Bright Side Of The Sun - Phoenix Suns soar over Sacramento KingsDedicated to Phoenix Suns Basketball since 2006https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47819/bs-fv.png2012-10-23T07:33:33-07:00http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/rss/stream/33059732012-10-23T07:33:33-07:002012-10-23T07:33:33-07:00Beasley's sharp words for self; Morris excited
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<figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Michael Beasley held himself accountable, Jared Dudley was quite retrospective and Markieff Morris enjoyed playing against his "brother" from Kansas.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Phoenix Suns</a> did what home teams in preseason do. They won the game for the home crowd - 103-88 over the <a href="https://www.sactownroyalty.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Sacramento Kings</a> - despite allowing an opening 14-0 run over the span of 3:27 (after a pair of Scola free throws) that included seven - SEVEN! - Suns turnovers and 6 of 7 Kings scores on layups.</p>
<p>"We started the game a little lax," <span>Jared Dudley</span> said afterward. "I think it's called focus. You're playing a preseason game. Not many fans here. We're playing the Kings.</p>
<p>"It's no excuse but that's basically what happened. We can't allow that to happen this year if we're going to be successful. A lot of times last year - Cleveland at home, then another bad team - that's how you miss the playoffs by one or two games when that happens."</p>
<p>Every Suns starter had at least one turnover in the first four minutes: three by <span>Luis Scola</span>, one each from Dudley, Gortat, Dragic and Beasley. Beasley added a second turnover a few minutes later to make it eight for the starters in eight minutes of play, resulting in 12 of the Kings' 18 points.</p>
<p>But it wasn't just offensive woes. <span>Michael Beasley</span> placed plenty of blame onto himself in a first-quarter stint that featured the Kings giving the ball to whoever Beasley guarded a few possessions in a row.</p>
<p>"Early on, it went terrible," Beasley said. "I was forcing it too much, not really going with what I can do on the defensive side. Not good.</p>
<p>"It's my fault, I've got to stay aggressive throughout the whole game. As opposed to maybe 3 or 4 minutes where I'm not in the groove, so to speak. That's my fault. It's something I need to work on to be consistent."</p>
<p>Then the Suns turned to the bench, who stopped turning the ball over and cut four points off the nine-point deficit before Suns starters began trickling back in to contribute to an eventual 6-point lead at the half.</p>
<p>By that time, it was clear that while the Suns were going to play this game with their projected regular season rotation, the Kings were treating this game like a roadie on a B2B in the preseason. Sacramento played 15 players at least 4:52 each by halftime to the Suns' 10-man rotation that played at least 9:16 each. <span>DeMarcus Cousins</span> played a dominant eight first-quarter minutes, never to leave the bench again.</p>
<p>The second half was more of the same, with the Suns pulling away from Sacramento's mishmash rotations to an 18-point lead that never got below seven and ended at 15.</p>
<p>Jared Dudley was the star of the game, making nearly every open shot (9-12 overall, 4-6 on 3s) on his way to 25 solid points.</p>
<p>Beasley atoned for his first-quarter dud with a very solid all-around game, including some strong inside play. He finished with 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal.</p>
<p>"We got to come ready to play 100% from the tip to the end," Beasley said. "We can't rely on ourselves to pull us out of the hole."</p>
<p><span>Markieff Morris</span> spent much of the second half locked into a battle with rookie, and former Kansas Jayhawk teammate, <span>Thomas Robinson</span>. Both players worked hard on each end of the court, showing hustle mixed with a dizzying array of missed shots.</p>
<p>"It's tough," Morris said. "He's got a lot of energy, he's an energy guy. You've got to match his energy."</p>
<p>He did. And in the end, their lines were similarly impressive.</p>
<p>Morris: 6-14 from the field for 14 points (2-4 FTs), 10 rebounds (4 offensive), 3 assists and 3 steals and a blocked shot, with no turnovers in 21 minutes before fouling out.</p>
<p>Robinson: 5-15 from the field for 17 points (7-11 FTs), 8 rebounds (4 offensive), 1 assist and 1 steal, with 1 turnover in 24:49 against 4 personal fouls.</p>
<p>Morris keeps getting called for what appear to be ticky-tack fouls. He is an aggressive defender who likely spends way too much time bodying up his opponent right in front of the referees.</p>
<p>But he was more interested in talking about Robinson than the foul calls.</p>
<p>"It's my brother," Morris said. "I feel the same way when I play against him as when I play against Marcus. It's exciting and I'm happy to be on the same court as him again."</p>
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<p><b>Free throws</b></p>
<p>Tonight's game against Golden State will likely be the last deep dip into the bench - the last chance for Luke Zeller, Ike Diogu and Solomon Jones to make their case for the Suns' regular season roster. Same goes for fourth-string point guard Diante Garrett.</p>
<p>Gentry is ready to tighten the rotation from now on, with the season just nine days away and only one preseason game left after tonight. Last night's game is a great example of the season's rotation, with Wesley Johnson and P.J. Tucker sharing minutes at backup small forward behind Michael Beasley.</p>
https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2012/10/23/3542994/recap-phoenix-suns-drop-sacramento-kings-in-preseason-tilt-103-88Dave King2012-10-22T21:41:49-07:002012-10-22T21:41:49-07:00Suns trounce Kings 103-88
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<img alt="Dudley was en fuego." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/r3xhaBcDEWqCoY7EbqKBNoY-m6s=/0x1110:2670x2890/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/1846149/20121004_mjr_su5_007.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Dudley was en fuego. | Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>The Phoenix Suns cruised to preseason victory over the Sacramento Kings after a sluggish start as Jared Dudley and Markieff Morris led the way.</p> <p><b>Recap:</b></p>
<p>The Suns spotted the Kings a 14-2 lead behind a bevy of turnovers, but a group that included Goran Dragic and four subs closed the gap and the Suns only trailed 25-21 at the end of the first period. The second unit held serve for the better part of the second quarter until the starters returned and used a 9-2 run to close out the first half and give the Suns a 50-44 lead at the intermission.</p>
<p>The Suns opened up the lead after halftime and led comfortably for the entire third quarter, at one point stretching it to a 76-60 lead. It appeared the Suns may pull away at this point, but Sacramento had a different idea. A 15-6 run by Sacramento cut the lead to six, with rookie Thomas Robinson making his presence felt.</p>
<p>The Kings would never get any closer, though, as Markieff Morris scored six points in a stretch where the Suns opened the lead back up to double digits. Jared Dudley poured in 11 more points in a period of less than two minutes down the stretch to salt away the victory.</p>
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<p><b>Player of the Game:</b></p>
<p>Jared Dudley 25 points 9-12 FG 4-6 3FG 3-3 FT 3 REB 2 STL</p>
<p>Even before the pyrotechnics that put an exclamation point on the victory, Dudley had provided the Suns with his usually solid and consistent effort. Leave it to Jared to pad his stats in garbage time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Comments of the Game:</b></p>
<p>"The Bee has stung!"<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(Why does this sound familiar?)</p>
<p>Hahahahaha Oh Al...</p>
<p>------------------------------------</p>
<p>Keef unstoppable! oops, fouled out. damn refs</p>
<p> </p>
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<p><b>The Good:</b></p>
<p>The Suns played parsimonious defense and mostly held the Kings in check after a quick start. The Kings managed just 37.4% from the field on 34-91 shooting. What did those missed shots result in?</p>
<p>Rebounding opportunities, which the Suns capitalized on. The Suns dominated the boards 58-46. That's +12. Go Suns. The four horsemen went for 40 all by themselves. What did grabbing all those missed shots by the Kings lead to<span style="line-height: 8.999999046325684px;">?</span></p>
<p>Fast break points. Lots of them. The Suns doubled up on the hapless Kings and held a 32-16 advantage. The Suns took the track meet to a Sacramento squad on the second night of a back to back.</p>
<p>This is already reminiscent of last season, winning games with defense, rebounding and fast breaking. Birds of a feather.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Bad:</b></p>
<p>After an effective start, coach Keith Smart decided to rest DeMarcus Cousins for the remainder of the evening. This deprived the Suns bigs of an opportunity to test their mettle against the Kings' centerpiece as well as the Suns' fans of getting a chance to watch the only redeeming quality on a barely passable Sacramento roster. We'll all see Cousins again, but until then... Get Smart.</p>
<p>Markieff Morris would have been the player of the game with his impressive stat line, but instead ends up here due to fouling out in 21 minutes. Morris made an impact on the game when he was on the floor, with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, but he needs to learn to limit the fouls so he doesn't play his way out of games where he's an asset on the floor. Good game Morris, but watch the fouls.</p>
<p><b>The Ugly:</b></p>
<p>The only ugly was the first couple minutes of the game that saw the Suns play sloppy, uninspired basketball. They quickly righted the ship, though, and the rest was smooth sailing.</p>
https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2012/10/22/3541664/phoenix-suns-impress-in-103-88-victory-over-sacramento-kingsJim Coughenour2012-10-22T18:00:36-07:002012-10-22T18:00:36-07:00Gamethread: Suns at Kings, 7PM
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<figcaption>Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Per earlier comments from Gentry, the Suns may play a normal-ish rotation tonight.</p> <p>No TV coverage, but there's Al on the radio.</p>
https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2012/10/22/3540798/gamethread-suns-at-kings-7pmDave King2012-10-22T11:48:21-07:002012-10-22T11:48:21-07:00Suns Host Surging Kings Tonight at 7PM
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<figcaption>Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>In their first opportunity of the young season to avenge a loss, the Suns play host to the uber-confident Kings in Phoenix tonight at 7pm. The game is on radio (KTAR 620) but there's no TV coverage.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.sactownroyalty.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Sacramento Kings</a> come into Phoenix tonight on a high note. They just finished off the mighty (on paper) <a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Los Angeles Lakers</a> last night on a 10-0 game-ending run in the final 2 minutes against the entire projected Laker starting lineup. <span>Kobe Bryant</span> missed a couple of hero shots and Nash missed a floater in the lane while the Kings pounded the ball inside on the back of <span>DeMarcus Cousins</span>.</p>
<p>The Kings are now 5-1 in preseason, with one of those wins coming against the <a href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Suns</a> in Sacramento. They are outscoring their opponent by 5 points per game, currently 5th overall in preseason scoring at 101.80 points per game. Yet despite their seemingly obvious advantage on the boards, the Kings are only 21st in rebounds per game (compared to the Suns' 11th-ranked rate of 43.25).</p>
<p>The Suns are 2-2 themselves, already matching the most preseason wins they've had in years after only four games (2-6 in 2010 and 0-2 in 2011). In addition to rebounding, the Suns are scoring well (8th overall) at 99.25 ppg, outshooting and out-assisting their opponents on average each night.</p>
<p>Sure, it's only preseason. The Suns and Kings will both face tougher competition once the season starts for real. But winning is winning. It builds confidence, especially on a roster with more new players than incumbents.</p>
<p>We don't know yet what <span>Alvin Gentry</span> has in store for distribution of minutes tonight. On one hand, it's only game 5 of preseason and he still has to decide which backup big man to keep among <span>Ike Diogu</span>, <span>Luke Zeller</span> and <span>Solomon Jones</span>.</p>
<p>On the other hand, it's a home game and you always want to please the crowd who paid good money to watch their team. I'm rooting for the latter.</p>
<p>BSotS' own Dave King will be at the game tonight, so watch twitter and BSotS for pregame notes, in-game notes and a late-night indepth postgame recap replete with quotes from Gentry and the guys.</p>
<p>Let's hope they're all in a good mood after a Suns win!</p>
https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2012/10/22/3538140/game-preview-phoenix-suns-host-sacramento-kings-preseason-game-5Dave King