Concerns about how little the Suns' starting five had played together were allayed when that quintet led as a whole through six minutes of play, and new starter T.J. Warren extended the lead to 18-14 after 8 ½ minutes of Wednesday’s season opener.
The issue became the reserves, who gave up 16 points while scoring one in that quarter’s 2:54 to send the Suns on a track to their worst margin of defeat in a season opener – 113-94 at home to Sacramento.
“I don’t know who that team was last night,” Suns coach Earl Watson said of a defense that allowed 51.