Phoenix Suns Blog – Page 80 – NBA Blog

Nov 30: Nets 117, Suns 109

The AP reports: Devin Harris was on the attack and the Phoenix Suns had no defense for him. Harris scored a career-high 47 points, including 21 in the fourth quarter, and the New Jersey Nets ended their 14-game losing streak at Phoenix by rallying to beat the Suns 117-109 Sunday night… Harris, whose previous high was 38, hit 14 of 25 field goals and 17 of 17 free throws in a dazzling performance… Vince Carter added 28 points for New Jersey, Yi Jianlian had 14 and Brook Lopez 12. Steve Nash, who missed Friday’s game because of a thigh contusion, led the Suns with 26 points and nine assists. Amare Stoudemire had 25 points and 12 rebounds before being ejected with his second technical foul—for arguing with an official—with 3:24 remaining and Phoenix leading 100-98. Matt Barnes had 18 points.

InsideHoops.com note: Harris also had 7 rebounds and 8 assists.

Nov 28: Heat 107, Suns 92

The AP reports: Dwyane Wade was on a mission—and it was impossible for the Phoenix Suns to stop him. Wade scored a season-high 43 points, and the Miami Heat beat the Suns 107-92 Friday night in the first matchup between the teams since the Shaquille O’Neal for Shawn Marion blockbuster trade last February. Neither O’Neal nor Marion was much of a factor in the game dominated by the unstoppable Wade. O’Neal scored 12 points and Marion had 10… Udonis Haslem had 16 points and 11 rebounds, Daequan Cook scored 15 and rookie Mario Chalmers added 13 points for the Heat. Leandro Barbosa, playing on his 26th birthday, led the Suns with 20 points. Raja Bell had 16 and Amare Stoudemire 14… The Suns played without All-Star guard Steve Nash.

Nov 25: Suns 99, Thunder 98

The AP reports: Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns went back to basics to win without Shaquille O’Neal and spoil Scott Brooks’ home debut as the Oklahoma City Thunder’s head coach. Nash switched into pre-Shaq mode to guide Phoenix back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter, and Matt Barnes finished it off by hitting the game-winning 3-pointer from the left wing with 25.7 seconds left as the Suns beat the Thunder 99-98 Tuesday night… Amare Stoudemire finished with 22 points, Nash had 20 points and 15 assists and Barnes scored 16. Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Chris Wilcox added a season-high 18 as Oklahoma City (1-14) led by 16 as late as the final 2 minutes of the third quarter. Still, the Thunder dropped their 12th straight game.

Suns notes

Matt Barnes is averaging 11.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 28.7 minutes on the season.

Shaquille O’Neal made his impact felt in the Suns last home game with 19 points (8-12 FG) and 17 rebounds in 36 minutes against the Trail Blazers.

Raja Bell is averaging 9.8 points and 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting .450 (27-60) from behind the arc in 32.8 minutes.

Amare Stoudemire had 17 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, two steals and was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line against Portland on Nov. 22.

Steve Nash is averaging 13.5 points, 7.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds and is shooting .492 from the field and .442 from three point range in 33.2 minutes. Nash had 16 points (6-7 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-2 FT), seven assists and three rebounds in his last game against the Blazers.

Next Suns opponent: Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Suns on Tuesday, November 25, in the first regular season meeting between the clubs since moving from Seattle. Phoenix swept the series last season and has won 11 of the last 15 meetings. The Suns are 115-85 all-time against the team and have a 75-25 record at home.

The Suns take on Al Jefferson and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center in the first meeting between the clubs this season on Wednesday, November 26. Phoenix has lost the last two matchups in Minnesota but has won 10 of the last 14 games in the series. The Suns are 20-16 in games played in Minnesota.

With wins in four of the last five meetings at USAC between the teams, Phoenix welcomes Dwyane Wade, Michael Beasley and former Sun Shawn Marion on Friday, November 28. On January 6, 2006, Steve Nash dished out a franchise-record 12 assists in the first quarter en route to a 111-93 win at home. Overall, the Suns are 30-10 in the series with a 16-4 record in Phoenix.

The Suns face Vince Carter, Devin Harris and Brook Lopez – twin brother of Suns center Robin Lopez – of the New Jersey Nets on Sunday, November 30 in Phoenix. The Suns swept the season series last year, and opened the season this year at the IZOD Center with a 114-86 win. Phoenix has won fourteen consecutive meetings at US Airways Center. On Dec. 7, 2006, Phoenix nabbed a season-high 161 points in a double overtime win, 161-157, in New Jersey.

The Suns head to New Orleans to face Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler of the New Orleans Hornets at New Orleans Arena on Wednesday, December 3 for the first time since the Hornets stole the Suns’ home opener on October 30, 108-95. The 8-5 Hornets have won three straight games, and sit in second place in the Southwest division. The Suns have lost five-straight to the Hornets following a stretch during which Phoenix won 11-of-12 matchups. The Suns are 3-1 this season in the front end of a back-to-back set.

The Suns take on Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on Thursday, December 4 for the first matchup between these two teams this season. The Suns have an advantage in the all-time series record, 69-49. Dallas has won four-straight games, tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the West’s longest active win-streak. Phoenix has won five of the last nine games in the series and has split the last 14 meetings with Dallas.

UPCOMING MILESTONES

* Grant Hill is three steals away from 1,000 for his career.
* Steve Nash is 31 assists away from passing Guy Rodgers for 14th on the NBA’s all-time assist list (currently 6,880).
* Nash is also just 32 assists from recording 4,000 career assists as a member of the Suns. It would make him just the third player in franchise history with 4,000 or more assists.
* Shaquille O’Neal is seven blocks from passing Tree Rollins for seventh place on the NBA’s all-time blocks list.

Nov 22: Suns 102, Blazers 92

The AP reports: Shaquille O’Neal had 19 points and 17 rebounds to power the Phoenix Suns to a 102-92 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night. Amare Stoudemire added 17 points, Steve Nash had 16 on 6-for-7 shooting, and Grant Hill scored 15 for the Suns, who beat the Blazers for the second time in Phoenix this season. The Suns’ Raja Bell scored all 14 of his points in the second half. O’Neal’s performance included a head-first dive over the first two rows of seats trying to save a loose ball with 2:55 to play. Brandon Roy scored 26 points for Portland. Steve Blake added 22, 14 in the third quarter. Greg Oden, in his first matchup against the massive O’Neal, had five points, one rebound and five fouls in 14 minutes off the bench.

Shaq vs Oden Saturday night

Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal, now old and slowing down, still has game and once he retires will be known as one of the best ever at his position.

Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden missed the entire 2007-08 season but is playing this season and is considered a rookie. At a listed 285-pounds, Oden is much bigger than he was the day he was drafted first by the Portland Trail Blazers, and is still adjusting as he learns to play in the NBA while getting himself into proper shape.

Tonight at 9 p.m. ET the Blazers visit the Suns, and the two big-men will face each other for the first time.

In no way is this a true measure of how good Oden is, or how good he may someday become. Shaq, now 36 years old, is not himself anymore and putting up a modest 15.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Oden, putting up 9.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks on 51.2% shooting, may take another full year to get over his knee injuries and resulting surgeries, plus he still has to get in shape and develop a more sound offensive game.

Also, Shaq plays limited minutes. And Oden comes off the bench behind Joel Przybilla. So Shaq and Oden may only be on the court at the same time for brief stretches.

Still, it’s worth watching if you get it on local TV or have league pass.

Nov 20: Lakers 105, Suns 92

The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 24 points and Vladimir Radmanovic made all five of his 3-pointers to lead the Los Angeles Lakers past the Phoenix Suns, 105-92 on Thursday night. Bryant shot only 8-of-23, but the Lakers overwhelmed Phoenix with their depth. Six players reached double figures as Los Angeles improved its record to a league-best 9-1. Radmanovic scored 15, Lamar Odom 13, Jordan Farmar 11, and Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza 10 apiece for Los Angeles. Amare Stoudemire scored 21 for Phoenix on 9-for-21 shooting. Shaquille O’Neal added 15 points and nine rebounds against the Lakers, a team he helped win three NBA titles. The Suns’ Steve Nash was scoreless in the first half and finished with eight points and 10 assists, leaving the court with back spasms with 4:38 to play.

Age is hitting the West

The Rocky Mountain News (Chris Tomasson) reports: “A lot of the teams out West are maybe aging a little bit,” said Minnesota forward Mark Madsen. “If you look at some of the key players on some of the teams that have been historically dominant, not everyone has 20- to 25-year-olds. They’ve got some guys in their 30s.” Teams showing the most age are San Antonio, Dallas and Phoenix, although the Suns’ recent play suggests there’s no immediate plans to move to Sun City, Ariz. Put it all together and a possible West dropoff could help the Nuggets. They’ve been one of the few upper-echelon West teams for which the news in the first month has mostly been positive.

Nov 17: Jazz 109, Suns 97

The AP reports: Carlos Boozer had 21 points and 15 rebounds, Andrei Kirilenko added 19 points and two big blocks in the fourth quarter, and the Utah Jazz snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Phoenix Suns 109-97 Monday night. C.J. Miles scored a season-high 21 points and Brevin Knight had six assists and 12 points, going 6-for-7 from the floor as the Jazz got the Suns in foul trouble and pulled away in the second half. Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal both drew their fourth fouls early in the third quarter, then the Suns couldn’t shoot early in the fourth as Utah scored 13 straight during one stretch. Amare Stoudemire led Phoenix with 30 points and eight rebounds. Nash had 14 points and eight assists, but O’Neal finished with just nine points and one rebound.

Nov 16: Suns 104, Pistons 86

The AP reports: Amare Stoudemire had 29 points and 11 rebounds and the Suns overcame Shaquille O’Neal’s second-quarter ejection to beat the Detroit Pistons 104-86… Steve Nash, back from a one-game suspension for his part in a skirmish with several Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, added 17 points and seven assists for the Suns, who were without two players even before O’Neal was tossed for a flagrant foul with 5:19 left in the first half. Boris Diaw had 13 points for Phoenix. Richard Hamilton scored 19 for the Pistons, who entered the game 3-0 on a four-game western swing that began Tuesday. In their previous stop, they handed the Lakers their first loss of the season Friday night in Los Angeles. Detroit’s Allen Iverson scored nine points on 4-for-17 shooting.