Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

by Bob Young, columnist – Dec. 24, 2011 05:48 PM
The Arizona Republic

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

PHOENIX (AP)—The Phoenix Suns had nine players on the court when they
opened training camp on Saturday night, with the others expected to join the
team in the next day or two.

Grant Hill, free agent signee Sebastian Telfair and first-round draft pick
Markieff Morris were working out details in their contracts before joining the
workouts at Grand Canyon University.

Another free agent acquisition, Shannon Brown, has signed his deal and
practiced. Brown, who left the Los Angeles Lakers, says his ability fits well
into the Suns’ fast-paced system.

“It’s the up-and-down, the continuous basketball,” Brown said. “Coach
(Alvin) Gentry lets his guys play. He doesn’t focus on what you can’t do. He
tries to let you maximize what you can do out there on the court. That’s what
I’m here to do.”

Corey Gaines, coach of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, was pressed into service
so the team could run 5-on-5 drills.

Hill has agreed to a $6.5 million, one-year contract to return to the Suns
after being courted by the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.

While Gentry insisted he never seriously believed Hill would go elsewhere,
close friend and two-time league MVP Steve Nash felt otherwise.

“I think legitimately he was considering other places,” Nash said, “and
he had great opportunities elsewhere. So we should feel very fortunate to have
him back.”

Nash said Hill is an asset for more than his considerable ability on the
court.

“What he means to the team as far as his experience, intelligence and
unselfishness, what he means to our community,” Nash said. “I think he means
as much to the fans as he does to the point guard and as he does to the coaches.
He’s just one of those players that kind of separates himself from your everyday
NBA player.”

After just one practice, Channing Frye said the team chemistry is better
this year.

“I could tell right now just the flow of our offense,” he said, “that we
have a lot more athleticism and length.”

The Suns’ attempt to trade Mickael Pietrus for a draft pick fell through
when he flunked his physical with Toronto. His agent says he plans to return to
Phoenix.

Gentry is entering his third full season as Suns coach. The team, struggling
following the departure of Amare Stoudemire, failed to make the playoffs last
season after a surprise run to the Western Conference finals the previous year.

Gentry said he likes the changes the team has made after its personnel
shakeup in the midst of last season.

“Coming back now and knowing that this is going to be our team is a good
situation,” he said. “I think the guys are excited about it.”

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Over the past few years we’ve watched the Phoenix Suns abandon their Seven Seconds or Less, run and gun style in favor of a more deliberate offense with various attempts at improving the defense and rebounding. In 2008-09 the Suns added an inside presence (Shaq) and went too far away from who they were. In 2009-10 they tacked back towards their offensive game (but not all the way back) and reached the Western Conference Finals.

The big difference between the Suns transition and what the Phoenix Mercury are trying to do in 2011 was a couple of coaching changes. When Terry Porter replaced Mike D’Antoni it was too much, too fast and the wrong guy piloting the change. It wasn’t until Alvin Gentry took over that a more orderly transition could begin.

The Mercury don’t have that issue. They still have Corey Gaines at the helm and he’s not ever going to completely abandon his style of play learned at the side of Paul Westhead. But there’s also no denying that this is a team trying to alter its identity.

“We’re trying to use our strength inside with Candice (Dupree) and Kara (Braxton) so we’re going to try and be a little more inside-out. But our weapons have always been getting out in transition and scoring that way,” Diana Taurasi said this week, playing the role of Steve Nash as the floor leader who loves to run but sees a need to change.

Gaines also has the added bonus of having a far more talented roster to work with relative to the rest of his league. Much of the Suns failures can be blamed on the front office not surrounding Nash with enough talent. The same can’t be said for the Mercury.

Mercury power forward Candice Parker led the WNBA in field goal percent and both rebounds extremely well and is fantastic finishing the pick and roll. Gaines has an inside force in Kara Braxton who looks mobile and motivated this season and two of the top wing players in the game in Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor. Both can shoot, score and handle the ball well enough to run initiate the offense from anywhere on the court.  Mix in third-year all purpose defender, DeWanna Bonner, point guard Temeka Johnson, and a deep bench and he’s got plenty enough talent to compete.

Any transition requires an adjustment period and that was obvious in the first game against Seattle when despite a long training camp the Mercury were completely out of their offensive flow for large stretches of the contest. Only Diana Taurasi’s ability to make brilliant individual plays kept it from being worse.

It will be interesting to watch the Mercury and see what lessons they’ve learned from the Suns as they move away from being a team that tries to run opponents off the court and win high-scoring contests to a team with a more balanced approach to the game.

The Mercury are back in action Friday night for the second game of their 34-game summer schedule against the Los Angels Sparks.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Last season, the Phoenix Suns swept the San Antonio Spurs out of the playoffs. It’s quite a different story this year.

The Spurs are headed to the postseason as the Western Conference’s top seed while the Suns are closing out a poor campaign Wednesday night at home.

San Antonio (61-20) still has something to play for in its finale, since it’s tied with Chicago for the best record in the NBA. If the teams are tied after Wednesday, a random draw will decide which team would have home-court advantage in a possible NBA finals meeting.

It’s unclear how important that is to San Antonio, which rested starters Tony Parker(notes), Tim Duncan(notes), Manu Ginobili(notes) and Antonio McDyess(notes) in Tuesday’s 102-93 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Coach Gregg Popovich, though, indicated that those players will all likely return against the Suns (39-42) in order to avoid any rust before the playoffs begin.

“It’s a back-to-back, and I’d rather play (Wednesday) and not have such a long time before the weekend,” Popovich said. “(The reserves) got some experience. I’m happy with what they did.”

Richard Jefferson(notes) was the lone regular San Antonio starter to play. The Spurs kept the game close throughout, and were tied with 5:56 left.

“I think it showed the character, the heart that we have, and we’re a pretty deep team,” guard George Hill(notes) said. “We tried to give the best effort we could, and that’s all you can hope for. All of us thought we could win. That was our whole motive going into the game.”

Phoenix was a step away from reaching the finals last season after eliminating San Antonio in the conference semifinals. The Suns lost to the Lakers in six games, though, and after trading Amare Stoudemire(notes) to New York in the offseason will finish with their first losing record in seven years.

The Spurs have won all three meetings with the Suns this season, limiting Phoenix to 33.3 percent shooting on 3-pointers. Jefferson has led the way with 19.0 points per game in the season series while Duncan has added averages of 17.7 points and 12.0 rebounds.

San Antonio, which hasn’t swept four regular-season meetings from Phoenix since 2003-04, has shot 50.2 percent against the Suns in 2010-11.

Phoenix survived a poor defensive effort in Monday’s 135-127 overtime win over Minnesota, which shot 54.7 percent and outrebounded the Suns 45-35.

“Good win, but we weren’t very good defensively,” coach Alvin Gentry said. “Obviously, we gave up 65 points in the first half and they shot 62 percent.”

Channing Frye(notes) set a Suns regular-season single-game record with nine 3-pointers after going 1 for 10 over his previous three games. He finished with a career-high 33 points.

“Tonight I’m just happy the ball went in,” Frye said. “My teammates did a good job finding me.”

What are your opinions.

(Sports Network) – The playoff-bound Dallas Mavericks will close out a three- game homestand tonight versus the Phoenix Suns at American Airlines Center.

Dallas is currently third in the Western Conference standings, just one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers and one game ahead of Oklahoma City with three games remaining. The Mavericks ended a four-game losing streak with Friday’s 107-96 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Big D.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half and Corey Brewer chipped in 20 points as well for the Mavs, who erased a 16-point deficit and improved to 27-12 at home. J.J. Barea and Tyson Chandler scored 15 points apiece in a winning effort.

“It’s really big for us. We’ve been going through a losing stretch – and it’s tough when you’re losing – but it was good to get a win tonight with the fans behind us,” Brewer said.

Shawn Marion ended with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Jason Terry did not play in the second half due to coaching reasons. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle said it was an internal matter. Terry allegedly got into a verbal exchange with Barea during a timeout.

Carlisle’s club will visit Houston before hosting New Orleans next week in the regular season finale.

Phoenix is playing out the string and will miss the playoffs for the second time in three years. It is 1-3 so far on a five-game road trip and fell to 17-23 away from the desert with Friday’s 109-97 loss at the Hornets.

Jared Dudley had a team-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Suns, who got 17 points from Marcin Gortat and 15 out of Grant Hill. Vince Carter posted 14 points off the bench, as Phoenix fell for the seventh time in nine tries overall.

“Our problems start because we can’t close out quarters,” Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said. “We have to come up with more plays that we complete and finish; that’s on the offensive and defensive end.”

Suns All-Star guard Steve Nash missed the New Orleans game with a sore right hamstring and is doubtful for Sunday. Nash has missed three of five games and is averaging 15.1 points and 11.4 assists this season.

Phoenix will close out the 2010-11 campaign with back-to-back home games versus Minnesota and San Antonio.

Dallas has won the first three meetings with Phoenix this season and hasn’t swept a series from the Suns since winning all five meetings during the 1987-88 campaign. The Mavs have won 10 of the last 13 contests against the Suns and have scored at least 100 points in 25 of the past 27 encounters.

Phoenix has lost six straight and 15 of its last 19 at Dallas.

The Sports Network

What are your opinions.

Last season, the Phoenix Suns were one Ron Artest(notes) offensive rebound away from, well, still being a game away from the NBA Finals. Still, the team gave the Lakers a good scare in the Western Conference finals, before undergoing some significant changes in the offseason.

Like, losing an all-world scoring big man who can drop 30 in his sleep. And often did.

With Amar’e Stoudemire(notes) in New York, and the second-option-by-committee thing failing miserably, the Suns fell short of the playoffs this season. Star guard Steve Nash(notes) has been hampered by personal difficulty and injuries all season, and with the regular season coming to a close next week, he decided to try out a little lottery-bound gallows humor on Twitter on Tuesday morning.

That’s the attitude, mate. Of course ol’ @Coley_Coles had to go and point out that it was ridiculous for a rabbi, a horse, and Helen Keller to be walking into a bar at the same time:

(Steve’s words, like mine, are in parenthesis.)

I think I know dry humor. On my junior kindergarten (a grade local to Chicago, I guess) report card, Mrs. Henry actually pointed out that “Kelly has a very dry sense of humor,” which is a pretty remarkable thing when you consider that there aren’t a lot of five-year olds out there that remind of Dick Cavett. So of course it’s nice to see Steve bringing the ha-ha even if his season hasn’t been a barrel of laughs. I mean that. Seriously. I’m a little dry, but it’s not a joke.

(By the way, the rabbi says, “I said Midori stone SOUR!” It’s a really good joke.)

Related: Amar’e Stoudemire, Ron Artest, Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

By Seth Pollack – Regional Sports Editor

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

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Apr 3, 2011 - I am sure when the whiz kids at the league, or ABC, or where ever, decided to put the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs on national TV on a Sunday morning just a few weeks before the end of the season they were thinking this game would have big meaning. They must have assumed that since the Suns made it to the Western Conference Finals and that the two teams had so much recent playoff history that the game was bound to be good.

Well, the game still might be good but it holds no meaning for the Suns. Phoenix is just a hair’s breadth from being technically eliminated from the playoffs. One more loss and they are done. One more win by the New Orleans Hornets are they are done. Basically, they are done but just haven’t got the message yet.

The Spurs, however, desperately need a win. They’ve lost six-straight games and their strangle hold on the Western Conference top seed is very much in jeopardy. They are just one 1/2 games ahead of the Lakers for home court advantage with the Bull closing in on the best record in the NBA.

The Suns will make things a bit easier for San Antonio to get back on track having left Steve Nash at home due to flu-like symptoms. Nash is expected to join the team in Chicago on Tuesday for the second game of this final five-game road trip of season. Aaron Brooks and Zabian Dowdell will once again split time running the point.

The game tips at 10:00 a.m. local time on ABC and will be broadcast on Sports 620 radio. Fans can follow along during the game with other Suns fans at the live game thread at Bright Side of the Sun.     

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The Phoenix Suns needed to finish strong to make the playoffs, but they’ve done anything but as the season winds down – due very much to their inability to finish strong in the fourth quarter.

Phoenix, loser of four in a row, could find itself eliminated from postseason contention by the end of Friday night as it faces the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Suns (36-38) would miss the playoffs if they are unable to beat the Clippers and eighth-place Memphis wins at New Orleans. Phoenix, 10th in the Western Conference, could at best finish tied with the Grizzlies under that scenario, and Memphis took the season series 2-1.

The Suns would also be eliminated if they end up in a tie with Houston and Utah as well as Memphis, based on winning percentage in all games among the tied teams.

Phoenix’s poorly timed losing streak has been due in large part to the club’s struggles in the fourth quarter. The Suns have been outscored by an average of 11.0 points in the final period of the last four games.

On Wednesday, they were outscored 37-25 in the final 12 minutes of a 116-98 home loss to Oklahoma City.

“We just can’t seem to put any offense together to start the fourth quarter,” coach Alvin Gentry said. “That’s where most of the teams seem to be getting separation between us.”

The Suns, who open a five-game trip Sunday against NBA-leading San Antonio and face East-leading Chicago on Tuesday, last dropped five in a row during a six-game slide March 3-12, 2009.

Phoenix, though, has won 21 of the last 27 meetings with Los Angeles. The Suns defeated the Clippers 116-108 on Nov. 26 in the lone matchup at Phoenix this season, and have won the last seven home game in the series by an average of 17.9 points.

Los Angeles (29-46) will miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. It’s 2-19 on the road versus Western Conference teams, with the victories coming against woeful Sacramento and Minnesota.

“I’m trying to see who wants to compete, get coached and be developed,” coach Vinny Del Negro said following a 106-100 home loss to Dallas on Wednesday. “I’m trying to see what type of nucleus we have with our core guys and trying to continue to develop our young players.”

Blake Griffin(notes) is certainly part of that nucleus. The forward posted his 57th double-double Wednesday with 25 points and 17 rebounds and set the franchise’s single-season rookie record with 1,682 points.

Griffin, averaging 21.7 points and team-high 9.3 boards against Phoenix this season, had 28 and 12 as the Clippers snapped a nine-game skid to Phoenix with a 108-103 victory Dec. 26.

Suns point guard Steve Nash(notes), who had 21 points and 15 assists in that game, is averaging team highs of 20.0 points, 12.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds against Los Angeles this season.

Matched up against Clippers newcomer Mo Williams(notes), Nash scored 23 points with 13 assists and seven rebounds in a 108-99 victory March 20.

Williams had 18 points, seven assists and seven boards in that contest and is averaging 17.1 points since being acquired by Cleveland in February.

The Clippers have played better of late, going 8-6 since a 2-12 stretch.

Comment Below!.

PHOENIX (AP) — Carl Landry, starting in place of injured David West, scored 19 points and the New Orleans Hornets pulled out a 106-100 victory over Phoenix on Friday night, sinking the Suns further out of the Western Conference playoff race.

The Hornets, who lost leading scorer West for the season with a knee injury in a victory at Utah on Thursday night, won for the fifth time in six games to stay in a virtual tie with Portland for the No. 6 spot in the West.

Chris Paul led five Hornets in double figures with 22 points. Jarrett Jack added 17, Trevor Ariza 16 and Willie Green 15.

Marcin Gortat had 18 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes before leaving the game with a broken nose with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. Grant Hill also scored 18, while Jared Dudley and Aaron Brooks added 17 apiece.

That’s all for today.

(Sports Network) – A pair of postseason hopefuls get together tonight in the desert, as the Phoenix Suns play host to the New Orleans Hornets.

The Hornets are currently seventh in the Western Conference — a half-game behind Portland and a full game ahead of Memphis — and opened a three-game trip with last night’s 121-117 overtime win against Utah. David West netted 29 points before exiting the game with an apparent knee injury and Chris Paul delivered 24 points and 12 assists for New Orleans, which won for the sixth time in nine tries.

Emeka Okafor tied the game in regulation on a desperation shot and tallied 12 points and six boards in a winning effort.

“[I saw] all there was time for was touch and go. I just looked at the rim, just to get an idea of where I’m at and let it go,” Okafor said of the dramatic basket.

New Orleans will also visit the Los Angeles Lakers and is 17-20 away from the Big Easy this season. West, meanwhile, is questionable for tonight’s game.

Phoenix will continue a three-game homestand Friday and kicked off the residency with Wednesday’s 114-106 triumph over the Toronto Raptors.

Aaron Brooks came off the bench to score 25 points to help the Suns battle back from a 13-point deficit in the second half. Steve Nash had 16 points and Channing Frye added 14 for the Suns, who are three games behind the Grizzlies for the final postseason spot in the Western Conference.

“I thought it was our best win of the year,” said Suns head coach Alvin Gentry. “That was a total team effort.”

Marcin Gortat added 15 points and a team-high eight boards while Jared Dudley scored 13 points in a winning effort. Gortat has scored in double figures in a career-high 16-straight games.

Gentry’s club will also visit Dallas and is 20-15 at US Airways Center. It has won 12 of the past 18 games as the host. In injury news for Phoenix, guard Grant Hill (flu) and forward Mickael Pietrus (knee/quadriceps) are both questionable for this evening’s game.

The 2010-11 season series between New Orleans and Phoenix is tied at a game apiece, with each team prevailing as the host. The Hornets have lost three straight and six of nine games in the Valley of the Sun.

The Sports Network

That’s all the news for today.

The Canadian Press

Posted: Mar 23, 2011 8:51 AM ET

Last Updated: Mar 23, 2011 9:48 AM ET

 

Victoria’s Steve Nash (13) drives for a layup against Raptors rookie Ed Davis in a 110-92 Suns win at Toronto on Feb. 25. (Ron Turenne/Getty Images)

One night after just missing a chance to move closer to a playoff position, the Phoenix Suns appear to have an easier opportunity for a win.

The Suns will try again to cut into their deficit in the Western Conference race and seek to bounce back from an agonizingly narrow defeat by posting their 14th consecutive win against the visiting Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

A season high-tying four straight losses dropped Phoenix as low as 11th in the West last week. The Suns responded with consecutive wins and nearly claimed a third in a row Tuesday at the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Lakers.

The Suns (35-34) rallied from a nine-point deficit in the final three minutes of regulation at Staples Center, then played three overtimes only to fall 139-137.

“We have resolve,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “We play hard and we compete like crazy.

“We were playing a helluva basketball team [Lakers]. A team that’s playing better than anybody in the league right now.

“They’re 13-1 since the all-star break. We had a chance to do something special and we didn’t quite get it done so, obviously, it hurts.”

In his third game back from a dislocated right shoulder, Channing Frye scored a career-best 32 points and hit three free throws to force the second overtime. Victoria’s Steve Nash recorded a season-high 20 assists and Marcin Gortat added 24 points and 16 rebounds.

The loss prevented Phoenix from moving a percentage point ahead of Houston for ninth place in the conference. The Suns are instead tied with Utah for 10th and three games back of eighth-place Memphis as they try to reach their sixth post-season in seven years.

Facing the lowly Raptors might help their cause. Toronto has dropped 15 of 16 on the road, 26 of 33 overall and the last 13 meetings in this series.

The Raptors (20-50), though, recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since December in Sunday’s opener of a five-game trip. They edged Oklahoma City 95-93 on Amir Johnson’s layup with 1.4 seconds left, ending a franchise-record string of 14 consecutive road losses.

Toronto fell flat the following night, losing 123-90 in Denver. Andrea Bargnani finished with 20 points, but was the only Raptor with more than 15.

“If you are a step slow in this league, and whether it’s inexperience or fatigue from travel or playing in a back-to-back, you get exposed,” Raptors head coach Jay Triano said. “We did [Monday].”

The loss clinched the Raptors’ first 50-loss campaign since they finished 27-55 in 2005-06. It’s been even longer since they last beat Phoenix, 101-94 on the road Feb. 10, 2004.

That drought nearly came to an end when Toronto visited last season, as the Suns needed Nash’s three-point play with 38 seconds left to prevail 101-100.

Phoenix won 110-92 in Toronto on Feb. 25 despite getting only seven points from Nash, who shot 2 of 12. Former Raptor Vince Carter and Gortat each had 17 points.

Bargnani had his best performance in eight career matchups with the Suns in that game, scoring 26 points while making 12 of 15 shots.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

The Los Angeles Lakers will play a second straight game without Andrew Bynum(notes) when they host the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.

Based on Los Angeles’ performance in the first game of his suspension, Bynum’s absence might not matter as it goes for a fifth straight win.

The Lakers (50-20) improved to 12-1 since the All-Star break with an 84-80 win over Portland on Sunday. Kobe Bryant(notes) scored 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and Lamar Odom(notes) had 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists starting in place of Bynum.

Before the game, Los Angeles learned that Bynum, averaging 11.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, received a two-game suspension after being charged with a flagrant foul that led to his ejection in a 106-98 win over Minnesota on Friday.

Bynum’s absence was missed on the glass, where the Lakers were outrebounded 45-35, but Los Angeles tightened its defense, holding the Trail Blazers to 32.4 percent shooting in the second half and 14 points in the fourth quarter.

“In the first three quarters they were beating us to the loose balls, they were going on the offensive glass and tipping it back out and getting multiple shot opportunities. Those things are going to happen when you miss your big guy in the middle,” point guard Derek Fisher(notes) said. “I think in the fourth quarter we stood it up and played the type of defense we needed to play.”

Fisher had back-to-back crucial plays in the final period, picking up a steal with two minutes left and giving the Lakers a 78-76 lead on a driving layup.

“D-Fish came through,” Odom said. “We could have easily lost this game, but I thought we got better. We made some steps as a team. We showed we can win these games, but we don’t need to put ourselves in that position.”

Los Angeles hasn’t given up 100 points in a regulation game since the break and its last 10 opponents have averaged 86.7.

The Lakers are looking to win their seventh straight at home Tuesday against a Suns team that handed them one of their eight losses at Staples Center, 121-116 on Nov. 14. Los Angeles won the other two meetings in Phoenix.

While Los Angeles has clinched the Pacific Division and has a one-game lead over Dallas for the second seed in the Western Conference, Phoenix (35-33) is hoping to just reach the postseason.

The Suns have won their last two following a four-game losing streak, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 108-99 at Staples Center on Sunday after shooting 10 for 22 from 3-point range.

Steve Nash(notes) had 23 points and 13 assists, while Channing Frye(notes) went 5 of 9 from beyond the arc and finished with 19 points.

Frye, playing in his second game after sitting out the previous five with a dislocated shoulder, hit two 3-pointers in the final minutes. He had 17 points and nine rebounds two nights earlier in his return, a 108-97 win over Golden State.

Phoenix is among a handful of clubs vying for one of the final playoff spots in the West.

“The good thing is, we have a lot more games to play than some of the teams ahead of us,” forward Grant Hill(notes) said. “Crazier things have happened.”

What do you guys think about this.

(Sports Network) – The Phoenix Suns will begin a tour through Los Angeles this afternoon, starting with a showdown against the Clippers at Staples Center.

The Suns will also take on the two-time defending champion Lakers and are 15-18 away from the desert. They have dropped three in a row as the guest, but ended a four-game losing streak with Friday’s 108-97 victory versus the Golden State Warriors at US Airways Center.

Marcin Gortat had 18 points and Steve Nash finished with 17 points and 10 assists for Phoenix, which is 2 1/2 games off the eighth and final postseason spot in the Western Conference. Grant Hill and Channing Frye scored 17 points apiece in a winning effort. Frye returned from a five-game absence because of a dislocated shoulder.

“Finally, we started to play better defense and were more aggressive offensively,” Gortat said. “Still, we have to learn how to close games. Golden State is a really dangerous team. They know how to come back. I’m just glad we won this game.”

The Clippers will resume a four-game homestand today and ended a two-game slide with Saturday’s 100-92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Blake Griffin had a busy night with 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while Eric Gordon returned to the lineup after missing the previous six games with a right wrist injury, scoring 29 points.

“Everybody was playing as a team today,” Griffin said. “When Eric Gordon plays he really opens up the court. This was definitely a game we wanted to get.”

Craig Smith added 12 points in a reserve role and Mo Williams contributed 11 points in a winning effort. The Clippers will also host Washington on the residency and are 19-16 at home this season.

LA has won six of its last nine contests overall.

The Suns and Clippers have split a pair of meetings this season, with each team winning as the host. Phoenix has won 12 of the last 14 matchups between the teams and is 13-5 in the past 18 encounters as the guest.

The Sports Network

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.