It was against this very Denver Nuggets team that Michael Beasley had his best game as a Phoenix Sun. He scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a game that he described himself as, "not even hot." That was enough to lead the way in a win for the club that looked like a turning point for the young team.
That was the final game of this year’s pre-season.
Once the real season got under way the embattled Suns star forward has struggled mightily to find consistency. This Nuggets team will do him no favors as he will see talented forwards Andre Iguodala and Wilson Chandler all night, both avid defenders that will cause him some problems.
Finding consistence is key for the team according to Gentry, especially when they are going with a defensive oriented line-up, "we have to have a good combination of defensive players that are going to get baskets."
The Nuggets have turned a 0-3 start around to find themselves above .500 at 4-3 on the season, something that the Suns would like to get to starting off with a win tonight at home. A home that they are currently 2-1 on this season so far.
Being a great comeback team is not all it is cracked up to be either, especially as the head coach:
"We don’t want to be one of those teams with a great reputation of being a comeback team. That sounds good, but on the flipside of that why are you getting down? I don’t think it is a positive."
Starting Line-Ups
PG – Goran Dragic v. Ty Lawson
SG – Jared Dudley v. Andre Iguodala
SF – Michael Beasley v. Danilo Gallinari
PF – Luis Scola v. Kenneth Faried
C – Marcin Gortat v. Kosta Koufos
Suns Inactives: Jermaine O’Neal (personal) and Luke Zeller (coaches decision)
Nuggets Inactives: Quincy Miller (coaches decision) and Julyan Stone (right hip)
George Karl on Steve Nash v. Goran Dragic:
"Dragic is a good young point guard. I love him and would love to have him on my team, but Steve Nash is one of the all-time greats. Playing in this building for the years he was here was, miserable. It is miserable as a scout and in preparation because he has so many ways to beat you. He would make so many players play at such a high level, especially in this building."
Karl continues on tonight’s matchup:
"I think both teams are searching a bit for their offense. We are not going to slow down and they are not going to. They are probably more of an opportunistic team off of turnovers and missed shots. I hope it is a 100 point game, but we have to make some shots to get there. I am excited about my team, but we haven’t played as well as I thought we could play. We haven’t had a really special game. We are winning on guts, grit, and defense."
Interesting Stat: 113.2
The Suns average more points against the Nuggets than any other team in the league historically.