PHOENIX (AP)—Channing Frye(notes) has free reign to take as many 3-point shots as he likes—as long as he keeps making them.
Frye took 10 3-points attempts and made six in the Phoenix Suns’ 120-110 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.
Coach Alvin Gentry said Frye “should have taken 15—he passed up a lot of shots.”
“If he’s going to make six, he can take 15,” Gentry added.
Connecting on six 3s for the second straight game, Frye finished with 25 points.
“I don’t think they’d really let me take five more,” Frye said. “I don’t try to force anything. I take them in the context of the game. I shoot them when I’m open.”
Then, with a smile, Frye said, “OK, if they’re going to let me take five more …”
Jason Richardson(notes) had 23 points in his first game following a two-game suspension and the undefeated Phoenix Suns rolled to their third victory.
“I was definitely excited to get back on the floor,” Richardson, who made 8-of-14 shots, said. “I feel I’m now a better person and a better player.”
The victory was the Suns’ 11th straight at home dating to last season and improved their home record to 16-3 under Gentry, who replaced Terry Porter in February.
This is the sixth time the Suns have begun a season 3-0, the first since 2004-05 and only the second in 25 years. It’s also the first time the Suns have opened a season with three wins against Western Conference opponents since 1996-97. They now have scored 100 or more points in 28 consecutive home games— every home game this calendar year.
Grant Hill(notes) had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix. Amare Stoudemire added 19 points and eight rebounds, and Steve Nash(notes) had 14 points and 14 assists.
Ryan Gomes(notes) led Minnesota with 23 points. Al Jefferson(notes) scored 21 but hit only 9-of-23 shots. Corey Brewer(notes) had 19 and Jonny Flynn(notes) 11.
The Suns now embark on a five-game road trip against Eastern teams.
“It’s great to start 3-0, it’s important for us to do it while at home,” Gentry said. “We have a huge, huge test coming up. We have five tough road games. But if we go 5-0 on the road, I’m not going to think we’re great. And if we go 0-5, I’m not going to think the season’s over.”
After a tightly contested first half, in which there were 29 lead changes and 10 ties, the Suns scored the final seven points of the second quarter and grabbed a 67-61 advantage at intermission.
The hardworking Hill, still spry at 37, topped all scorers at the break with 16 points and all rebounders with seven. He had 14 points and five rebounds in the second period.
Frye added 13 points, including three 3s, and Richardson, playing his first game following a two-game suspension for DUI, scored 10. Richardson wasted no time getting into the flow, hitting his first shot at the 24-second mark.
Jefferson led the Timberwolves with 15 points, but had only four in the second period when he shot 1 for 8.
The Timberwolves were hampered early when Flynn, their prize rookie and leading scorer after the opening two games, picked up his second personal foul only 2:26 into the game and had to sit down.
Phoenix extended its lead to 96-85 after three quarters, with the help of six 3-pointers in the third period, three by Frye. At that point, Phoenix had connected on 12 of 20 3s, a remarkable 60 percent. The Timberwolves got as close as five points, 110-105, in the fourth quarter, but the Suns held them off.
Minnesota’s first-year coach Kurt Rambis said the lack of experience hurt his team against a veteran group like the Suns.
“These guys are young,” he said. “Without experience or knowledge, they don’t know how to play against them (the Suns). They don’t understand all the nuances of playing a team like that. Late in the game, we gave ourselves a chance. But they made a couple of shots down the stretch.”
With a crowd of only 15,376 (18,422 is capacity), the Suns’ streak of home sellouts ended at 153.
NOTES: The Suns’ difficult road trip begins Tuesday at Miami, and is followed by games at Orlando, Boston, Washington and Philadelphia. The trip will cover 6,849 miles. Overall, the Suns play 14 of their next 19 games on the road. … Phoenix’s last non-sellout game was March 1, 2006, against Orlando. The streak included 134 regular season games and 19 postseason games. … With his six 3-pointers, Frye surpassed his career high of 11 in a single season (2008-09); he now has 14. He also tied his single-game career high, which he had against Golden State on Friday night.
Canis Hoopus
Bright Side Of The Sun
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shaq was an expensive anchor dragging down our offense and unless they move him to the bench to START the games, shaq will do the same to the cavs !
kerr and the owner are idiots! forcing out dantoni was like taking the eggs out of an omlette !
I like gentry, I hope he can salvage this team ! god bless NASH for not giving up on our suns, I often wonder why he stayed !
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Are you serious, a player like Marcus Camby or Al Thorton and than you mention getting rid of Steve Kerr, what are you smoking? In case you missed the last season the Suns did have a player who was a post up defensive player like Camby or Thorton, you know Shaq and how did that end up working out for them? And if you're just talking about build well that's what Channing Frye is a 6'11 (like Camby or Thorton) 235-245 pound center, unlike like Shaq, Thorton and Camby though, Frye can actually make a shot consistantly from 18+ feet and open the lane for both Richardson and Amare and in case you forgot having a post up scorer (Camby and Thorton) in this offense just muddles up the game and flow. As for defense well let's just Channing hasn't had a chance to display the defense he can play while he's been in the NBA, trust me when I say this (and I have first hand knowledge of how good he can be as I played against Frye in High School) he has the athletic ability to block shots just like Camby does, and as the year progresses and he becomes more comfortable with the team you'll start to see mor block shots for Frye.
As for this whole Nash becoming Coach and getting rid of Kerr, that in it's own right makes no sense, as Kerr (being the GM) would have to hire Nash as coach to begin with. Just look at what he's done since he became the GM (which was in June of '07), yes he has made two bad coaching decisions in letting D'Antoni leave (which really may not have been that bad since he wasn't a big fan of defense) and hiring Terry Porter (who although is a definsive guy isn't a big offense guy), but has finally find the right fit with Gentry (who will get the Suns to play better defense but altough this personal the chance to run the floor, what they do best). Pulled off two blockbuster trades (Marion for Shaq and Diaw and Bell for Richardson) and a trade no one though would happen (Shaq to the Cavs). Has brought in over 14 million dollars with cash considerations in trades (which more than pays for the Ben Wallace buy out and allowed the Suns to sign Frye), and has re-signed both Nash and Hill through the 2013 season.
Look I'm not saying Kerr is the best GM in the league but he realized his mistake in hiring Porter and has since fixed it, he's willing to do what needs to be done for the team to move them to the next level, as is evident by the fact everyone (and by everyone I mean analysts) said the Suns needed a definsive presence to win the title, he got it, it didn't work out but he also didn't give up the farm to get it either. He knows the game of basketball and he understand what a championship team should play like and what components it needs, with him at the helm the Suns will be competitive for some time.
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duhhhhhh as in ur a complete duhhhhhhmbass tonys!!!!!! rotflmao
ur as dumb as the cliche's such as:
)they won because they wanted it more (i want to win the powerball more than anybody else, too, but cant seem to win it!)
)he has "playoff" experience (as opposed to just experience? do the rules change in playoffs?
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