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AP: 3a82aeac-0f5b-4046-891c-8acd89b1473d
Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic, center, of Slovenia, drives to the basket around Boston Celtics forward Chris Wilcox, left, and Terrence Williams, right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, in Phoenix. The Celtics won 113-88. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

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' 113-88 loss to the Celtics on February 22.

The Good:

Markieff Morris played well in his first game since being reunited with his brother. He finished with 11 points on 5 of 8 shooting, with four rebounds in 25 minutes of play.

The game was the Suns' first sellout of the 2012-13 season (18,422).

Goran Dragic set a career-high third straight game with double-digit assists in the contest. He also has three straight games with at least 15 points and 10 assists.

The Bad:

The Suns fell behind early, and the Celtics never let the home team back in the game after taking a 13-0 lead off the tip in the first quarter.

The Celtics closed out the season sweep of the Suns for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

A majority of the 18,422 sellout crowd was made up of Celtic fans, and they seemed to be the only ones who stayed late in the fourth quarter. The arena sounded like a Boston home game.

The Suns have averaged 37.5 points in the first half of their last two home games.

He Said It:

"That is totally unacceptable; coaching-wise and player-wise," Suns head coach Lindsey Hunter said. "The way we performed [Friday] that cannot happen."

Noted:

• Before the game Hunter said that he wanted the newly acquired Morris brother to go through at least one practice before he saw time on the court. However, with 6:32 to go in the game, Morris checked in for his first time as a Sun. His brother was also on the court.

• Boston is now 9-3 since Rajon Rondo went down with his season-ending injury.

• Marcus and Markieff Morris joined Dick and Tom Van Arsdale as the only sets of twins ever to be teammates in NBA history.

Up Next:

The Suns (18-38) continue their homestand on Sunday, February 24th, as they welcome the rival San Antonio Spurs into U.S. Airways Center at 6:00 pm MST.

Charlie Feinerman, Contributor - ArizonaSports.com

7 Comments   |   Join the conversation »
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  • Abuse
    Whatashame wrote...
    "That cannot happen"
    Pretty funny stuff.
  • Abuse
    Whatashame wrote...
    Let me know when it becomes embarassing
    'They had no respect for us," said Hunter, who is 5-10 as coach. "That is almost embarrassing. One of their Hall of Fame players didn't play and they still come in here and smack you around like a punching bag. You are at home and there is no resistance."
  • Abuse
    JW L. wrote...
    As a Phoenician
    ..I am embarrassed too. Not so much of the team, but of its management. They are reminiscent of the Clippers from 15-20 years ago....always bad, not getting any better.
  • Abuse
    the cooker wrote...
    Funny Stuff
    Now we will have to listen to Babby get on the Doug & Wolf show and tells us what a great job Hunter is doing.
  • Abuse
    Calvinator wrote...
    What a Joke!
    All of the cliches, metaphors, and rhetoric from the FO are a joke. Sarver, Babby, Blanks, and Hunter are a joke even more so that they are managing this team. The only personnel within the organization who help me still claim myself as a Suns fan are McCoy, Dragic, Dudley, and Frye. This organization needs to start looking for an All-Star Center and Shooting Guard. Until the FO acquires these 2 spots the team will not compete for a championship, and that my friends is what will draw revenue. Championships are the only thing we want from the Phoenix Suns.
  • Abuse
    parkerdo wrote...
    As Expected
    I hate to say this, but I it the first game of last season. The owners and management of the Phoenix Suns are only in this business to make a secure profit. They can do it with average attendance and TV revenue. They will not stop up and pay for star caliber talent, they got rid of anyone they have to pay too much to, and it will continue for the foreseeable future. I like many others have stopped going to games, and I don't watch on TV any longer, sad for a 40 year die hard Suns Fan isn't it.
  • Abuse
    CreepyBrian wrote...
    Embarrassed, they better be.
    For this mess, I am inclined to agree with Gambo's take that Sarver wants to win, but picked the worst people to run his franchise. There's too much competition in the Valley to run a bottom-basement franchise perennially and still turn a profit. Fans will walk and Sarver will hopefully figure that out. I am constantly mentioning the disaster that was the Josh Byrnes/AJ Hinch era for the DBacks, but we are reliving it with the Suns. The only question is will Sarver make a move as quickly as Kendrick did, or are we in for a few years (or more) of this?
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