Things are certainly feeling a bit brighter on ole Planet Orange. Winning will do that and the Suns have won six of their last seven and in the one loss, a close game to Oklahoma City Thunder, are convinced they got jobbed by the officials with some questionable late calls.
The biggest win of the bunch came Friday night on the road in Utah where it's always tough to beat the Jazz. The Suns survived the emotionally charged start to the game as the team and fans responded to the retirement of Jerry Sloan with an early surge. But in the second half, the Suns defense continued to show why it's been as good as any in the league over the past 12 or so games. Offensively, an engaged and active Robin Lopez (14 points) and Hakim Warrick (16 points) stepped up on the second of a back-to-back and provided scoring and much needed energy.
Tonight's game against Sacramento might have got a lot easier. According to a report from AOL's Sam Amick, Kings rookie stud DeMarcus Cousins was yanked from the team flight to Phoenix after getting into a postgame fight with a teammate.
Kings Remove DeMarcus Cousins From Team Plane Following Altercation -- NBA FanHouse
According to the sources, Cousins (whose postgame interview can be seen here) was furious at the last play in which Tyreke Evans missed a three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation that would have won the game. Cousins, who had been calling for the ball in the post in the final possession, watched angrily as Greene inbounded the ball to Evans for the final shot. According to the sources, Greene and Cousins began exchanging words inside the locker room. The situation then escalated, with both players taking swings at each other before they were separated.
Without Cousins, who dropped 28 points when the Kings beat the Suns in Sacramento in early January, this game will get much easier for the Suns. The Suns have beat the Kings at home 10-straight times.
The game tips at 6 p.m. local time and will be broadcast locally on My45 TV along with Sports 620 KTAR radio. Fans can follow along with other Suns fans at the live game thread at Bright Side of the Sun.