The Suns had to fight tooth and nail to beat the Pacers in Indiana earlier today. Grant Hill led the way for the Suns today with 34 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. Marcin Gortat (17 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot), Jared Dudley (15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot) and Channing Frye (14 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) each filled up the stat sheet for the Suns in this game. Steve Nash only shot 5 of 14 from the floor but he still finished up with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists. The Suns are now 30-27 on the year.

The Suns outrebounded the Raptors 42-31 last night and that played a big factor in the nice road win last night. The Suns were up 86-62 heading into the 4th quarter before calling off the dogs. Vince Carter (17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals and 1 blocked shot) and Marcin Gortat (17 points, 11 rebounds and 1 blocked shot) led the way for the Suns last night. Channing Frye pitched in with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in this game. Mickeal Pietrus (14 points) and Hakim Warrick (12 points) also pitched in off the bench for the Suns last night. The Suns are now 29-27 on the year.

The Phoenix Suns have acquired 26-year old PG/SG Aaron Brooks from the Houston Rockets for 24-year old point guard Goran Dragic and a first round pick. Brooks played in 34 games (7 starts) for the Rockets this season and he averaged 23.9 minutes, 11.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He was only shooting 34.6% from the floor and 28.4% from three point range so far this year. He is a much better shooter than that. Brooks has played in 247 games (124 starts) in his first four years in the NBA and he is averaging 25.7 minutes, 12.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Brooks has a much higher upside that Goran Dragic has.

Dragic played in 48 games (2 starts) for the Suns this season and he averaged 17.8 minutes, 7.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He played in 183 games (5 starts) in his three years with the Suns and he averaged 16.5 minutes, 6.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Dragic really showed improvement in his game, but Brooks is a better player than him, plain and simple.

The Suns shot 52.6% from the floor last night and it really helped them win the game. Channing Frye (20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot) and Jared Dudley (17 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals) led the way for the Suns last night. Steve Nash (13 points, 2 rebounds and 10 assists) and Marcin Gortat (13 points, 12 rebounds and 1 assist) also had solid games for the Suns last night. Mickeal Pietrus (11 points) and Hakim Warrick (10 points) also pitched in for the Suns last night. The Suns are now 28-27 on the year.

The Phoenix Suns are 27-27 on the season which has them in second place in the Pacific Division, 9.5 games behind the Lakers. The Suns are #10 in the Western Conference right now but they are only 2.5 games behind the fading Jazz and the Grizzlies for the #8 spot. The Suns need to get hot and stay that way if they are going to make the playoffs this year.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: 27-year old center Marcin Gortat has been the best big man the Suns have since he came over in the big trade with the Magic earlier this year. Gortat has played in 27 games (1 start) for the Suns so far this year and he is averaging 25.7 minutes, 10.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. He is shooting 56.3% from the floor since coming over from the Magic and that is outstanding. It’s only a matter of time before Gortat is the starting center for the Suns.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: 27-year old SG/SF Josh Childress was supposed to be a good fit for the Suns but he just hasn’t been able to get on the court. Childress has played in 33 games (3 starts) for the Suns so far this year and he is averaging 17.0 minutes, 5.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He is shooting 54.6% from the floor which is a positive, but he’s only hitting 56% of his free throws and that is awful.