SB Nation Arizona - Utah Jazz 100, Phoenix Suns 88: Suns Falter In Fourth, Lose Playoff Shot And Game To Jazz

Suns Can't Handle Utah's Bigs; Playoff Hopes Dashed

2012-04-25T05:37:25Z

Faced with a must-win situation Tuesday, the Phoenix Suns picked a bad night to shoot a low field goal percentage, and couldn't handle the Utah Jazz interior offense and defense in a 100-88 loss that ended the Suns' hopes of making the playoffs.

Instead, the Jazz (35-30) will go into the NBA playoffs as likely the No. 8 seed after a winner-take-all game went its way in Salt Lake City. The Suns (33-32) host San Antonio for nothing more than pride Wednesday night in what might be Steve Nash's final game as a Sun.

The Suns hung around for much of the game, never trailing by more than 10 points (60-50) until the final couple of minutes when the Jazz took control. Phoenix led 27-25, then took a 76-74 lead with 10:14 to play after a Michael Redd bucket.

At that point, things were looking up for the Suns, but then they went cold. The Suns went scoreless for three minutes but still trailed 80-78 with 7:13 left. Another scoring drought had the Suns down 85-80 with 4:35 left. That's when big Al Jefferson took over for the Jazz.

Jefferson, with two stitches near his eye, made four huge baskets in the late going. He spun and dunked on Marcin Gortat with 4:17 left and scored again seconds later to give the Jazz an insurmountable 89-80 lead. He hit the next two shots for the Jazz and that was it.

Phoenix missed eight of 23 free throws in a game where every point, every possession mattered immensely. They also made just 41 percent of their shots and only 5 of 23 3-pointers.

The Suns went into the final quarter down by five, 73-68, well within striking distance. Redd drained a 3-pointer to cut the lead to two, then Sebastian Telfair -- in for Steve Nash to start the quarter -- converted a three-point play with a layup and free throw after Hakim Warrick stole the ball at the other end. That tied the score at 74.

There was hope.

Phoenix made just two of their first nine shots of the game, but the Jazz were just about as cold early on. A jumper by Gortat made it 10-8 at the 5:52 mark of the first quarter.

Gortat was horribly ineffective on offense, getting five shots blocked and making just 1 of 8 field goals in the game.

The Suns came in having beaten the Jazz seven straight times, but this game had higher stakes than any typical regular season contest. The young Jazz proved to be up to the challenge and showed it on the glass, out-rebounding the Suns 56-42 in what was a big key to the game.

Paul Milsap, Jefferson and Derrick Favors were beasts in the paint for the Jazz. Milsap led the way with 26 points and 15 rebounds, Jefferson added 18 and 16 but was the difference in the fourth quarter and Favors swatted five shots, scored 13 points and pulled down 11 boards.

Phoenix got their normal balanced scoring and were down just four, 82-78, when Nash re-entered the game midway through the fourth quarter. Coach Alvin Gentry just couldn't afford to keep him on the bench any longer in such an important game. Redd and Jared Dudley had 15 points each and Nash had 14 and 11 assists, and got a nice hand from the crowd.

The Suns put it together after the All-Star break and made an exciting run to be in the playoff picture, but in the end, they were the ones hearing another team's crowd chanting "Playoffs!!! Playoffs!!!"

Grant Hill, dealing with a knee injury, was able to play just three minutes and Channing Frye missed the game with a shoulder injury.

Sunscast Podcast: One For The Money (Ep. 19)

2012-04-24T19:56:07Z

We look back at the Suns win over the Clippers and loss to the Nuggets and ahead to the big game in Utah. We also look around the league at the upcoming playoffs and make our predictions for the NBA Finals.

Hosted by Bryan Gibberman and Seth Pollack and presented by Arizona Sports 620 and SB Nation Arizona.

Subscribe on iTunes or stream online.

For more exclusive content, follow us on Twitter @Brightsidesun and "Like" us on Facebook .

Phoenix Suns Vs. Utah Jazz: TV Schedule, Lineups And The Final Countdown

2012-04-24T16:26:28Z

This is it, folks. The Phoenix Suns season comes down to this one game in Utah against the Jazz. If the Suns win, they have a good chance of going to the playoffs and continue their amazing late-season run. A loss, however, and it's all over.

That's the stakes, they couldn't be higher, and everyone knows it.

The Suns do match up well against the Jazz and they've won their last seven meetings, including two this season and one thrilling game on April 4th. As Bright Side of the Sun pointed out in this story, however, the Jazz do have significant advantages in the front court with NBA Player of the Week, Al Jefferson, and under-appreciated star, Paul Millsap.

The Suns advantage is in the backcourt and on the perimeter where the Jazz are thin. The key to the game according to Suns coach Alvin Gentry is controlling Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward.

Unfortunately, the Suns could be without their best perimeter defender and their starting power forward. Both Grant Hill and Channing Frye are considered game-time decisions.

Projected Lineups:

Point guard: Steve Nash --- Devin Harris
Shooting guard: Shannon Brown -- Gordon Hayward
Small forward: Jared Dudley -- DeMarre Carroll
Power forward: Markieff Morris or Hakim Warrick or Channing Frye -- Paul Millsap
Center: Marcin Gortat -- Al Jefferson
Key subs: Suns (Sebastian Telfair, Robin Lopez, Michael Redd). Jazz (Derrick Favors, Alec Burks, Jamaal Tinsley, Enes Kanter)

Tuesday's game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. Phoenix time and will be televised nationally on TNT. You can catch the radio broadcast on Arizona Sports 620.

For all news and information regarding the Phoenix Suns, please visit Bright Side of the Sun.

Grant Hill And Channing Frye Questionable For Suns 'Must Win' Game Against Jazz

2012-04-23T19:01:12Z

After weeks of important games where Phoenix Suns coach Alvin Gentry refused to use the "must win" tag, he broke down and admitted that he told his team that yes, Tuesday's game against the Utah Jazz, does indeed qualify. Of course, he also pointed out that while they might not be mathematicians, they had pretty much figured that out on their own.

The importance of the game settled, the real question at hand is the injury status of key starters Grant Hill and Channing Frye.

Grant Hill suffered a setback with his knee after returning to the court on the 13th after missing the prior two weeks due to a minor surgery. He's not played since re-injurying his knee making a cut early in the San Antonio game on the 14th.

Hill was looking good to return Saturday against Denver but after his pre-game routine he failed to pass several tests conducted by the training staff. He's experiencing pain in the knee and hasn't practiced since Saturday morning. He's officially being called a game-time decision for the Jazz game.

"We've been cautious and we'll continue to be cautious. If it feels good and passes a series of tests and there's no problems then we'll go, and if not I think it would be selfish of me to think that I can help the team if I'm not right," Hill said Monday.

Channing Frye injured his right shoulder in Saturday's loss to the Denver Nuggets in the second quarter. He suffered a subluxation similar to the injury that kept him out of seven games last March. Frye was not with the team on Monday because his wife went into labor around 3:00 a.m.

"That's one of those deals where in the next 36 hours we'll have a better feeling for what it is," Gentry said about Frye's shoulder injury.

Frye will be evaluated and if there's a chance he can play, he will join the team in Utah. If it's clear he won't be able to play, he will likely stay in Phoenix to be with his wife and new baby. Coach Gentry assumes that he would fly to Salt Lake City on Tuesday morning, if it looks like he can play.

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