| 01 November 2009
Talk about your balanced attack - with apologies to those who bet the Suns to beat the spread. (You can't have everything)
The Suns started in low gear - trailing the Minnesota Timberwolves by seven points with three minutes left in the first quarter (27 - 20). But Coach Alvin Gentry overhauled the line-up and the magic happened as Channing Frye, Jason Richardson, Steve Nash, Jared Dudley and Earl Clark put the Suns into the lead with an 11 - 5 point run to closeout the quarter. And Phoenix never relinquished the lead from then on.
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By the time we made it into the fourth quarter virtually every Suns starter was hitting double figures in the scoring department and then our man Amar'e Stoudemire kicked into a higher gear and added his name to that list. So with nine minutes left in the game, every starter had joined in the fun and the Suns grabbed a comfortable 120 - 112 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Yes - the scoring may have been a little top heavy with the starting Big Five hitting for 104 points - the rest of the roster put up only 16 from the field. But - don't get us wrong - we're not going to cry over the details of our third straight victory because that perch atop the Pacific Division feels mighty fine about now.
And - for you rebounding fanatics - the trio of Grant Hill, Amar'e and Lou Amundson brought down a combined 26 boards. The Timberwolves still beat us in that category (46 - 42) but Phoenix showed some real toughness down low. And the Suns also had a 42 - 40 edge over the Timberwolves when it comes to points-in-the-paint. Another sign of their strong presence near the rim.
Lou Amundson - who we haven't said anything about since the season started - showed himself to be a real asset as he grabbed 8 boards during just 17:47 minutes on the court for a per minute production that dwarfed even his closest teammate. It was an awesome performance.
Kudos also go out to the Big Gun - Channing Frye - and his stunning 6 of 10 from beyond the 3-point line. Nailing two other shots from the field and going 3 - 4 from the free throw line, Frye led the team with 25 points. J-Rich's 23 points were impressive - especially for a man who was stashed on the bench the first two games of the season.
And the true star of the night - who reignited a slowing Suns team in the fourth quarter by hitting his lone 3-pointer and grabbing a clutch rebound - was Grant Hill. The 37-year old leader was a big presence on the floor, hitting for 23 points and pulling down 10 boards. Not bad when you're one of the oldest NBA starters and that points/rebounds total almost equals your age
Well - winning is good. We'll have more for you before the Suns hit the floor in Miami.
See ya'.
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