Phoenix Suns Team Report: Getting Inside
The Suns play another team they have dominated on Tuesday when Portland comes to Phoenix. The Suns swept all three meetings last year and have won 13 of the last 19 games, while the Blazers are a woeful 27-61 all-time in Arizona.
Phoenix averaged more than 120 points a game against Portland last season, but the team has given up some offense for a better overall defensive game while it awaits the return of Leandro Barbosa (one week) and Amare Stoudemire (2-3 months) to the lineup.
It’s the beginning of the Suns’ busiest week of the season. They play four games in five days beginning Tuesday, including meetings on the road with the two teams (Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers) they are chasing in the Pacific Division. The Portland game also ends a string of games that had Phoenix playing 12 of it first 16 games at home.
REPLAY: Winning their season-best sixth straight game wasn’t the hard part for the Suns, (10-5), who walloped Atlanta 112-94 and are now within a half-game of the Pacific Division lead.
Watching their friend and ex-teammate was. Joe Johnson endured the wrath of 16,992 America West Arena fans who booed Johnson loudly during introductions, and each time he touched the ball during the game.
Johnson had 21 of Atlanta’s 36 first-half points. He sat down for good late in the third quarter with a game-high 23 and the game already out of hand.
Shawn Marion had 20 points, as did James Jones, as the Suns led 18-6 early and by as many as 37 before allowing the Hawks to put up 43 garbage-time points in the fourth quarter.
Jones and Boris Diaw (14 points), two by-products of this summer’s Johnson sign-and-trade deal — two first-round picks are still to come — combined for 34 points and 10 rebounds. Diaw added nine assists in 33 minutes, one more than the entire Hawks team.
