Suns Strokes: Phoenix comes out sluggish in loss to Knicks

Sure, you could read the box score and know who won, but we all know that won’t tell you everything that happened in a basketball game. So, we will give you Suns Strokes, providing you with the analysis, quotes and notes from the Suns’ 106-99 loss to the Knicks on December 2.

The Good:

Marcin Gortat recorded his sixth double-double of the season(18 points and 10 rebounds) in a losing effort.

Despite being held scoreless in the first half, Shannon Brown caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 13 of his 17 points on the afternoon.

The Suns didn’t win, losing their third straight on the road, but after falling behind by as many as 20 in the first half, Alvin Gentry’s squad proved yet again that no game is out of reach.

The Bad:

The Suns fell to 1-4 on their season-long, six-game road trip.

Sunday’s 12 p.m. Eastern start time was the team’s earliest of the season, and it showed. The Suns forgot to wake up from their early morning slumbers, committing nine turnovers in the first quarter alone.

While the Suns made an admirable comeback, on two separate occasions Phoenix cut the Knicks’ lead to four and six points respectively. Both times, they failed to make the key stop or shot to reduce the deficit even further.

Noted:

With the win, the Knicks improved to 7-0 this season at Madison Square Garden.

Carmelo Anthony came into Sunday’s contest No. 3 in the league in scoring. Against the Suns he was at his best, exciting the matinee crowd with a game-high 34 points.

Michael Beasley scored just nine points, but his biggest struggles were at the defensive end. Both Anthony and Chris Copeland exploited Beasley’s slow feet for easy buckets. Beasley finished with a team-low plus/minus of -20.

The Suns are now 2-8 on the road in 2012-2013.

Up Next:

The Suns will finish their six-game road trip on Tuesday night against the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.