Suns seek balance for winning formula
Nov 13, 2012, 11:07 PM | Updated: 11:44 pm
November 13, 2012: Markieff Morris fills the stat sheet
The Suns do not have a go-to scorer.
What they do have, however, are a collection of scorers.
The Suns are one of only two teams with at least five players averaging 12 points or more.
“That’s what we have to do to win,” Jared Dudley said. “We don’t want just one guy. We want different options; and when you have a lot of guys it’s hard to guard because then all five defensive players on the other team have to be engaged.”
Goran Dragic is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 16.6 points per game. He was one of a season-high seven Suns who scored in double figures in the victory against Denver Monday.
“Doesn’t matter who’s it going to be,” Dragic said. “Who’s going to be hot then we’re going to go, we’re going to play for that guy.”
The Suns have had five different players lead (or share the team lead) in scoring through eight games.
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Markieff Morris’ season had gotten off to a slow start before this week.
He played a season-low 12 minutes at Utah on the heels of missing all nine of his field goal attempts Friday against Cleveland.
Head coach Alvin Gentry stuck with his second-year power forward, playing him down the stretch as the Suns held off Denver.
Morris rewarded his coach scoring six of his season-high 13 points in the fourth quarter.
He finished the game with six rebounds, five assists and three steals — including a strip of Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson that led to a Shannon Brown layup and a six-point lead with 2:13 remaining.
“Over the summer time really helped me a lot with being here with these guys,” Morris said. “I’m just trying to showcase it.”
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Three Suns players are represented on the 2013 NBA All-Star ballot.
Goran Dragic’s name appears for the first time in his career. He’s among the 24 guards listed in the Western Conference.
Marcin Gortat (2nd time) and Luis Scola (5th time) are two of the 36 front court players listed.
The game this season will be played on Sunday, February 17 in Houston.