Phoenix Suns

The Suns' 11-3 start is impressive enough, but it could get even better over the next two weeks.

After taking care of the injury-riddled Pistons on Sunday, the Suns have two day off before ending their short homestand against the awful, Allen Iverson-less Grizzlies. (Gee, who would have thought that whole Iverson in Memphis thing wouldn't work out? Didn't it make perfect sense that he would have turned that franchise around, especially their work ethic.)

From there comes a road trip that doesn't exactly compare favorably with the Miami-Orlando-Boston-Washington-Philadelphia grind from earlier in the month:

• It starts with a road game at Minnesota, where the Suns traditionally struggle. But the T-wolves have lost 12 straight games, and Al Jefferson's magic over the Suns has worn off. If the Suns blow this one, Target Center is truly haunted.

• Then comes a visit to Toronto against the 6-8 Raptors, who gave the Suns all they wanted in Phoenix last week. But Steve Nash loves to play in Toronto and he doesn't let the Suns lose to the Raptors—nope, not once since returning to Phoenix.

• Then comes a road game in New York against the 3-10 Knicks. Coach Mike D'Antoni was smiling last year as the Knicks got off to a decent start while the Suns were learning to run in place with new coach Terry Porter. This year? Not so much. But he's worried less about the Suns right now and more about his own players shooting at the wrong basket.

  That means the Suns could very well take an eight-game winning streak into Cleveland for a Dec. 2 showdown with old pal Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James and the Cavs. This game isn't slated to be on national TV right now. That needs to change.

  The Suns need to take care of business because mid-December is brutal. Beginning with a return trip to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Dec. 6, Phoenix has a six-game stretch that continues at Dallas, home vs. Orlando, at Denver, home vs. San Antonio and at Portland. That means hay must be stored in the barn now.

Suns 117, Pistons 91:

The Suns jumped on the tired Pistons from the start with their offense and then closed the first half with a 12-0 run to win their fifth home game in a row to start the season and their 11th in 14 games to start the season. Amar'e Stoudemire had 21 points and Steve Nash added 20 as the Suns handed the injury-riddled Pistons—who are still without stars Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince—their fifth straight loss.

• With the win Sunday, the Suns reclaimed a share of the league's best record (11-3), joining the idle Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic, who also won Sunday.

• The Suns remained one of three NBA teams undefeated at home through Sunday. The others: the 7-0 Hawks and 5-0 Nuggets. The Suns' 5-0 home start marks the club's best since 2000-01 (6-0). Phoenix has won 14 straight at home and has not lost a regular-season game at US Airways Center since March 12, 2009.

• The Suns have won their five home games by an average of 15.4 points, and three of those wins have come by 20 or more points, including the season-high 26-point victory over Detroit. Phoenix is averaging 117.0 points at home this season and has scored 117 or more in four of its five home games.

• Phoenix continues to beat up on the East, something it has done consistently in the Steve Nash era. The Suns improved to 6-1 (.857) against the Eastern Conference, including 2-0 at home.

• Coming off a rare poor shooting night in Thursday's loss in New Orleans, Phoenix shot a season high 57.5 percent from the field (42-for-73) against the Pistons and a season-high 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from 3-point range. That's impressive against Detroit, which entered the game surrendering just 43.3 percent from the field (third-best in the NBA) and 30.2 from three-point range (also third in the NBA).

• The Suns' 24 fast-break points were their most since a season-high 30 in the home opener Oct. 30 vs. Golden State and were nearly as many as the Suns had in their last four games combined (29).

Quote To Note:

"We played well. Amar'e (Stoudemire) got us off to a good start and Steve (Nash) was a little bit more aggressive with his shot early in the game. It's just as we say, we have to try to hold serve at home every game because it is so tough to win on the road. It was a good win."

Rotation:

Starters—Point guard Steve Nash; Shooting guard Jason Richardson; Small forward Grant Hill; Power forward Amar'e Stoudemire; Center Channing Frye. Bench—Guard Leandro Barbosa; Forward Louis Amundson; Forward Jared Dudley; Guard Goran Dragic; Center Jarron Collins.

Player Notes:

• F Amar'e Stoudemire recorded his fourth consecutive 20-point game, his longest such streak in nearly a year (11 straight from Nov. 30 to Dec. 25, 2008) After scoring 21 points Sunday, Stoudemire is averaging 24.3 points and shooting 63.6 percent (35-of-55) from the field.

  "It's just slowly getting comfortable again," he said. "Going seven months without playing basketball—the longest I've went without playing basketball—was tough, but it's improving. I think as a team we're playing well enough to get these wins, and we just want to continue to grow and continue to get better."

• G Goran Dragic continues to mature in his second season in the NBA and is rounding into a very capable backup to Steve Nash. In 22 minutes against the Pistons—including a few when he shared the backcourt with Nash—he scored 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting and added six rebounds, four assists and two steals. He's earning the respect and trust of his teammates and his head coach.

  "I thought Goran did a really good job tonight," coach Alvin Gentry said. "He was really aggressive, and obviously he shot the ball well."

• C Channing Frye took only four shots but made 2 of 3 3-pointers and still managed 10 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. It's typical of the season so far for Fyre, who has made shot 63 percent from the field and 66 percent from 3-point range in five home games but has struggled from both the field (37 percent) and 3-point range (29 percent) in Phoenix's nine road games.

Medical Watch:

• C Robin Lopez (broken foot) took part in his first full-contact practice of the season Friday and could be within a week or two of making his season debut. The Suns can afford to bring Lopez along slowly with the way they have played to this point.