Roger Mason had 18 points for the Spurs and Michael Finley had 11, eight of which came in the fourth. Steve Nash led the Suns with 23 points and 11 assists. Leandro Barbosa had 20 points off the bench and hit all four of his 3-point attempts.

Brooks’ career night carries Rockets over Suns

The AP reports: Forget Yao Ming vs. Shaquille O’Neal. Aaron Brooks and Steve Nash put on the real show in Houston on Friday night. Brooks scored a career-high 30 points and drove past O’Neal for the winning basket in the Rockets’ 116-112 win over the Phoenix Suns. Nash shook off a poor first half to score a season-high 32 points, but the Suns dropped their fourth straight road game. O’Neal scored 17 on his 37th birthday for Phoenix, which slipped three games behind Dallas in the race for the No. 8 playoff spot in the West… Nash went 1-for-10 from the field in the first half and said he was bothered by the sprained right ankle that kept him out three games. He went 13-for-17 with nine assists in the second half, single-handedly keeping Phoenix close.

Amare Stoudemire out until next season

The Arizona Republic (Paul Coro) reports: The out-for-the-season diagnosis for forward Amaré Stoudemire initially left a sliver of hope that the Suns star could return for the playoffs should they qualify. Out means out. And “season” means, “See you next season.” “Not this season, not at all,” said Dr. Pravin Dugel, the Valley eye surgeon who operated on Stoudemire’s detached retina two weeks ago. “The Suns have the same goal – to make sure he can resume his career.

Unhappy return for Shaq, as Heat top Suns 135-129

The AP reports: Dwyane Wade scored 35 points and tied his career high with 16 assists, Michael Beasley and Daequan Cook both had career highs on the way to a combined 55 points off Miami’s bench. The Heat spoiled Shaquille O’Neal’s first trip back to South Florida since last year’s trade with a 135-129 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night… Beasley scored 28 points—the most by a Heat player besides Wade this season—and nine rebounds. Cook added 27 points and Miami led for all but a portion of the opening minutes on the way to the second-highest point total in franchise history… O’Neal finished with 22 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 1:08 left. Steve Nash led Phoenix with 29 points and 10 assists, and Jason Richardson added 22 points for the Suns.

Suns sign Stromile Swift

The Phoenix Suns today signed free-agent forward Stromile Swift for the remainder of the season, the club announced.  Swift became available after being waived on March 1 by the New Jersey Nets and as a result is eligible for postseason play.

“We are very pleased to be able to add a player of Stromile’s caliber at this late date,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr. “We believe that his athleticism, length and experience will be valuable to us as we head down the stretch run.”

The 6-10, 225-pound Swift was originally the second overall pick of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies and has spent his nine-year career split between Vancouver/Memphis, Houston and New Jersey.  Swift owns career averages of 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in 20.0 minutes in 534 games.

The Louisiana State product is an athletic and versatile forward who enjoyed his best professional campaigns in his first stint with the Grizzlies (2000-05), including four-straight seasons of at least 9.4 points and 45 percent shooting from the field beginning with his sophomore season in 2001-02.

Swift, 29, has made two career playoff trips, both with Memphis (2004, 2005), including the Grizzlies’ 2005 first-round series against the Suns, in which he averaged a career playoff-high 9.3 points in 16.0 minutes in three appearances.

A 2001 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk competitor as a rookie, Swift averaged 3.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 10.7 minutes in six games with the Nets this season.

Swift will be in uniform tonight when the Suns return to action against the Miami Heat at 5:30 p.m. at AmericanAirlines Arena. The game can be seen locally on MY45 and heard on Sports 620 KTAR.

Magic win big-man battle, top Suns 111-99

The AP reports: Dwight Howard made Shaquille O’Neal run. He made him fall. Then he got the ultimate vindication: he made him flop. Howard had 21 points and eight rebounds in a bruising battle with O’Neal, and the Orlando Magic beat the Phoenix Suns 111-99 on Tuesday night… Rashard Lewis had 29 points and Hedo Turkoglu scored 22 for the Magic, who overcame a season-high 24 turnovers. O’Neal finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, outmuscling his first NBA team for most of the night before he lost his cool late, again drawing boos by the Orlando crowd… Jason Richardson had 27 points, and Steve Nash added 20 points for Phoenix after missing the last three games with a sprained right ankle.

Kobe scores 49 but Suns beat Lakers 118-111

The AP reports: Shaquille O’Neal scored 33 points and Phoenix overcame Bryant’s 49-point performance to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 118-111 on Sunday. Matt Barnes added 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Suns, without Steve Nash for the third straight game because of a sprained right ankle, defeated the Lakers for the first time in four tries this season. Pau Gasol added 30 for Los Angeles, loser of two in a row for just the third time this season… Leandro Barbosa added 22 points and Grant Hill 17 for the Suns, who improved to 6-2 since Alvin Gentry replaced the fired Terry Porter and returned the team to Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced style. It was the Gentry-led Suns’ first win, though, over a team with a winning record.

Shaq scores 45, Suns beat Raptors 133-113

The AP reports: A week shy of his 37th birthday, Shaquille O’Neal scored 45 points Friday night—his biggest offensive performance in six years—powering the Phoenix Suns to a 133-113 victory… Louis Amundson scored a career-high 20 as the Suns outscored the Raptors in the paint by a remarkable 90-36. Matt Barnes added 18. Grant Hill had 14 points and 12 assists, just two shy of his career high set 11 years ago for the Suns, who were without Steve Nash for the second straight game with a sprained right ankle. Former Suns star Shawn Marion led Toronto with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Andrea Bargnani added 21 points and Bosh 19.