CBSSports.com wire reports
April 9, 2012

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s been a group effort to lift the Phoenix Suns from a dreadful start to the season to the brink of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Suns are much more than just Steve Nash these days, and the free-falling Minnesota Timberwolves discovered that the hard way on Monday night.

Markieff Morris had 21 points and six rebounds to help the Suns’ reserves outscore Minnesota’s 66-27 in a 114-90 victory over the Timberwolves.

Shannon Brown had 17 points and seven rebounds and Nash had 14 points and five assists for the Suns, who have won five of their last six games and 11 of 16 to surge back into the playoff picture. They started the day one game behind Denver for eighth in the West.

“These last four or five games, I mean, they’ve carried us,” Suns forward Jared Dudley said of the second unit. “They’ve carried the starters, they’ve done well.”

Kevin Love had 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have lost six in a row. They have lost 22 straight games in April dating back to 2009.

“We just need to go down swinging, have fun with the game, live in the present,” said Love, who went 7 for 19 from the floor. “We can’t go out like this.”

J.J. Barea had 16 points, but the Wolves’ massive defensive problems continued with the Suns shooting 57 percent.

Sebastian Telfair had 14 points and seven assists and Michael Redd scored 13 points for the Suns, the sixth straight game he’s scored in double figures. That’s an encouraging sign for Phoenix (30-27), which improved to a season-high three games over .500.

“It’s great,” Morris said. “Especially if our first unit doesn’t start the game off great, we come in and we just try to play as hard as possible and set the tone for them when they come back.”

The Suns’ best days appeared to be behind them at the start of the season when they were 12-19 in their first 31 games. They’ve been an entirely different team since the All-Star break, with Nash’s supporting cast knocking down the open shots that he has been creating for years. They are 16-7 since the break, second only to San Antonio in the West.

Nash deserves plenty of the credit, as usual. He’s orchestrating an offense that did not receive any help at the trade deadline and has been without veteran Grant Hill since March 30 because of a knee injury.

“I just marvel at him,” Wolves coach Rick Adelman said. “He’s actually kept this team going. He’s actually willed them to stay in this race and you’ve got to give him credit.”

He’s had some help, though.

Brown has filled in beautifully since stepping into the starting lineup. He entered the night averaging 17.6 points in his eight games as a starter, including 24 points in a win over the Lakers on Saturday night in which the Suns’ reserves outscored the Lakers’ 58-10.

“Hopefully it never, ever, ever ends,” Brown said of his hot hand.

He got out quickly on Monday night, scoring 11 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the first quarter. Channing Frye and Marcin Gortat both were in foul trouble early in the first half, but Morris and Redd came off the bench to fill it up in their place. Morris scored 12 points in the first half and Redd had eight to keep the Suns humming on offense.

Minnesota trimmed a 15-point lead to five points early in the third quarter, but the Suns responded in a heartbeat.

Frye, Nash and Brown all hit 3s in a 21-4 run for a 77-55 lead that was far too much for the short-handed Wolves to overcome.

Minnesota was in the playoff hunt in early March until a rash of injuries derailed everything. Ricky Rubio went down with a torn ACL, Nikola Pekovic missed significant time with an ankle injury, Michael Beasley was out with a bad toe, Luke Ridnour with a sprained right ankle and Barea struggled with a pulled groin.

Rubio returned to Target Center on Monday night for the first time since he had surgery on March 9. He planned to speak to reporters Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s hard to be out there and see that there’s no energy,” Love said. “It’s saddening to me and tough most of all for the fans.”

Notes

• The Suns set a franchise record for fewest turnovers with just three against the Lakers. They doubled that in the first six minutes on Monday night.
• Suns coach Alvin Gentry got technical foul from Eddie F. Rush in the second quarter while pleading for a 3-second call on Pekovic. Rush did call the 3 seconds, but not before he saw Gentry hopping up and down on the sideline.
• Beasley received a technical foul in the fourth quarter for kicking the ball.

Suns (29-27) at Timberwolves (25-32)

C: Marcin Gortat … Nikola Pekovic

PF: Channing Frye … Kevin Love

SF: Jared Dudley … Wesley Johnson

SG: Shannon Brown … Martell Webster

PG: Steve Nash … J.J. Barea

Key T-wolves injuries: Ricky Rubio (knee) is out. Darko Milicic (hamstring) is doubtful. Luke Ridnour (ankle) missed the past two games.

Key T-wolves reserves: Wayne Ellington, Michael Beasley, Derrick Williams, Anthony Randolph, Malcolm Lee.

Onto today’s Orange Slices…

* The Suns’ streak of most important games of the season stays alive.

With 10 games to go and ground to make up, the streak will keep going until they clinch or get eliminated.
The gravity of needing a win tonight comes because this is the start of a four-game road trip with the next three games all coming against teams with better records than the Suns.

Minnesota is ripe to beaten, having lost five games in a row and with a 4-13 record since Ricky Rubio’s knee injury required season-ending surgery. However, the Suns were one of those four Minnesota victims in Phoenix. The Timberwolves beat the Suns 127-124 when Kevin Love had 23 second-half points and center Nikola Pekovic added 24 points.

“Every game, every week is make or break,” Suns guard Steve Nash said. “We can’t afford to lose two or three in a row. We’ve got to try to win two or three in a row and put ourselves in a position to upset somebody and get way ahead of the game. We’ve done phenomenal. The coaches have been unbelievable this year. You’ve got to give the coaches a ton of credit because we find ourselves incredibly in a position to get in the playoffs.”

Today’s position is alone in ninth place, one game behind Denver, 1 1/2 games behind Dallas and two games behind Houston. The Suns are a half-game ahead of Utah. Four of the five combatants play tonight. Dallas is off but Denver plays host to Golden State, Utah plays host to San Antonio and Houston plays at Portland.

Suns coach Alvin Gentry said after Saturday night’s win against the Lakers that the team leaders helped the team have a mindset to put Friday’s loss behind them and get back on track with a Saturday win. Tonight would be a night to not forget how they played against Minnesota in the last meeting and make it a vengeful night.

“They are all big,” Gentry said of the schedule remaining. “Whoever we play now we are at a point in the season where we approach every game like we are in the playoffs and it’s a playoff game. I will say that there a lot of teams that are going to be playing each other so to put a number on something , I don’t really know and don’t think anyone knows. We just have to keep trying to win games.”

* Of those five teams in the hunt for three playoffs spots, the Suns have the most remaining games against teams with winning records. After tonight, eight of the final nine Suns games are against teams with winning records. Dallas only has three of its final nine games at home.

With head-to-head tiebreakers, the Suns have clinched it against Utah and have already lost it against Denver and Dallas. They could split the season series with Houston if they win Thursday there. The next tiebreaker would be conference record, which will be tight as well. Houston is at 20-19 and Phoenix is at 19-19 but a win there would shift that for the Suns. Should the conference records tie, the next tiebreaker is record against other conference playoff teams.

* Minnesota is only 13-14 at home, giving it only one more win than it has on the road.

* When the Timberwolves lost at Phoenix on March 1, they had a season-high 12 steals. That is contrary to the Timberwolves’ turnover problems. They actually give up the third most points off turnovers per game (18.5) in the NBA for a league-worst differential in points off turnovers (minus-4.4).

* Minnesota still ranks 11th in rebounding percentage but that is a slipping status despite Kevin Love ranking second in the league with his 13.5 average. The Timberwolves have been beaten on the boards in 13 of 23 games since the All-Star break.

* The Timberwolves lean more on the 3-point shot now. In 10 of their past 24 games, they have made at least 10 3s, including a 14-for-22 night to win at Phoenix on March 12. They also set seasons highs for field goals (50) and assists (30) in that game but Ridnour’s play benefitted them tonight. He is out indefinitely with an ankle sprain.

* The Suns have a chance to move to three games over .500 for the first time this season. They are 17-8 since their turnaround began Feb. 19. Only Chicago, San Antonio and Oklahoma City have better records during that time span.

* Every day has been a new knee rehabilitation step for Grant Hill. Today, he did some basketball movements laterally. The Suns have dodged facing the type of scorers that Hill is most needed to defend.

Kobe Bryant sat out Saturday’s game and Denver, Utah, Sacramento and New Orleans did not have the wing that demands a stopper. Maybe Tyreke Evans, but he is an unusual small forward and had a bad game anyway. The last the Suns really needed Hill’s defense during his seven-game absence was against San Antonio and the Los Angeles Clippers on March 27 and 28 to handle point guards Tony Parker and Chris Paul. The Suns lost both games. The Memphis game on Wednesday would make Rudy Gay the first primetime wing scorer in Hill’s absence.

* Gentry talks constantly about how the Suns can’t afford unforced or live turnovers because of how hard it is to defend in transition off a turnover. He emphasizes it so much that you would think the Suns are horrible with it. Actually, they give up the second least amount of points off turnovers (14.9 per game) than any team in the league.

* The assist crown is going to come down to the final games. Nash and Boston’s Rajon Rondo both are averaging 11.2 per game. Rondo has posted 17 consecutive double-digit assist games.

Post your comments on the game below:

The Suns had the Western Conference’s best record for March and had the San Antonio Spurs on their home floor after a day off, but the Spurs still had the Suns right where they wanted them Tuesday night.

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Suns-Spurs photos | Box score | Updates

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The Spurs improved to 12-2 in their past 14 road games, continuing to look more the part of a Western Conference challenger to Oklahoma City than the 10th-place Suns look like a playoff qualifier. The Suns fared well against an elite team before folding in the fourth quarter again, losing 107-100 at US Airways Center.

The Suns’ are 11-5 this month, with losses to four of the NBA’s top five teams, but it is the home loss that hurts most for at team that plays eight of its next 10 games on the road and is two games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

Shannon Brown, starting in place of Grant Hill (sore knee), gave the Suns (25-25) a career-high 32 points, and the Suns led the Spurs (34-14) until the final minute of the third quarter. The Suns entered the fourth trailing 84-83 but lost the game when San Antonio guard Tony Parker, whom Hill would have defended, scored eight points in a 10-0 run that put the Spurs ahead 98-87 with 5:59 to go.

“Every game puts more pressure on us, no matter if it’s home or road,” Suns point guard Steve Nash said. “We’re running out of games here. We’ve got to find a way to get more and more games over .500. We’ve got to catch up to these teams ahead of us. To do that, we’re going to play a lot of good teams that we have to play at a high level.”

Brown boosted the Suns’ offense with 14 first-quarter points, his 32 overall a team high for this season.

“I wanted to come out, play hard, play within the flow of what’s going on, and I wish we could’ve come out with the win,” said Brown, whose second 20-point game in the past eight games matches his total from last season with the Lakers.

The Suns made most of their shots for three quarters (51.5 percent) but went 7 for 21 (33.3 percent) in the fourth, when Nash’s struggles to move freely appeared evident. His back tightened earlier in the game, and the Spurs made it more difficult for him to create by staying on shooters, particularly Jared Dudley.

“In the second quarter my back tightened up and I couldn’t get loose, but I don’t think it’s any major problem,” Nash said. “It’s kind of hard to move freely, but I still feel I can get up and down and contribute.

“We’ve got 16 games left. We’ve got to try to play every single one we can and see if we can make something happen.”

With the Spurs leading 88-87 and 10 minutes remaining, the Suns reserves missed four consecutive shots before the starters returned and made matters worse with a missed 3-pointer and turnovers by Nash and Channing Frye.

“We felt like if we could contain Nash and Gortat, and Brown can’t make shots like that the whole night, so hopefully it would change,” Parker said.

The Spurs showed why they have one of the NBA’s more-efficient offenses, shooting 49 percent and committing only 10 turnovers.

San Antonio, which rested Stephen Jackson but debuted Patty Mills, did falter from its usual league-leading 3-point shooting clip by making only 6 of 27 tries but outscored its opponent in the paint for the 10th time in the past 11 games.

Beyond Brown’s career-best night with his 5-of-10 3-point shooting, Suns center Marcin Gortat scored 21, but the team’s top scorer in March, Dudley, did not score until 1:52 was left.

Hill was scratched an hour before the game due to swelling in his right knee, an issue that sidelined him Sunday at Cleveland. Hill injured the knee, on which he had surgery in September, while taking a first-half charge Sunday, and the discomfort worsened Monday. He expects to play tonight at the Clippers.

View from press row

When the Suns first met the Spurs this season, center Marcin Gortat still was a pump-fake-biting fool. Tim Duncan might have been hitting perimeter shots in the first half, but it still was better than Gortat fouling or allowing Duncan to go by him. “I learned one thing in this league — just don’t jump,” Gortat said before the game. “Being 7 feet with a pretty big wingspan, I’m going to put my hands up, and I’m going to make problems for other big men to shoot over me.”

Report

Key player

San Antonio guard Tony Parker had 24 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, and seven assists.

Key moment

Parker scored eight points during a 10-0 run that put the Spurs ahead 98-87 with 5:59 to go.

Key number

10 The Spurs’ advantage in second-chance points, off of 15 offensive rebounds.

Read More: Steve Nash (G – PHO), Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns played another classic, crazy game reminiscent of their battles in the mid to late 2000′s. Both teams were scoring at will and shooting over 50 percent heading into the fourth quarter with just a one-point margin of separation.

Neither team’s defensive game plan was very effective up to that point, but it was the Spurs who found their stopping mojo first and went on a crucial 8-0 run with Steve Nash on the bench. Tony Parker hit two jump shots and Boris Diaw added a third to fuel the fire that push the Spurs lead from three to nine. That was followed by turnovers on the next two Suns possessions and the lead was up to 12 with about 5:45 to play.

The hill proved insurmountable by the Suns and San Antonio were to nurse their lead across the finish line.

“It’s a game, you know. Things happen,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Sometimes we lose and the other team does that. We made some shots and they couldn’t score for a while. I thought our defense was better in the second half. I thought Steve (Nash) sliced and diced us up in the first half and I thought we got ourselves under control defensively and the defense fueled a lot of what we did in the second half.”

The result wasn’t what Suns fans wanted, but the game was highly entertaining for three quarters. The Spurs are a more talented team with a lot of depth.

Shannon Brown got the start in place of Grant Hill who sat out with a sore knee. He put on a show with a career-high 32 on 11-18 shooting. On the other hand, Jared Dudley had just two points on the night.

“Playing against a team like San Antonio, you’ve got to play smart every possession, every possession counts. It’s almost like playing a playoff game,” Brown, a two-time NBA champion, said.

Nash said that his back tightened up during the second quarter and he wasn’t able to get loose. He didn’t think it would be a big deal and said at this point in the season, there’s no time for resting.

We’ll have to watch and see if Nash starts turning down shots or missing shots he’d normally make. In the past, those have been signs of his health impacting his game.

The Suns travel to L.A. to face the Clippers on Wednesday.

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As the grueling schedule of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 NBA season progresses, it is becoming more and more apparent that the Phoenix Suns made the right choice by not re-signing Amare Stoudemire.

After ESPNNewYork.com broke news on Monday morning that an MRI revealed a bulging disk in the 10-year veteran’s lower back, the New York Knicks ruled him out “indefinitely.”

Now, I’ll never wish an injury on someone, especially someone I respect as much as Stoudemire. The way he left the team wasn’t because of a lack of respect. The Suns offered him a similar deal to the Knicks’ offer but with performance-based incentives in the latter years of the contract, as Stoudemire was fairly injury-prone up to that point in his career.

That’s what makes the news of Stoudemire’s latest injury so polarizing. He contributed so much to the Suns franchise in his first eight years in the league and remains a classy player on and off the court, but his continued injuries serve as a sort of validation to the Suns for not biting at the Knicks’ high-priced offer.

Don’t get me wrong. Stoudemire will always be one of my favorite players to don a Phoenix Suns uniform. But, as injuries can often derail a team’s season, I’m glad it’s the Knicks, not the Suns, that have to deal with it.

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Continue reading “Devil Dish: March 28” »

CLEVELAND — The Phoenix Suns made a statement early on against Cleveland.

The Suns, one of the NBA’s hottest teams, scored the game’s first 12 points and never trailed in rolling to a 108-83 victory over the Cavaliers on Sunday.

Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris scored 22 points apiece, while Steve Nash added 13 assists. Phoenix has won six of eight to get back into the Western Conference playoff race. The Suns improved to 11-4 since the All-Star break and are one game behind Denver for the final playoff spot in the West.

“This was, by far, the best ball movement we’ve had this year,” said Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry. “We got off to a great start, but I thought we played well for the whole 48 minutes.”

Gortat scored the game’s first 10 points, including two dunks and three layups.

“It was cool,” he said. “It’s always fun when you’re rolling like that. I could have had an easy 30 if I had executed better. My teammates found me, and I was happy I had some post-ups today.”

Cleveland has lost six of seven, leading coach Byron Scott to a simple conclusion.

“We’re not a very good team right now,” he said. “That’s the bottom line. It’s like we were almost sleepwalking.”

Rookie Kyrie Irving scored 16 points for Cleveland, which was never in the game after cutting the lead to 33-31 in the second quarter. Phoenix scored the next nine points to regain control and led 59-38 at halftime. The Cavaliers never got closer than 15 in the second half and the Suns’ biggest lead was 106-78 in the closing minutes.

“We were setting good screens and, of course, having such a great point guard like Steve Nash makes us look better,” Gortat said.

Gortat, who was 10 of 16 from the field, had his way with Cavaliers rookie center Tristan Thompson.

“He ate us alive,” Scott said. “I don’t know if Tristan didn’t know that much about him or if he didn’t realize that the guy is a pretty good player. Gortat has been playing well all season long.”

Nash, who didn’t play in the fourth quarter, finished with four points and made his only two shots from the field in 29 minutes. He didn’t attempt a shot until hitting a layup with 31 seconds left in the second quarter.

Nash had eight assists in the first half, matching Cleveland’s team total for the first two quarters. The 16-year veteran recorded his 31st double-figure assist game of the season and leads the league in that category. Nash matched his season high with 17 assists Friday against Milwaukee.

“He’s so effective on the offensive end,” Irving said. “At times he’s a scorer and then he’ll find the open man. He’s one of the best for a reason and he’s done it year after year.”

Morris, who had a career high in points, shot 9 of 12. Brown added 16 points for the Suns, who shot 51.2 percent for the game.

Irving has averaged 21 points in two games against the Suns this season.

“He doesn’t play like a rookie,” Gentry said. “I heard he turned 20 years old (Friday). That’s frightening because I have suits older than he is.”

Cavaliers forward Antawn Jamison, who sustained a bruised left leg and ankle in the first quarter, finished with a season-low two points. He was injured while battling Gortat for a rebound. The players fell to the floor, with Gortat landing on Jamison’s leg. Jamison was on the floor for several minutes clutching his leg, but walked to the locker room on his own.

Jamison, Cleveland’s second-leading scorer with an 18.4 average, returned in the second quarter. Jamison had his lowest point total since being held scoreless on Jan. 13, 2006 against Indiana while playing for Washington.

Omri Casspi scored 14 points for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers climbed back into the Eastern playoff race earlier this month with a three-game winning streak, including back-to-back road victories against Denver and Oklahoma City. Cleveland has struggled since then, with four of its six losses coming by double figures.

“We can’t play the rest of the season with peaks and valleys,” Irving said. “We beat really good teams by playing hard for 48 minutes. We haven’t been doing that in the last few games.”

NOTES: Nash has had 17 assists four times this season. … Phoenix finished 2-2 on its four-game road trip and is 10-14 away from home. … The Suns host San Antonio on Tuesday. … Cavaliers G Daniel Gibson missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle. … F Luke Walton scored his first points with Cleveland since being acquired from the Lakers on March 15 with a basket in the second quarter. He finished with seven points.

CBSSports.com wire reports
March 25, 2012

CLEVELAND — The Phoenix Suns made a statement early on against Cleveland.

The Suns, one of the NBA’s hottest teams, scored the game’s first 12 points and never trailed in rolling to a 108-83 victory over the Cavaliers on Sunday.

Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris scored 22 points apiece, while Steve Nash added 13 assists. Phoenix has won six of eight to get back into the Western Conference playoff race. The Suns improved to 11-4 since the All-Star break and are one game behind Denver for the final playoff spot in the West.

“This was, by far, the best ball movement we’ve had this year,” said Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry. “We got off to a great start, but I thought we played well for the whole 48 minutes.”

Gortat scored the game’s first 10 points, including two dunks and three layups.

“It was cool,” he said. “It’s always fun when you’re rolling like that. I could have had an easy 30 if I had executed better. My teammates found me, and I was happy I had some post-ups today.”

Cleveland has lost six of seven, leading coach Byron Scott to a simple conclusion.

“We’re not a very good team right now,” he said. “That’s the bottom line. It’s like we were almost sleepwalking.”

Rookie Kyrie Irving scored 16 points for Cleveland, which was never in the game after cutting the lead to 33-31 in the second quarter. Phoenix scored the next nine points to regain control and led 59-38 at halftime. The Cavaliers never got closer than 15 in the second half and the Suns’ biggest lead was 106-78 in the closing minutes.

“We were setting good screens and, of course, having such a great point guard like Steve Nash makes us look better,” Gortat said.

Gortat, who was 10 of 16 from the field, had his way with Cavaliers rookie center Tristan Thompson.

“He ate us alive,” Scott said. “I don’t know if Tristan didn’t know that much about him or if he didn’t realize that the guy is a pretty good player. Gortat has been playing well all season long.”

Nash, who didn’t play in the fourth quarter, finished with four points and made his only two shots from the field in 29 minutes. He didn’t attempt a shot until hitting a layup with 31 seconds left in the second quarter.

Nash had eight assists in the first half, matching Cleveland’s team total for the first two quarters. The 16-year veteran recorded his 31st double-figure assist game of the season and leads the league in that category. Nash matched his season high with 17 assists Friday against Milwaukee.

“He’s so effective on the offensive end,” Irving said. “At times he’s a scorer and then he’ll find the open man. He’s one of the best for a reason and he’s done it year after year.”

Morris, who had a career high in points, shot 9 of 12. Brown added 16 points for the Suns, who shot 51.2 percent for the game.

Irving has averaged 21 points in two games against the Suns this season.

“He doesn’t play like a rookie,” Gentry said. “I heard he turned 20 years old [Friday]. That’s frightening because I have suits older than he is.”

Cavaliers forward Antawn Jamison, who sustained a bruised left leg and ankle in the first quarter, finished with a season-low two points. He was injured while battling Gortat for a rebound. The players fell to the floor, with Gortat landing on Jamison’s leg. Jamison was on the floor for several minutes clutching his leg, but walked to the locker room on his own.

Jamison, Cleveland’s second-leading scorer with an 18.4 average, returned in the second quarter. Jamison had his lowest point total since being held scoreless on Jan. 13, 2006 against Indiana while playing for Washington.

Omri Casspi scored 14 points for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers climbed back into the Eastern playoff race earlier this month with a three-game winning streak, including back-to-back road victories against Denver and Oklahoma City. Cleveland has struggled since then, with four of its six losses coming by double figures.

“We can’t play the rest of the season with peaks and valleys,” Irving said. “We beat really good teams by playing hard for 48 minutes. We haven’t been doing that in the last few games.”

Notes

• Nash has had 17 assists four times this season.
• Phoenix finished 2-2 on its four-game road trip and is 10-14 away from home.
• The Suns host San Antonio on Tuesday.
• Cavaliers G Daniel Gibson missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle.
• F Luke Walton scored his first points with Cleveland since being acquired from the Lakers on March 15 with a basket in the second quarter. He finished with seven points.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Phoenix Suns made a statement early on against Cleveland.

The Suns, one of the NBA’s hottest teams, scored the game’s first 12 points and never trailed in rolling to a 108-83 victory over the Cavaliers on Sunday.

Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris scored 22 points apiece, while Steve Nash added 13 assists. Phoenix has won six of eight to get back into the Western Conference playoff race. The Suns improved to 11-4 since the All-Star break and are one game behind Denver for the final playoff spot in the West.

“This was, by far, the best ball movement we’ve had this year,” said Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry. “We got off to a great start, but I thought we played well for the whole 48 minutes.”

Gortat scored the game’s first 10 points, including two dunks and three layups.

“It was cool,” he said. “It’s always fun when you’re rolling like that. I could have had an easy 30 if I had executed better. My teammates found me, and I was happy I had some post-ups today.”

Cleveland has lost six of seven, leading coach Byron Scott to a simple conclusion.

“We’re not a very good team right now,” he said. “That’s the bottom line. It’s like we were almost sleepwalking.”

Rookie Kyrie Irving scored 16 points for Cleveland, which was never in the game after cutting the lead to 33-31 in the second quarter. Phoenix scored the next nine points to regain control and led 59-38 at halftime. The Cavaliers never got closer than 15 in the second half and the Suns’ biggest lead was 106-78 in the closing minutes.

“We were setting good screens and, of course, having such a great point guard like Steve Nash makes us look better,” Gortat said.

Gortat, who was 10 of 16 from the field, had his way with Cavaliers rookie center Tristan Thompson.

“He ate us alive,” Scott said. “I don’t know if Tristan didn’t know that much about him or if he didn’t realize that the guy is a pretty good player. Gortat has been playing well all season long.”

Nash, who didn’t play in the fourth quarter, finished with four points and made his only two shots from the field in 29 minutes. He didn’t attempt a shot until hitting a layup with 31 seconds left in the second quarter.

Nash had eight assists in the first half, matching Cleveland’s team total for the first two quarters. The 16-year veteran recorded his 31st double-figure assist game of the season and leads the league in that category. Nash matched his season high with 17 assists Friday against Milwaukee.

“He’s so effective on the offensive end,” Irving said. “At times he’s a scorer and then he’ll find the open man. He’s one of the best for a reason and he’s done it year after year.”

Morris, who had a career high in points, shot 9 of 12. Brown added 16 points for the Suns, who shot 51.2 percent for the game.

Irving has averaged 21 points in two games against the Suns this season.

“He doesn’t play like a rookie,” Gentry said. “I heard he turned 20 years old (Friday). That’s frightening because I have suits older than he is.”

Cavaliers forward Antawn Jamison, who sustained a bruised left leg and ankle in the first quarter, finished with a season-low two points. He was injured while battling Gortat for a rebound. The players fell to the floor, with Gortat landing on Jamison’s leg. Jamison was on the floor for several minutes clutching his leg, but walked to the locker room on his own.

Jamison, Cleveland’s second-leading scorer with an 18.4 average, returned in the second quarter. Jamison had his lowest point total since being held scoreless on Jan. 13, 2006 against Indiana while playing for Washington.

Omri Casspi scored 14 points for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers climbed back into the Eastern playoff race earlier this month with a three-game winning streak, including back-to-back road victories against Denver and Oklahoma City. Cleveland has struggled since then, with four of its six losses coming by double figures.

“We can’t play the rest of the season with peaks and valleys,” Irving said. “We beat really good teams by playing hard for 48 minutes. We haven’t been doing that in the last few games.”

NOTES: Nash has had 17 assists four times this season. … Phoenix finished 2-2 on its four-game road trip and is 10-14 away from home. … The Suns host San Antonio on Tuesday. … Cavaliers G Daniel Gibson missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle. … F Luke Walton scored his first points with Cleveland since being acquired from the Lakers on March 15 with a basket in the second quarter. He finished with seven points.

By Jess Root

– Regional Sports Editor

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Mar 25, 2012 – After losing two consecutive games in Florida to the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns regrouped and held on to beat the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis. Phoenix will now conclude their road trip and attempt to go above .500 again as they play the fist game on the NBA docket against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The game will match up the old guard and the new guard of point guards. Phoenix fans all know about Steve Nash and his career. His season is still amazing as he leads the league in assists. The Cavs start Kyrie Irving, the number one pick of last year’s NBA Draft. The likely Rookie of the Year is averaging over 18 points a game and a little under six assists.

For your watching pleasure, today’s game will begin at noon Arizona time. The game is being nationally televised on NBA TV, but locally you will need to turn on FSN Arizona, as is always the case. The radio broadcast will be on Arizona Sports 620.

Bright Side of the Sun will have a live game thread if you wish to chat with other Suns fans while you watch the game.

Likely starting lineups and matchups:

PG: Steve Nash — Kyrie Irving

SG :Jared Dudley — Anthony Parker

SF: Grant Hill — Antawn Jamison

PF: Channing Frye — Alonzo Gee

C: Marcin Gortat — Tristan Thompson

Talk more Suns at Bright Side of the Sun.

For the latest AZ sports, follow us on Twitter @SBNArizona and “Like” us on Facebook.

Read More: Steve Nash (G – PHO), Phoenix Suns

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Marcin Gortat had trouble sleeping the night before his Phoenix Suns faced his old team, the Orlando Magic, on Wednesday.

It didn’t matter. The game, itself, was a nightmare.

Dwight Howard won the matchup of the centers, and Ryan Anderson swished one long-range shot after another as the Magic throttled the Suns 103-93.

“I probably gave him too much respect again,” Gortat said of Howard. “I should have attacked him a little bit stronger. Now it is over, and the game is over. He basically destroyed me and the whole team.”

Howard scored 28 points, collected 16 rebounds and blocked three shots to produce the kind of dominant performance Gortat had seen so often as Howard’s backup.

This time, all of those dunks, running hooks and athletic rebounds came at Gortat’s expense. Gortat finished with four points on 1-of-7 shooting, nine boards and three blocks.

“It wasn’t a one-on-one game,” Howard said. “I wasn’t preparing to play Marcin. I was preparing for what’s ahead.”

By “what’s ahead,” Howard meant the playoffs.

With 18 more regular-season games to go, the Magic still need to make plenty of improvements. Coach Stan Van Gundy wants his players to play with more urgency from start to finish. And he wants them to realize that some of the bad habits they have formed — occasional lackadaisical defense, periods of low energy on offense and continuous carelessness with the basketball — simply cannot be erased when the playoffs begin.

The Magic displayed those bad habits Wednesday, despite the easy victory. They allowed the Suns to shoot 48.1 percent from the field. The Magic committed 17 turnovers. And the Magic were outscored 31-22 in the final quarter.

Still, the Magic received a game-high 29 points from Anderson, who hit seven of the 12 shots he tried from beyond the arc. Backup big man Glen Davis added 16 points and seven rebounds.

And, of course, there was Howard’s big contribution.

“Dwight played extremely well, and I thought we defended Marcin’s offense very, very well,” Van Gundy said.

“That was more of a team thing, because Marsh’s game is pick-and-rolls with [Steve] Nash, and we made a real concerted effort to take that roll to the rim away. I thought we did that as well as it can possibly be done.”

Nash finished with 12 points, just two assists and five turnovers as the Suns completed a back-to-back.

The Magic (30-18) needed a victory after they lost Sunday to the Miami Heat and were demolished Monday night by the Chicago Bulls.

The Suns (23-24) were playing on the second leg of a back-to-back. Including their loss Tuesday to the Heat, the Suns dropped to 9-4 since the All-Star break.

The Magic took control early in the second quarter.

Ahead 33-28, Anderson sank a 3-pointer, J.J. Redickhit a running jumper off the glass, Anderson made two of three free throws and Davis swished a fadeaway jumper.

That upped the Magic’s lead to 42-28.

Although the Suns cut the score to 49-40 on a runner by Nash with 2:53 left before halftime, Howard responded on Orlando’s ensuing possession. Howard sped past Gortat, cut across the lane and went up for a dunk.

The Magic led by double digits from that point on.

Gortat has been a big reason for Phoenix’s recent success.

Benefitting from his partnership with Nash and increased playing time, Gortat began Wednesday with Howard and Andrew Bynum as the NBA’s only players who are averaging 15.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. 

Gortat felt excited before Wednesday’s tipoff. In fact, he felt so amped up that he worried that his excess energy would spur him into silly personal fouls early on.

Nicknamed the “Polish Hammer,” Gortat was a fan favorite in Orlando for his hustle, his awkward style and because he was a good backup to Howard. Gortat often wanted more playing time, but Van Gundy found it difficult because Gortat was playing behind Howard, a perennial All-Star.

Gortat had looked forward to this matchup ever since Dec. 18, 2010, the day of the blockbuster trade that sent him, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus, a first-round pick and cash to the Suns for Earl Clark, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu.

The Suns had not played the Magic in Orlando since then.

Before tipoff, Gortat credited Van Gundy and assistant coach Brendan Malone for helping him become a better pro.

He also is friendly with Howard. The two spent some time together during the offseason, talking once face-to-face for 90 minutes.

“After Coach Malone, after Stan, Dwight is probably the third person who really improved my game, who made me a tougher guy,” Gortat said. “Now I know how it is to go against the best guys in the league. Many times, there’s nothing worse than Dwight. If you can survive Dwight, then there’s nothing worse than Dwight.”

Perhaps Gortat’s adrenaline messed with his shooting on Wednesday. He didn’t score until he was fouled by Jameer Nelson and hit a pair of free throws with 8 minutes, 49 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Gortat missed his first six shot attempts from the field, but he collected an offensive rebound off a missed 3 by teammate Markieff Morris and scored on a layup with 4:14 left in the third. His bucket cut Orlando’s lead to 71-58.

Too late.

Gortat and Nash watched the fourth quarter from the Phoenix bench.

By that point, there was no need for them to go back into the game.

The nightmare was about to run its course with or without them.

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

Copyright © 2012, Orlando Sentinel

Marcin Gortat had trouble sleeping the night before his Phoenix Suns faced his old team, the Orlando Magic, on Wednesday.

It didn’t matter. The game, itself, was a nightmare.

Dwight Howard won the matchup of the centers, and Ryan Anderson swished one long-range shot after another as the Magic throttled the Suns 103-93.

“I probably gave him too much respect again,” Gortat said of Howard. “I should have attacked him a little bit stronger. Now it is over, and the game is over. He basically destroyed me and the whole team.”

Howard scored 28 points, collected 16 rebounds and blocked three shots to produce the kind of dominant performance Gortat had seen so often as Howard’s backup.

This time, all of those dunks, running hooks and athletic rebounds came at Gortat’s expense. Gortat finished with four points on 1-of-7 shooting, nine boards and three blocks.

“It wasn’t a one-on-one game,” Howard said. “I wasn’t preparing to play Marcin. I was preparing for what’s ahead.”

By “what’s ahead,” Howard meant the playoffs.

With 18 more regular-season games to go, the Magic still need to make plenty of improvements. Coach Stan Van Gundy wants his players to play with more urgency from start to finish. And he wants them to realize that some of the bad habits they have formed — occasional lackadaisical defense, periods of low energy on offense and continuous carelessness with the basketball — simply cannot be erased when the playoffs begin.

The Magic displayed those bad habits Wednesday, despite the easy victory. They allowed the Suns to shoot 48.1 percent from the field. The Magic committed 17 turnovers. And the Magic were outscored 31-22 in the final quarter.

Still, the Magic received a game-high 29 points from Anderson, who hit seven of the 12 shots he tried from beyond the arc. Backup big man Glen Davis added 16 points and seven rebounds.

And, of course, there was Howard’s big contribution.

“Dwight played extremely well, and I thought we defended Marcin’s offense very, very well,” Van Gundy said.

“That was more of a team thing, because Marsh’s game is pick-and-rolls with [Steve] Nash, and we made a real concerted effort to take that roll to the rim away. I thought we did that as well as it can possibly be done.”

Nash finished with 12 points, just two assists and five turnovers as the Suns completed a back-to-back.

The Magic (30-18) needed a victory after they lost Sunday to the Miami Heat and were demolished Monday night by the Chicago Bulls.

The Suns (23-24) were playing on the second leg of a back-to-back. Including their loss Tuesday to the Heat, the Suns dropped to 9-4 since the All-Star break.

The Magic took control early in the second quarter.

Ahead 33-28, Anderson sank a 3-pointer, J.J. Redickhit a running jumper off the glass, Anderson made two of three free throws and Davis swished a fadeaway jumper.

That upped the Magic’s lead to 42-28.

Although the Suns cut the score to 49-40 on a runner by Nash with 2:53 left before halftime, Howard responded on Orlando’s ensuing possession. Howard sped past Gortat, cut across the lane and went up for a dunk.

The Magic led by double digits from that point on.

Gortat has been a big reason for Phoenix’s recent success.

Benefitting from his partnership with Nash and increased playing time, Gortat began Wednesday with Howard and Andrew Bynum as the NBA’s only players who are averaging 15.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. 

Gortat felt excited before Wednesday’s tipoff. In fact, he felt so amped up that he worried that his excess energy would spur him into silly personal fouls early on.

Nicknamed the “Polish Hammer,” Gortat was a fan favorite in Orlando for his hustle, his awkward style and because he was a good backup to Howard. Gortat often wanted more playing time, but Van Gundy found it difficult because Gortat was playing behind Howard, a perennial All-Star.

Gortat had looked forward to this matchup ever since Dec. 18, 2010, the day of the blockbuster trade that sent him, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus, a first-round pick and cash to the Suns for Earl Clark, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu.

The Suns had not played the Magic in Orlando since then.

Before tipoff, Gortat credited Van Gundy and assistant coach Brendan Malone for helping him become a better pro.

He also is friendly with Howard. The two spent some time together during the offseason, talking once face-to-face for 90 minutes.

“After Coach Malone, after Stan, Dwight is probably the third person who really improved my game, who made me a tougher guy,” Gortat said. “Now I know how it is to go against the best guys in the league. Many times, there’s nothing worse than Dwight. If you can survive Dwight, then there’s nothing worse than Dwight.”

Perhaps Gortat’s adrenaline messed with his shooting on Wednesday. He didn’t score until he was fouled by Jameer Nelson and hit a pair of free throws with 8 minutes, 49 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Gortat missed his first six shot attempts from the field, but he collected an offensive rebound off a missed 3 by teammate Markieff Morris and scored on a layup with 4:14 left in the third. His bucket cut Orlando’s lead to 71-58.

Too late.

Gortat and Nash watched the fourth quarter from the Phoenix bench.

By that point, there was no need for them to go back into the game.

The nightmare was about to run its course with or without them.

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

Copyright © 2012, Orlando Sentinel

MIAMI (AP) LeBron James gave Miami two big scares. The Phoenix Suns provided another.

The Heat survived them all.

Chris Bosh scored 29 points, and the Heat used a 17-0 fourth-quarter run to erase a 10-point deficit and beat the Suns 99-95 on Tuesday night for their 14th straight home victory.

James scored 20 points, shaking off a stinger on his right elbow in the first quarter – then a high-impact collision with Grant Hill in the final seconds, staying down for nearly 2 minutes before getting pulled to his feet.

He remained in the game. In the locker room afterward, James complained of a headache and seemed more soft-spoken than usual, though insisted he was fine.

”Never had one of those hits since I had on pads and a helmet,” James said. ”So it took me back to that moment. I don’t know what exactly happened. … I’m all right. I’ve been better. I’ve got a little headache. But I’ll be all right.”

James said he didn’t believe he would need additional testing, such as exams to rule out a concussion. He also said he was not concerned about the elbow soreness, a problem that plagued him at times when he played for Cleveland as well.

”When I heard him saying what the score was, what the time was, I knew he was going to be OK,” said Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who scored 11 of his 19 in the fourth. ”I saw Grant get up before him, which was surprising.”

Hill led Phoenix with 19 points. Marcin Gortat had 13, Markieff Morris 12, Jared Dudley 10 and Steve Nash finished with nine points and 10 assists.

James was chasing the ball and never saw Hill. Both players went down, and both said afterward they felt fortunate the play did not result in something more serious. James started to get up, got to one knee, then rolled over onto his back and grabbed his head with both hands before eventually making his way to the bench.

”I was trying to set a screen,” Hill said. ”I don’t think he saw me and ran right into me. The old man got up and the young guy stood on the ground for a while. Luckily, he didn’t get hurt. Luckily, neither one of us got hurt.”

The Suns had the NBA’s second-best record since Feb. 19, having won 11 of their last 14 coming in. Shannon Brown’s 3-pointer with 7:29 left put Phoenix up 90-80, but the Suns missed their next 10 shots.

James, Wade and Haslem all made a pair of free throws to start Miami’s late run, and the Heat tied it when Mario Chalmers stole the ball from Nash and set up Wade for a breakaway dunk.

Bosh made two more foul shots to put the Heat up for good, Wade made a layup while sprawling to the floor and stretched the lead to 95-90 after Suns coach Alvin Gentry was called for a technical, and James’ jumper with 1:52 left capped the flurry. Miami made 13 of 16 free throws in the final quarter, while Phoenix was only 3 for 4.

The Suns missed four straight shots at the rim in one stretch, all in a span of 34 seconds, and the Heat started to roll.

”They made the plays down the stretch, but we also had an opportunity to make plays that we didn’t complete,” Gentry said.

Udonis Haslem added 15 for the Heat.

James had another hard fall in the early going. On a drive into the lane, James was hit by Morris and reached back with his right arm to brace himself for the fall. James appeared to hit his right elbow directly on the floor – he was wearing a pad on that one, though not the left – and stepped away from the foul line briefly while shaking the arm.

The Heat had another injury woe to deal with as well, with starting center Joel Anthony out of the lineup for the first time this season because of a sprained ankle. Dexter Pittman made his first career start in Anthony’s place.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spent the better part of two days raving about the Suns’ play of late, especially Nash. A sampling of the terms Spoelstra used to describe the Phoenix point guard: ”maestro,” ”timeless quarterback,” ”relentless” and ”tireless.”

All were on display throughout.

Down by nine in the early going, Phoenix closed the first half on a 13-3 run, a spurt Nash started with a 3-pointer and one that sent the Suns in the locker room up 53-49 – even though Miami shot 58 percent in the first half.

Phoenix led by eight in the third quarter, holding Miami to 35 percent shooting, before the Heat rallied from a double-digit deficit for the third time in its last four home games.

”To finish the game, it was more our style, more aggressive in the second half – particularly in the fourth quarter,” Spoelstra said.

Notes: Heat President Pat Riley celebrated his 67th birthday. … Celebrity night: Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer was in the season-high crowd of 20,212, as were the tennis-golf power couple of Caroline Wozniacki (snapping a few photos with her phone) and Rory McIlroy, Miami Marlins standouts Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Johnson, NFL star Andre Johnson and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. … Phoenix started a stretch where it will play 12 of 15 on the road, with three one-game ”homestands” breaking up the various trips. … Wade did not take a shot in the first quarter, only the ninth time in 583 regular-season games that happened. … Nash shot 2 for 3 in the first quarter, raising his NBA-best percentage in the opening 12 minutes of games this season to 60.8.

After starting the season 7-13, the Phoenix Suns have worked themselves back into the playoff picture.

And a team noted for its fast-paced offense and prolific scoring is doing it with defense.

The Suns are 9-2 this month, holding opponents to less than 100 points in seven victories.

Forward Grant Hill, the team’s best one-on-one defender and usually guarding the opposing best player except for centers, believes the Suns have turned the corner in coach Alvin Gentry’s fourth season.

Phoenix (23-22) is above .500 for the first time this season. The Suns, who missed the postseason last year, are just ½ game behind the Houston Rockets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

The Suns have gone from giving up 107.5 points per game in 2008-09 (27th in the NBA) to 105.3 in 2009-10 (26th) to 105.9 last season (29th).

This season, they are allowing 97.2 (19th entering Monday).

“It’s hard to change a culture that’s so used to not playing defense, especially implementing new schemes in a shortened season. We’re starting to get it slowly but surely,” says Hill, who has defended point guard Chris Paul to 7-foot, long-range shooter Dirk Nowitzki to brute-strong Blake Griffin in the post.

“Alvin put in some new concepts this year. He has made a concerted effort making (defense) a priority. With things like that it takes time. … Usually you have a chance to work on that in the month of October, training camp, preseason and all of that.

“We were kind of thrown into the fire” because of the lockout, Hill says. “I think we’re getting it. It’s getting better. It’s one of the reasons we’re playing well as of late.”

Hill is 39 and point guard Steve Nash is 38, but the duo has missed only seven games total.

“They transcend age. They’re timeless,” says Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team hosts the Suns on Tuesday. “They’re incredible in terms of consistency and durability in their later years.”

The compressed schedule hasn’t hurt them, even though Hill had surgery on his right knee in September. He didn’t start running until two days before training camp in December. He’s averaging a career-low 10.4 points and shooting his lowest from the field (44.4%) since 2001-02 but feels he has rounded into shape since the All-Star break.

The Suns need him with 12 of their next 15 games on the road, which will go a long way to determining their playoff fate. After the Heat they play at the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers, with a lone home game against the tough San Antonio Spurs also in the mix.

Copyright 2012 USA TODAY

PHOENIX (AP) Michael Redd scored a season-high 25 points off the bench and the Phoenix Suns beat the Houston Rockets 99-86 on Sunday night for their fourth straight win.

Channing Frye scored 19 and Marcin Gortat had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who moved within a half-game of the Rockets for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Phoenix, which moved over .500 for the first time this season at 23-22, is 11-3 over its past 14 games and 8-1 at home since the All-Star break.

Luis Scola scored 18 points and Goran Dragic added 16 for the short-handed Rockets, who have lost eight of 11.

Marcus Camby made his Rockets debut, recording eight points and eight rebounds in nearly 20 minutes. But Houston is still short at point guard with Derek Fisher not reporting to the Rockets after his trade from the Lakers.

Redd scored 15 consecutive points for the Suns over a six-minute stretch of the second quarter, as the Suns extended a 13-point, first-quarter lead to as many as 21 before settling for a 52-36 halftime advantage.

Houston pulled no closer than 12 until a layup by Dragic made it 92-82 with 1:41 remaining. But Gortat hit a short hook shot and Frye scored off an offensive rebound with 44.5 seconds left to give the Suns a 96-84 lead.

The Rockets shot 43 percent from the field – 26.1 percent during a 13-point first quarter – and were 1 of 11 from beyond the 3-point arc.

NOTES: Houston’s 13 first-quarter points were an opponent season low for Phoenix. . When Dragic picked up his fifth foul later in the third quarter, the Rockets were left with Courtney Fortson to run the point. Fortson, who was signed to a 10-day contract Saturday from the NBA D-League’s L.A. D-Fenders, had three rebounds, two assists, a turnover and had one of his two shots blocked. . Phoenix F Markieff Morris outscored his brother, Houston F Marcus, 4-2 in limited minutes. . The last time the Suns played four games in five nights, they lost all four.