[Will637]

vs.
Phoenix Suns (32-8) vs. Washington Wizards(24-16)
Date: January 23rd, 2007
Time: 7:00 P.M. Eastern
TV: CSN and My45
Place: Verizon Center

Wizards Starting Lineup



(G. Arenas, D. Stevenson, C. Butler, A. Jamison, B. Haywood)

2006-07 Wizards Stats
Leading Scorer: Gilbert Arenas - 29.7 PPG
Leading Rebounder: Antawn Jamison - 8.3 RPG
Leading Assist Man: Gilbert Arenas - 6.3 APG

Points Per Game: 107.5
Field Goal Percentage: 45.9%
3-Point Field Goal Percentage: 37.0%
Rebounds Per Game: 41.0
Assists Per Game: 20.3

Backcourt

Gilbert Arenas
PPG: 29.7, RPG: 4.5, APG: 6.3




Deshawn Stevenson
PPG: 9.7, RPG: 2.5 APG: 2.6




Frontcourt
Caron Butler
PPG: 21.0, RPG: 8.1, APG: 4.1




Antawn Jamison
PPG: 19.2, RPG: 8.3, APG: 1.8




Brendan Haywood
PPG: 6.7, RPG: 6.9, APG: 0.7

Suns Starting Lineups

(S. Nash, R. Bell, S. Marion, B. Diaw, A. Stoudemire)

2006-07 Suns Stats
Leading Scorer: Steve Nash - 19.3 PPG
Leading Rebounder: Shawn Marion - 9.9 RPG
Leading Assist Man: Steve Nash - 11.5 APG
Points Per Game: 111.5
Field Goal Percentage: 49.9%
3-Point Field Goal Percentage: 39.9%
Rebounds Per Game: 41.1
Assists Per Game: 26.9

Backcourt

Steve Nash
PPG: 19.3, RPG: 2.8, APG: 11.5




Raja Bell
PPG: 15.0 RPG: 3.2, APG: 2.4




Frontcourt
Shawn Marion
PPG: 18.8, RPG: 9.8, APG: 1.8




Boris Diaw
PPG: 10.2, RPG: 4.8, APG: 5.3




Amare Stoudemire
PPG: 18.5, RPG: 9.1, APG: 0.7

Keys To The Game

• Ball Movement – The Suns lead the league in assists per game with 27 assists per game and it's very easy to exploit the Wizards' defense, so Mike D'antoni will want his players to find open looks behind the perimeter and Stoudemire in the post. The Wizards are the second worst team in the league in giving up baskets with 105.9 points per game.
• Pressure/Double-Team/Annoy/Kill/DO WHATEVER to Arenas. – The Suns haven't forgotten the first meeting of the year when Arenas just manhandled the Suns on offense and led the Wizards to victory. The Suns have tried different guys like Bell, Marion, and Nash on this guy, but he still came through with 54 points. If the Suns have been scouting the Wizards' opponents the past week, they'll know to start off with a big body on Arenas or give him no room to breath. More importantly, double-team him and force someone to make the plays on offense.
• Secure Ball on Offense – The Wizards are one of the best teams in the league in steals, and the Suns cannot allow the Wizards to pick up easy points on this team, espicially off turnovers. Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas are among the top 3 players in the league in steals.
• Butler In Service – The Eastern conference reigning player of the week will be heavily relied on to help lead this offense, expecting Arenas to not breathe on the court. Caron this year has had a standout year scoring from the post, shooting from beyond, and hustling like a motha. Caron will be the x-factor if the Wizards will be able to go down the last minute with the Suns.
• Identify and Cover Shooters – The Suns have led the league in scoring with a field goal percentage of 50% and leads the league in 3 point percentage. The Wizards continue to struggle in defending the perimeter, and if they don't start here, they won't go far competing point-for-point.
• Paint Presence - Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas has been rising to become of the conference's dominant big men duo, and it's been showing since Etan's injury. The Wizards have gone 14-4 with Haywood starting showing the ability to put back points off missed baskets, and rebounding the ball. They'll go up against a tough task with a quick and tough Amare Stoudemire and they can't afford to have him dominate the paint, so this is a must for the Wizards' big men/

[Seuss]

Suns/Wizards
Game Thread

I encourage all Wizard fans to come give your thoughts about the game at the Suns board.
Friendly chatter is always welcomed. =)

[afireinside]

Will, I don't believe Nash's assists average is 3.2. Those just wouldn't be MVP type numbers.

I think we always play well against the Suns. And since we are in OUR house this time, I think we win this one also. Either way, it's going to be an exciting game to watch.

[Will637]

Sorry, typo.

[washingtonwizards00]

If we keep the ball moving and Gil has another big game, I think we can stop the Suns streak again.

[g-dog-rice#2]

Gilbert needs to attack Steve Nash nonstop to wear him out. Nash can't guard my grandma, so I expect Gilbert to roast him.

GO WIZARDS!

[One on One]

I wonder if any team in the past has ever stopped 3 double digit win streaks in one season? Or how about 12+ win streaks. I think we win. We're rested and this is the type of game our guys get excited about playing so we won't come out flat. As long as we keep Amare under control, we should win.

[washingtonwizards00]

wtf? The Suns are on fire and we can't make anything. This is pretty embarrassing so far.

[One on One]

well, this isn't going so well.

[Big Mike]

Not going to beat anybody if you shoot 42% while the other team shoots 65% and 10-18 from 3's. You would think they would cool off at some point but their not, but it is already too late to come back in this game.

[f22egl]

Pretty much, the Wizards lost the game in the 1st quarter. It's damn near impossible to come back from a 20+ point deficit against the Suns who can score 140 per game.

[afireinside]

I came home from work around 8:30 to relax and watch the rest the game since I had it recorded, but when I accidentally switched to live and saw the score I just shut it off. It's one of those games that no one wants to talk about.

I just hope the teams goes into Detroit on Friday with the motive that they are the new East elite and they can take on the best.

[One on One]

I think the hype and excitement over the game hurt us. I saw us rushing things early. Even though we both play an up-tempo game, we still have different styles. I think we were trying to copy them and it didn't work out.

[Will637]

Man, was that Wizards defense horrific. I haven't seen more easy and fast baskets given up in any game. Steve Nash commanded that offense having that quick dribble penetration to get himself in the paint, guys like James Jones and Leandro Barbosa roaming around and an all-around player like Shawn Marion to spare, the only way to beat this guys is to beat them at their own game, which is what the Wizards couldn't do in the first quarter. They missed the first 12 of 15 and only scored 20 points and sadly but true, that was the only bad quarter in the game.

The Wizards did have a run in the 3rd quarter led by Caron Butler, but the refs BS'ed us calling a "foul" on Caron Butler went towards James Jones on a 3 point attempt, but never came close to touching him. It stopped a 9-0 run that cut it under 20, then they called a blocking foul on Arenas, which should've been an obvious charge after setting his feet a mile outside the ci