thirty-seven and ten

Well, I guess we'll have to wait for another incredible Suns' winning streak. The Suns lose to the Utah Jazz (31-17) at home. The Suns were down by 9 at the half, came back within five at the end of the third, and only lost by three, but it was still a loss. Raja Bell did not play, and Barbosa started in his place. It is going to be hard to keep up the pace if Raja is not fit. He brings in defense that the Suns need, as well as incredible shooting from beyond the arch. Nash had a double double (22 points, 10 assists), as well as Amaré Stoutemire (28 points, 10 rebounds). Another blow to the team effort, though, was that Marion fouled out (and had a technical) with only 4 points, 1 block, 1 assist, but he did have 8 boards. The Suns even had a better jump-shooting percentage for the game, but the Jazz took more shots and still shot well. Neither team did extremely well with the 3-point shot, and the turnovers weren't terribly mismatched, either (Suns 16, Jazz 13). The Suns have still not lost by double figures this year, which is a good thing, but we've got to win close games like this, especially against powerhouse teams in the West, with whom the Suns have only won one (last game, over the Spurs) of the eight or so games they've played. They go on to play the Denver Nuggets (23 - 22) on Monday in Colorado at 7pm AZ time. Iverson still has a sprained ankle, so I don't know if he will play, but the Suns will still have Carmelo Anthony to deal with come Monday. The Suns can do it, and it should be a great game. GO SUNS!