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Maybe the Suns don't want to come back home. Why would they? Their latest Eastern Conference game ended the same as their previous three: with a win.
Saturday's 106-83 victory — Phoenix's fourth in a row — saw continued unselfish play and winning results. The Suns' record now stand at a tidy 9-5 with one game to go before a quick come-and-go game at home next week.
What did further success reveal? A few things:
4. Len continues to grow
Earlier this week at Detroit, Alex Len got caught defending straight-up almost too often as smaller guards scored extended layups under his reach. He appears to have already learned from that experience after coming up with four steals against the Pacers. He used his wingspan laterally whenever the ball was held or passed low through the paint, causing no small amount of defensive chaos in the process.
Combined with his growing arsenal of offensive moves, which included a double-clutch bank shot and an up-and-under move in the post, Len's improvement is becoming an increasingly obvious storyline as the season unfolds.
3. Green may have been motivated
Green Skies Baseline for the Jam
Gerald Green says all the right things about playing former teams. "No grudges" is his philosophy, but his play sure seems to say otherwise. The former Pacer scored 18 points in his first nine minutes of play and finished with a game-high 23 on 8-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-9 from three.
His production, along with that of Isaiah Thomas, continues to prove too much for opposing reserves to match.
2. Unselfishness catching on
Suns Head Coach Jeff Hornacek went 10 players deep in the first half, and every one of them scored. The ball is moving readily as players realize a teammate just might have a better look than they do.
The results are especially visible on the perimeter. Phoenix has shot better than 36 percent from deep in four out of the last five games after doing so just three out of the first nine.
1. Phoenix not messing around
Yes, it was a back-to-back set, but it was also against the winless Sixers and depleted Pacers. Phoenix didn't make them any harder than they needed to, blowing both teams out to the point where the starters and most big-minute reserves sat out the fourth quarters.
Hornacek couldn't have hoped for better, especially with Monday's game against the scorching Raptors coming up. The Suns should be well rested and ready for their first above-.500 Eastern opponent on this road trip.