The Phoenix Suns are tired, completing a strange 5-game eastern trip less than 24 hours ago. Only in a lockout-shortened year are you expecting to play a b-2-b home game immediately following a long road trip.
Per Paul Coro on azcentral.com, from center Marcin Gortat on tonight's game:
"It definitely isn't going to be easy," Gortat said. "Sleeping in five different beds for nine days and all of a sudden coming home for two days and then leaving again. It's tough but you've got to be ready to play."
The Suns had their worst shooting game of the season last night against Dallas, and are scoring fewer points per game than at any time since Nash rejoined the team in 2004.
On the plus side, Marcin Gortat stats going into last night's game are very interesting:
Phoenix Phactoid Pharaoh Vince Kozar's phun phacts today are about Marcin Gortat: 1. He is the first Suns player to have a four-game streak of at last 12 rebounds since Shawn Marion in 2006-07; 2. He is the first Sun to have a seven-game streak of points/rebounds double-doubles since Amar'e Stoudemire in 2006-07; 3. Only Kevin Love and Blake Griffin have posted a longer double-double streak in the NBA this season.
Add 1 to every one of those stats mentioned, since Marcin had 19 and 17 last night.
Tonight, the Suns face a downtrodden Raptors team (yeah, BC was the best GM ever!), losers of 8 straight games. The Suns have beaten the Raptors 14 consecutive times, including every time they have faced the Suns with Steve Nash under contract. The Raptors are 3-14 overall, 2-8 on the road.
The Suns need this win. Let's just hope Leandro Barbosa doesn't pull a Diaw or a Marion on us.
Read more on tonight's game at arizona.sbnation.com right HERE.
Raptors vs Suns coverage
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