Grizzlies at Suns
The Phoenix Suns were held below 100 points on Tuesday for the first time in nearly three weeks. Odds are they’ll be ready to run up the score on Wednesday.
The Suns will be looking to bounce back from a slow performance when they face the fading Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
The highest scoring team in the NBA, Phoenix had not failed to put up at least 105 points since suffering back-to-back losses at Miami and Orlando on Nov. 17 and 18. They needed at least 107 on Tuesday and could not quite get there, dropping a 106-99 decision at Portland.
Steve Nash displayed his usual brilliance, finishing with 24 points and 15 assists, but Jason Richardson was held to six on 3-of-8 shooting and the Suns were outscored 37-24 in the fourth quarter.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak and proved once again that Phoenix does not have a defense that can shut people down in the halfcourt late in games and it needs to score to win. This is not an unfamiliar position for the Suns, though they have made lineup moves to try to cover some of the obvious weaknesses, like moving Earl Barron into the starting lineup to try to battle on the inside.
They still rely on the outside shot, though, as Nash and company average over 23 3-point attempts per game and are converting 38.1 percent, led by Richardson at 48.4 percent. They hit 8-of-16 from behind the arc on Tuesday and could have a big night against the Grizzlies, who have had trouble guarding the perimeter this season.
Memphis has dropped four straight and five of six and is coming off a 94-85 loss at Utah on Monday in which the Jazz hit eight 3-pointers. Mike Conley scored 19 points and Rudy Gay had 18 but the Grizzlies broke down in the final minutes, allowing eight unanswered points to turn a three-point deficit into 11.
The schedule has not been doing the Grizzlies any favors this month, starting them with five of six on the road including Wednesday at Phoenix and Saturday at the Los Angeles Clippers. Home dates early next week against the Blazers and Bobcats could give them a chance to catch their breath before hitting the road again for a back-to-back at Houston and San Antonio next weekend.
No one said the Southwest Division, which includes Houston, San Antonio, the New Orleans Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks, would be easy, but Memphis’ front office believed that the young, athletic roster it had assembled could compete this season for a playoff berth.
The Grizzlies and Suns have split two meeting so far this season. Phoenix grabbed a 123-118 home win on Nov. 5 behind 38 points from Richardson and Memphis returned the favor three days later, winning 109-99 when Zach Randolph went off for 23 points and 20 boards.