rayjayjohnson
01-07-2012, 05:45 PM
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=320106021
PHOENIX -- The crowded NBA season may have claimed a victim Friday night.
The Portland Trail Blazers rolled into the desert with wins at Oklahoma City on Tuesday and at home against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. They held the best record in the West at 5-1.
Only to fall flat in Phoenix, routed by the Steve Nash-led Suns 102-77.
Fatigue obviously figured into the performance, something that Suns coach Alvin Gentry expects to be commonplace around the league this season in a 66-game, compacted schedule.
"Do I think that we are 25 points better than they are?" Gentry said. "No. But I think that given the opportunity to take advantage of something like this you better do it, and especially at home."
Nash made all seven shots, two of them 3-pointers, and handed out nine assists, then sat out the fourth quarter. Jared Dudley scored 18 and Nash 17 for the Suns. Marcin Gortat added 12.
"They did get in late but we can't go out there and feel sorry for them," Nash said. "We have to go out there and try to execute our game plan and be aggressive in both ends."
The 37-year-old Nash said he is feeling better than he did in the first few games of the season as he gets in better basketball shape. He's also obviously finding his shot, and so are his teammates.
"We made some shots but we also had better rhythm," Nash said. "The tempo of the game suited us more. We had a little more of a flow to it. That allowed us to find comfort and we made more shots probably as a result but also because we were due to make shots."
LaMarcus Aldridge had 14 points for the Trail Blazers, who finished shooting 33 percent after making 28 percent in the first half. Portland's Nicolas Batum scored 12. Jamal Crawford added 10 points but shot just 3 of 14.
"It seemed like we were running in quicksand all night," Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan said.
Phoenix had three reserves in double figures: Shannon Brown 14, Markieff Morris 13 and Hakim Warrick 12.
PHOENIX -- The crowded NBA season may have claimed a victim Friday night.
The Portland Trail Blazers rolled into the desert with wins at Oklahoma City on Tuesday and at home against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. They held the best record in the West at 5-1.
Only to fall flat in Phoenix, routed by the Steve Nash-led Suns 102-77.
Fatigue obviously figured into the performance, something that Suns coach Alvin Gentry expects to be commonplace around the league this season in a 66-game, compacted schedule.
"Do I think that we are 25 points better than they are?" Gentry said. "No. But I think that given the opportunity to take advantage of something like this you better do it, and especially at home."
Nash made all seven shots, two of them 3-pointers, and handed out nine assists, then sat out the fourth quarter. Jared Dudley scored 18 and Nash 17 for the Suns. Marcin Gortat added 12.
"They did get in late but we can't go out there and feel sorry for them," Nash said. "We have to go out there and try to execute our game plan and be aggressive in both ends."
The 37-year-old Nash said he is feeling better than he did in the first few games of the season as he gets in better basketball shape. He's also obviously finding his shot, and so are his teammates.
"We made some shots but we also had better rhythm," Nash said. "The tempo of the game suited us more. We had a little more of a flow to it. That allowed us to find comfort and we made more shots probably as a result but also because we were due to make shots."
LaMarcus Aldridge had 14 points for the Trail Blazers, who finished shooting 33 percent after making 28 percent in the first half. Portland's Nicolas Batum scored 12. Jamal Crawford added 10 points but shot just 3 of 14.
"It seemed like we were running in quicksand all night," Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan said.
Phoenix had three reserves in double figures: Shannon Brown 14, Markieff Morris 13 and Hakim Warrick 12.