Game Preview: Phoenix Suns (16-32) at Memphis Grizzlies (30-16), 6PM AZ Time
The Phoenix Suns play the Memphis Grizzlies in the third game of the season series tonight, with each team having won their home home game.
Season Series Review
In Game 1 of the season series in Memphis, the Suns held a lead for most of the second half and only succumbed in overtime when Zach Randolph caught fire for one of his best offensive games of the season.
In Game 2 in Phoenix, the Suns beat Memphis on a last-second stop-and-twist layup by Goran Dragic that was, at the moment, the biggest win on the young-ish season.
Tayshawn Prince for Rudy Gay
Now the Grizzlies are all kinds of discombobulated since trading away one of their best players and notes Suns killer, Rudy Gay, for Detroit's Tayshawn Prince last week. In the first game with the new guys, Memphis barely squeaked by Washington.
"I was worried," coach Lionel Hollins said. "You never know. We had new players on the bench, so we had more people to work with. But you never know how it is going to work out when you have new guys for the first game."
Other new acquisitions include young big men Ed Davis and Austin Daye.
Small Memphis Backcourt
For now, Jarryd Bayless is starting alongside Tony Allen and Mike Conley on the wing until Prince settles in to the new team. That makes for a small, quick back court and could, potentially, allow P.J. Tucker to guard Conley at the point while Dragic takes on the quicker but less physical Bayless. Mike Conley is now a scorer, averaging 17 shot attempts in the two games since Gay's trade.
Bad Road Team
While the season series and the potential wing matchups might appear promising to Suns fans, do not forget that the Suns are still only 4-20 on the road - worst in the West.
Lately, the Suns have returned their hold 'em and fold 'em ways in the second half of road games, hanging their heads once the home team gets a little second-half momentum. After keeping a lead in Sacramento in interim head coach Lindsey Hunter's debut, the Suns have folded in the second half in San Antonio, Dallas and Golden State.
Quotes out of the locker room following the Golden State sounded eerily similar to quotes all season: once we got down, we hung our heads (paraphrased).
Memphis stats
| FG | 3PT | FT | Rebounds | Misc | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | M | M | A | Pct | M | A | Pct | M | A | Pct | Off | Def | Tot | Ast | TO | Stl | Blk | PF | PPG | |
| Rudy Gay | 37 | 36.8 | 6.8 | 16.4 | 41.6 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 31.2 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 78.0 | 1.3 | 4.5 | 5.8 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 17.6 |
| Zach Randolph | 37 | 35.2 | 6.7 | 13.7 | 48.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 12.5 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 74.8 | 4.5 | 7.3 | 11.8 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 16.3 |
| Marc Gasol | 39 | 34.4 | 5.0 | 10.4 | 47.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 87.3 | 2.5 | 5.1 | 7.5 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 13.5 |
| Mike Conley | 38 | 34.4 | 4.5 | 10.9 | 41.2 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 36.8 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 82.8 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 6.0 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 13.1 |
| Tony Allen | 36 | 27.2 | 3.3 | 7.8 | 42.6 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 75.3 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 8.3 |
| Quincy Pondexter | 27 | 23.1 | 2.3 | 5.4 | 41.8 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 42.3 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 75.8 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 6.7 |
| Darrell Arthur | 27 | 17.2 | 3.0 | 6.2 | 47.9 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 27.3 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 69.6 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 6.6 |
| Marreese Speights | 39 | 14.5 | 2.7 | 6.2 | 43.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 40.0 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 70.8 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 4.8 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 6.6 |
| Wayne Ellington | 39 | 16.7 | 1.9 | 4.9 | 38.9 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 40.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 93.8 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 5.2 |
| Jerryd Bayless | 39 | 17.7 | 1.8 | 5.0 | 36.7 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 31.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 80.0 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 5.1 |
| Josh Selby | 10 | 5.8 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 27.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 16.7 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 63.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 2.0 |
| Tony Wroten | 8 | 4.3 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 21.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 83.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.4 |
| Hamed Haddadi | 11 | 6.5 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 38.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 50.0 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 1.4 |
No longer on Memphis: Rudy Gay, Darrell Arthur, Marreese Speights
Suns stats
| FG | 3PT | FT | Rebounds | Misc | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | M | M | A | Pct | M | A | Pct | M | A | Pct | Off | Def | Tot | Ast | TO | Stl | Blk | PF | PPG | |
| Goran Dragic | 39 | 32.2 | 5.0 | 11.2 | 44.7 | 1.3 | 3.9 | 31.8 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 71.1 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 6.1 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 14.0 |
| Luis Scola | 41 | 27.6 | 5.6 | 11.8 | 47.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 10.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 76.9 | 2.0 | 4.3 | 6.4 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 3.2 | 13.1 |
| Shannon Brown | 41 | 27.2 | 4.8 | 11.3 | 42.1 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 28.6 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 84.2 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 12.3 |
| Jared Dudley | 39 | 30.8 | 4.4 | 9.0 | 48.3 | 1.5 | 3.8 | 39.3 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 82.0 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 12.1 |
| Marcin Gortat | 41 | 32.2 | 5.0 | 9.4 | 52.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 66.7 | 2.2 | 6.7 | 9.0 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 11.6 |
| Michael Beasley | 37 | 21.5 | 3.7 | 9.9 | 37.6 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 31.6 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 72.3 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 9.4 |
| Markieff Morris | 41 | 20.2 | 3.2 | 7.8 | 41.1 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 28.8 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 67.3 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 7.7 |
| Jermaine O`Neal | 32 | 15.6 | 2.5 | 5.4 | 47.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 77.8 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 6.4 |
| Sebastian Telfair | 40 | 18.1 | 2.2 | 5.7 | 38.3 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 39.6 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 78.0 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 6.3 |
| P.J. Tucker | 39 | 20.6 | 2.0 | 4.4 | 45.9 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 33.3 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 61.5 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 4.8 |
| Wesley Johnson | 16 | 7.4 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 31.3 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 33.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 66.7 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2.4 |
| Luke Zeller | 11 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 38.9 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 |
| Diante Garrett | 6 | 5.0 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| Kendall Marshall | 11 | 4.6 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 27.3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 20.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.6 |
Laker Lottery Watch
Lakers play at New Jersey tonight after barely beating Detroit on Sunday, who were still waiting for Jose Calderon to get cleared and were missing Tayshawn Prince. Lakers needed Detroit to miss three straight easy shots to seal the 1-point win.
Lakers may be winning some games lately, but they still don't look like a good team.