The Phoenix Suns flew across the country and played flat against the Miami Heat, who attacked the Suns inside with Chris Bosh and then attacked the Suns outside with Chris Bosh. They continued to attack the Suns with their perimeter defense and attacked off the Suns turnovers they created. A blowout ensued.
The Suns' reward for playing poorly in Miami was a game the next day in Orlando against the Magic without Steve Nash. That went about as well as expected, after an inexplicable start to the game from the Magic that saw them jack up perimeter shots and ignore Dwight Howard in the post. About halfway through the first quarter, the Magic remember who they were playing and went with their obvious strength down low. Another blowout ensued.
"You have to make a choice against this team. We don't have the size to guard Dwight on the inside, so we had to double-team him, and then they rotated the ball and made three-pointers," Suns Coach Alvin Gentry said after the game.
Tonight, after one official day's rest and two games that saw the starters hardly play anything close to a full game, there's no more excuses for the Suns. The Bobcats (4-8) aren't exactly a powerhouse like the Heat and Magic and the Suns need to bounce back with a win tonight.
The Bobcats are led in scoring by Stephen Jackson (19.3 points per game) and Gerald Wallace (17.5 points per game) and feature former Sun Boris Diaw. As has been the case the last few years, the Bobcats are a good defensive team and poor offensive team. They beat the Suns twice last season in two of more disappointing losses of the year. A loss tonight would be equally disappointing.
Paul Coro reports that Nash will not play tonight and is also expected to sit out Monday's game in Houston against the Rockets.
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