Nets at Suns
The Phoenix Suns have a chance to win whenever they play just a little bit of defense, and they are coming off their best defensive performance of the season in terms of opponents scoring. The Suns got the opposition down to 100 last time out and will try to lower that to double digits when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
Phoenix's average of 113 points allowed ranks 29th in the NBA, but the Suns limited the Detroit Pistons to 36 percent from the field in Wednesday's 107-100 triumph and used the athleticism of a young lineup to attack the wings on both ends. Center Alex Len, 23, started in the frontcourt with Tyson Chandler (personal reasons) out of the lineup and played tough defense against Detroit star Andre Drummond while posting a double-double. The Nets are 0-1 on their five-game road trip after dropping a 110-96 decision at the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Brooklyn, which alternated wins and losses in its first four games this month, is kicking off the tough Western Conference portion of the trip in Phoenix before playing a back-to-back against the Clippers and Lakers and finishing up at Oklahoma City next week.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FSN Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE NETS (3-5): Getting consistent offensive production from anywhere other than the center spot continues to be an issue for Brooklyn, and it was especially easy to see on Wednesday. Center Brook Lopez was the only member of the starting five to score in double figures with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting while backup center Justin Hamilton was the only reserve in double figures with 21 points on 8-of-13. The rest of the team went 17-of-55 from the floor and squandered a 14-point, first-quarter lead in the loss.
ABOUT THE SUNS (3-6): Rookie Marquese Chriss got the start alongside Len in the frontcourt on Wednesday but veteran Jared Dudley still got most of the playing time in that slot, and his 15 points in the second quarter along with strong defense against Detroit's stretch fours helped turn the game. "Overall my role is the same as a starter or on the bench. I can do both," Dudley told reporters. "I was here to be a bridge for Marquese (Chriss) and try to help him. ... We’re moving the ball, we’re sharing it, we’re playing the right way, and defensively we’re so aggressive. It’s a good space for us, but the starters slowly need to get a little more chemistry for us to take the next step." Dudley finished with 19 points and Brandon Knight added 14 to pace the reserves on Wednesday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nets PG Jeremy Lin (hamstring) missed the last three games and is not expected to play on the road trip.
2. Phoenix PG Eric Bledsoe is averaging 22 points on 56.4 percent shooting in the last four games.
3. Brooklyn SG Bojan Bogdanovic is 9-of-35 from the field in his last three contests.