Basketball Statistics and Surprising Road Win Essay

Submitted By joejackson198
Words: 330
Pages: 2

Goran Dragic led the Suns to a surprising road win with a team-high 28 points on 11-of-21 FGs and 5-of-7 FTs, despite wearing a sleeve to protect his recently injured left elbow. Gerald Green needed 15 shots to score his 16 points, though he made a few key buckets to keep his former team at bay. The Morris brothers were also solid off the bench -- Markieff Morris scored 15 points with two 3-pointers, three rebounds and one steal in 24 minutes, while Marcus Morris made 7-of-12 FGs for 16 points, six rebounds and two assists in just 21 minutes.

In general, however, this was a one-man show by Dragic. The southpaw PG had some trouble corralling George Hill, and he was quieter in the second half once Indiana switched Paul George onto him defensively, but the Suns' fourth consecutive victory crystallized all the reasons Dragic deserved to make the list of All-Star reserves.

His willingness to play hurt is second to none. His speed in the open court allowed Phoenix to open up a 19-point lead in the first half, and it helped to jumpstart the Suns in the second half when Indiana's defense began to clamp down. Even in the halfcourt his quickness and willingness to absorb contact were invaluable, as he routinely skirted defenders on the perimeter and threw himself into Roy Hibbert's body to either score on a layup, draw a shooting foul, or pull in the defense before passing to one of the Suns' copious perimeter shooters.

Damian Lillard and Tony Parker have both been