Maybe the best thing for the Suns to do was to just hang it up. After all, the two point guards – MVP Steve Nash and second-year man Goran Dragic – were both hurting. Dragic sat the game out with a sprained ankle, and Nash has been playing through some abdominal pain.

But that ignores the fact that, despite being on the tail end of a back-to-back, the Suns nearly pulled out a win. In fact, up until about the five minute mark in the fourth quarter, our purple and orange gang was ahead. But the Jazz caught fire from three-point land. Actually, it was more like a blazing inferno, hitting fully 7 threes in the quarter. With Steve Nash not effective from long-range, the Suns fizzled en route to a loss.

It really just turned into one of those games where the other team just couldn’t be stopped. Despite shooting 57% on the game, the Suns couldn’t find the hoop in the fourth quarter. By all accounts, the starting five played well. Stoudemire scored 30, Jason Richardson scored 22, Grant Hill had 17 and Steve Nash dropped 15 dimes. But with Dragic out, the bench players struggled, with only Jared Dudley getting near double-digit points with 8.

The Suns have a game with Indiana on Saturday night, then a five-day rest period until the Lakers hit the floor next week. Hopefully the rest will help Steve Nash and Dragic heal, as a team without a point guard is going to have a tough time scoring.

Other than the loss to the Jazz, though, the Suns have been playing well, so far at 8-3 after the All-Star break. The game with Indiana, then the long rest will help rejuvinate the team and other players to heal and get some rest. Some things of note that were mentioned on TNT during the game:

Since Robin Lopez has gone to the starting lineup, the Suns are +4.4 on the boards versus when he was coming off the bench. To me, that is the biggest difference Lopez has brought to the lineup. He allows Stoudemire to work more off the ball and not worry as much about rebounding, but it also allows Stoudemire to play off the opposing centers and get more rebounds himself. That +4.4 rebounds translates into about two or three extra possessions a game, which means more shot attempts.

The offense is going to some new options. Jason Richardson and Grant Hill have been getting the ball on the block more often, and it has been working. It lets Nash play off the ball and preserve some energy for the stretch push in the fourth-quarter, and it’s really the kind of offense that is more valuable come playoff time.

Grant Hill has been playing out of his damn mind. Yeah, I said it. Although the oldest Suns player, he really shows what it means to be ready for each game. He has been playing like he’s 25 lately, and had quite a few dunks and fast-breaks where the younger guys couldn’t keep up with him. I don’t know what magic diet he is doing, or weird exercise regime, but I vote that all the players on the team have to be like Grant. Not Mike, Grant.

The second unit with Amundson, Dragic and Dudley have been playing at least better defense than they used to, and many times the bench is sparking the runs that are putting the games away. Although it may not seem important, limiting the opposing team’s second unit is crucial. Channing Frye in particular seems to be adapting to his role off the bench quite well.

For now, we’ll leave it at that. Suffice it to say that at this rate, the Suns will make the playoffs, and will hopefully win a round or two. At the very least, it looks like they’re having fun again. Oh, and damn you TNT!