The Phoenix Suns had no legs tonight, unable to keep up with the Rockets on either end of the floor. The Rockets stayed true to their M.O., grabbing every rebound and loose ball they could reach. And with the Suns playing at 3/4 speed, that was a lot.
Frankly, this Suns team doesn't have the talent to compete unless Steve Nash is playing at his very best. Nash looked a tiny bit slow tonight, which basically means he looked only marginally faster than the rest of his teammates but a tick slower than the Rockets.
Should we be surprised at the outcome of this game? No. The Rockets are 10-3 at home, while the Suns are 4-8 on the road. The Rockets rebound very well on both ends, while the Suns don't rebound well at either end. Channing Frye once again looked like one of the worst PF in the league: soft on defense and anemic on offense, providing no support for the always-steady Marcin Gortat (another double-double 15 and 12, plus 3 blocks and 2 steals).
And did Goran Dragic even bother to smile at the camera and offer hello to his all-time biggest fan? No.*
The sad thing is that the Suns couldn't even force the Rockets to play really hard. Sure the Rockets played quick and smart, but the Suns never made them play HARD. Never made them work. Budinger had an easy 12 and 10 in 24 minutes. Kyle Lowry was hardly noticeable with his 5 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds in only 20 minutes of action. Betcha didn't think he was that close to a triple-double, did ya? No Rocket starter had to play more than 25 minutes tonight. Ugh.
*But at least he didn't kill the Suns. Dragic had 10 points (1 3-ptr), 3 assists and 1 rebound and 4 miscues in 19 minutes. Thanks buddy!