Suns Recover From Poor Opener, Top Blazers 110-92

The Phoenix Suns had a rough first game against the Mavericks. They needed to come out and put on a good show against the Portland Trail Blazers. Five players in double figures and 32-42 free throws proved to be the recipe for a good show, as the Suns emerged with a 110-92 victory.

The Suns certainly appeared more motivated than they were in the previous game.

It took the team a while to get rolling. The two sides had a back and forth first quarter, but the Suns emerged from the first 15 minutes with a 27=23 lead. They extended that lead to 37-28, and then Portland when on a 9-0 run to knot the game back up. T.J. Warren was fouled, made a free throw to make it 38-37, and the Suns held the lead from that point on.

The Suns continued to press at Portland went on short runs to chip away at the lead. The Suns were up 14 going into the final quarter, and their lead peaked at 22 points. Portland never led by more than three.

The Eric Bledsoe- Brandon Knight duo looked stronger than it has ever been. Bledsoe finished with 22 points, and Knight added 18 points along with four rebounds and four assists. Tyson Chandler looked far more like the Tyson Chandler Phoenix paid for, putting up 15 points, 13 boards, and a couple of monster dunks. Damian Lillard (shockingly) led Portland with 24 points.

The Suns had lapses in execution, but overall looked solid. They played with fire and took control on the glass.

It was definitely more like the game the Suns need to duplicate to succeed this season, even though there were flaws. The 4-of-17 from three and the 19 turnovers are not favorable numbers, but for a young team like the Suns, progress is incremental.

Master Thieves

In their season opener, the Suns tried to play active defense but ended up amassing fouls like Ebenezer Scrooge amasses money. This game was very different. Portland turned the ball over 23 times, and the Suns had active hands, gathering 13 steals.

The bad news is that the Suns only tallied 18 fast break points, one fewer than Portland. Sometimes these steals ended up in wasted transition possessions. At one point, Markieff Morris basically refused to pass in a two-on-one situation and ended up throwing a possession away. The Suns are a team that likes to run. When teams are lazy and give them chances like that, they simply can’t afford to blow them.

All the same, it was good to see the Suns making a much more stout defensive effort. They played with activity, and P.J. Tucker and Ronnie Price both picked Lillard’s pocket in ways that were impressive. In fact, almost bizarre.

Morris Struggling

After going 1-6 with one rebound and five fouls in the opener, Markieff Morris would have done well to have a bounce back night in this game. Well, 13 points and eight rebounds while going 6-17 from the floor is… not great. Morris again struggled to find his shot.

After the drama of the offseason, bad games from Morris have certainly not endeared him to fans, who are split between cheers and boos when he is introduced. It certainly does not seem lie Morris is not trying. He seems to be playing his same brand of basketball, for better or for worse. The problem is that those mid-range turnaround jumpers from the side post don’t always go in. Morris also just is not that comfortable playing with his back to the basket.

It would be nice to see Morris pass out of that position more. He’s really good at it when he commits himself to moving the ball. The Suns overall have shown phenomenal ball movement the first two games, but Morris still swallows up possessions trying to seek out his own shot.

Fortunately, the Suns have the powers of Jon Leuer (yes, you read that right) to help them. Leuer was 0-3 from the floor, but had eight boards and two great passes in the interior. The Suns need Morris to buy into that same kind of ball movement to truly be the best offense they can be.

The Main Event

The Suns played a much-needed good game, but the biggest part of the evening was halftime. Suns great Steve Nash became the 14th member of the team’s Ring of Honor, joining historic figures like Connie Hawkins, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Dan Majerle, and Charles Barkley. Former teammates Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudamire offered video congratulations, and Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley, Nash’s teammates with the Mavericks, attended in person.

Former Suns coach Mike D’Antoni spoke about Nash. He mentioned that he would try to call a play as Nash ran by until he realized Nash would already be gone before he had a chance. Suns renowned radio broadcaster Al McCoy spoke as well.

Jerry Colangelo, former Suns GM and now chair of the Hall of Fame committee, had this to say.

Nash, humble as ever, gave a rambling, unprepared speech, thanking everyone and saying all the things a classy guy like Nash would be expected to say. The unveiling of his place in the ring drew an incredible amount of energy from the arena. The halftime was 40 minutes long, which was slightly ridiculous, but it made sense why. Nash was a hero to the franchise, and they would have let him stumble on the mic for as long as he wanted to.

The Suns also wheeled out what they claim was Nash’s 2004-2005 Most Valuable Player trophy. Lord, I hope not.

The Suns will return to the floor Saturday night, when they head north for a rematch against Portland.