The Suns may have made the resolution to start 2010 like they ended 2009, but like most resolutions, it didn’t really pan out.

In a contest that never saw the Suns lead, the Grizzlies shot 58 percent from the field in the first half and jumped out to a 19-point halftime lead before dealing the Suns a 128-103 home defeat on Saturday.

”When we play hard and we compete, we’re a good team; but if we don’t do that, we struggle,” Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry said. “I don’t really have an answer for tonight.

“It just seems that we ever got into any offensive rhythm and from a defensive standpoint, we didn’t do a really good job. You have to play at a high level to beat this team.”

Amar’e Stoudemire came out of the gate hot, knocking down 7-of-8 shots to notch 14 points in the first period. The Suns trailed by as many as 12 in the first period, but a combination of dunks and jumpers from STAT allowed Phoenix to trim the lead to four.

It looked as if Phoenix would make a push at the conclusion of the first, but Memphis’ 16-0 run in the second quarter swung the momentum in the Grizzlies’ direction for good. The Suns trailed by 24 heading into the fourth and never made a serious run to close the gap.

Stoudemire finished with a game-high 29 points, while Steve Nash racked up 19 points and 13 assists in three quarters worth of work. Nash and Stoudemire combined to shoot 19-of-30 from the field, while the rest of the team shot 21-of-58.

“These are the big games really,” Nash said. “The Lakers and Boston wins aren’t big games; they’re bonuses. The big games are to defeat the teams that are below you in the standings.”

The Suns were outscored by 16 in the paint and outrebounded by 11. Tied for the best home record in the league coming into the evening, the Suns dropped their record in the desert to 13-3.

“This is the NBA,” Suns guard Jason Richardson said. “Any team can beat any team on any given night. (Memphis) is playing really well the past 12 or 13 games and they have a lot of young guys who are up-and-coming stars.”

Next up for the Suns are the Kings in Sacramento on Tuesday.

Lead Blocker

Louis Amundson was one of the few bright spots Saturday, scoring a season-high 14 points to go along with his seven rebounds and five blocks in 22 minutes. He was one of only four Suns to score in double figures.

Amundson is known for providing a much-needed spark off the bench, ranking 12th in the league in rebounds per minute and 19th in blocks per minute. At 6-9 and 238 pounds, Amundson is one of the best pound-for-pound shot blockers in the league.

He owes much of his success to his timing and ability to get off the floor quickly.

“I think I get a lot of blocks on the ball,” Amundson said. “I don't get a lot of them while the ball is in the air. It’s not something you can work on; it’s a timing thing.”

The fourth-year man says that he plays possum in order to lure the offensive threat towards him. When a player is driving towards the rim and he’s on the weak side, he’ll wait an extra second in order to give the attacker the belief that he can get to the rim. Once the offensive player commits, that’s when he springs over for the swat.

The UNLV gread also deliberately crowds the player when he’s defending on the ball, forcing the offensive player to drive. However, Amundson knows he has the length and athleticism to recover and reject his opponent.

“We don’t have any true shotblockers so I try to take it upon myself to protect the rim a little bit when I’m out there,” he said.

Taking Ownership

January is always the time for New Year’s resolutions and for a renewed focus on exercise. It turns out that Suns owner Robert Sarver is also on a fitness kick.

Sarver was seen working out in the Suns’ weight room before the game Saturday before settling in at his customary seat at halfcourt. It appears that Saturday was a cardio day, with Sarver getting his elliptical on.

Suns assistant trainer Tom Maystadt said it was the first time he’s seen Sarver in the weight room on a game day in some time. Maystadt said that Sarver usually hits the elliptical, although he’s no stranger to free weights and the rest of the machines.

Decent Proposal

During the kiss-cam segment of the in-arena show, the last couple to be seen on the Suns' big screen was the most crowd-pleasing. It wasn't their staged smooch that captured the attention of the 17,135 faithful, it was the engagment ring that the Suns' fan was offering up to his girlfriend.

Although the Suns' in-arena staff is inundated with requests for similar proposals, they normally don't air them. But tonight was this couple's lucky night because the show featured the rarely-used kiss-cam.

Hopefully that luck will be a sign of things to come for the content couple.

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