Suns at Bucks
THE STORY: For one game anyway, Steve Nash looked like the Steve
Nash of yesteryear. He scored 24 points and had 11 assists as Phoenix
defeated Atlanta 99-90 on Monday. The Suns look for their first
three-game winning streak when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks on
Tuesday. Nash, who came into Monday's game averaging 14.5 points, will
turn 38 years old Tuesday. "He’s very crafty," Atlanta coach Larry Drew
said. "He gets the ball to the open man. He’s still making shots. He’s
38, but you’d never know it when you watch him play." Nash, who leads
the NBA in assists per game, played with a sore right shoulder. The
Bucks have lost two in a row since their comeback win over Miami last
week, including a 113-90 home defeat to Chicago on Saturday. The Bucks
trailed by 24 points at halftime and allowed the Bulls to shoot 67
percent in the first half. "It was a layup drill for them for a good
portion of the game," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "We’ve got eight
straight quarters of pretty poor defense."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Arizona (Suns), FS Wisconsin (Bucks)
ABOUT THE SUNS (10-14):
Phoenix has won two straight and three of four, but is struggling to
stay close in the Western Conference playoff race. The Suns have
improved defensively under coach Alvin Gentry, but have had problems
scoring. Phoenix, which ranks near the bottom of the league in several
offensive categories, shot an uncharacteristic 51.9 percent from the
field Monday. Nash hit all four of his 3-point attempts while Channing
Frye was 8 for 16 from the field. Center Marcin Gortat had nine
rebounds, ending his string of double-figure rebounding games at 15. The
Suns have won consecutive games for only the third time this season.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (10-13):
The controversy between Skiles and Stephen Jackson, Milwaukee's
second-leading scorer, continues. Skiles benched Jackson for a game in
New York two weeks ago after the veteran guard missed the team's morning
shoot-around. Jackson was suspended for one game by the league for
verbally abusing a referee late last month. Skiles chose not to play
Jackson against the Bulls even though the Bucks were getting run out of
the building. "I'm coming to work every day," Jackson said. "If I'm
called, I'll be ready, point blank. My job is to play basketball. My job
is not to be here to be friends with anybody. I get paid to play
basketball."
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Suns guard Michael
Redd returns to Milwaukee, where he played the first 11 seasons of his
career. He appeared in only 61 games the last three seasons because of
injuries. Redd is averaging 5.0 points in 10 games this season.
2. Skiles missed Milwaukee's practice Monday because of an illness, but is expected to be on the bench for Tuesday's game.
3.
Phoenix has defeated Milwaukee in 10 of the last 11 meetings, including
three straight. The Suns defeated the Bucks 109-93 at home on Jan. 8.