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The Phoenix Suns bounced back from a season-opening loss with a 92-89 victory over the Detroit Pisons on Friday night. Marcin Gortat was the man of the house, putting up 16 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in a double-double effort. As SB Nation's Suns blog Bright side of the Sun points out, though, this was a team effort.
Four other men on the Suns had more than 10 points. Michael Beasley had 16, Goran Dragic had 15, Shannon Brown added 14 in 25 minutes off the bench and Luis Scola had 13 while grabbing nine boards, almost getting a double-double of his own. All of that makes for a significant team effort, something Bright Side of the Sun highlights:
This was a great momentum game for the Suns who were able to not only play with more fluidity offensively, but were also able to tighten up their defense and win the battle of the boards 52-39. Game ball tonight goes to Marcin Gortat for showing he is much more than just a one-trick pony on a pick-and-roll offense. The Polish Machine was just that, and the Suns will need him to continue this effort as they look forward to the three-game road trip ahead.
Gortat has averaged 8.1 points per game in his career, so Suns fans should expect his numbers to come down a little bit. On the other hand, he's also averaged just over 20 minutes on the floor per game, compared to the 34 he played in the season opener and his 36 against Detroit. With more time on the floor, Gortat might be able to put more impressive performances together.
The Suns face the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat and Charlotte Bobcats over the next week.