PHOENIX -- A practice date with the team from Denver showed the Suns can defeat the Nuggets when the Nuggets are playing without the maniacal hustler Kenneth Faried.
OK, so they also handled them pretty well with Faried last season. But Denver didn't then have Danilo Gallinari -- who hit the Suns for 17 points in fewer than 15 minutes Friday night -- so we'll have to wait for an answer regarding what happens when the Nuggets are whole and the game counts for something.
Beyond that, the 97-89 triumph provided the Suns and their fans partial evidence on some important issues.
We'll start with a very strong indication of how they'll generate spacing from the power-forward position.
Markieff Morris, who figures to move into the starting spot now with gunslinger Channing Frye departed, made 2-of-3 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.
So that's pretty fair news.
But having Markieff a bit more eager to squeeze off shots from out there may be slightly unnerving. Hey, it's hard for us to wipe away memories of his rookie season. With that in mind, we also had our first look at hired gun Anthony Tolliver.
And, with Friday night as our guide, we're convinced Anthony isn't exactly bashful.
"After the game, I told Goran (Dragic) I may lead the league in 3-pointers made and attempted this year because I'm going to get a lot of open shots," Tolliver, whose trigger finger healed enough for him to make his Suns debut, said.
With Nugget four man Darrell Arthur filling in for the ridiculously-mobile Faried, Tolliver found enough open space to launch eight 3-pointers. He made three. After shooting 41 percent from deep for the Charlotte Bobcats last season, it might seem surprising for the 6-foot-8 Tolliver to be this unattended, right?
"Not really, not anymore," Tolliver said getting pristine looks at the basket. "When I first got here, it was a bit of a surprise. That's what it's all about, that's why I came here.
"These guards here are special and they really put a lot of pressure on the defense by getting to the basket. My man has to make a decision every time. Sometimes it's a layup for us; sometimes it's an open 3."
That first open 3, orchestrated via dribble penetration from Eric Bledsoe, resulted in a Phoenix basket on its first offensive possession.
"I just wanted to get out there and see how my finger felt," Tolliver said in reference to a laceration sustained during training camp. "I hit my first shot so, of course, it's going to feel pretty good after that. I felt like I really didn't miss a step out there."
He was brought to Phoenix for his 3-point chops, so Tolliver's new teammates weren't completely prepared for what they've seen thus far.
"I think they all knew he could shoot the ball pretty well," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "They didn't realize he could shoot it that well. I think it was a great thing he was here early enough for the guys to see that.
"We saw that when they were playing pickup games prior to the season starting. They are looking for him, they are trying to find him to see if they can get him a shot."
Tolliver's size doesn't offer the versatility of working at center -- as was the case with Frye in certain matchups. But Tolliver's smaller stature equips him to show and recover on ball screens with more lateral quickness than his predecessor.
"He's a veteran guy; he knows how to play," Hornacek said. "He's a little undersized sometimes, but he'll use his knowledge of the game to deal with some of the bigger guys he has to go against."
Suns guard Goran Dragic drives past Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov in the third quarter Friday.
After Wednesday's sluggish run against Flamengo of Brazil, Dragic showed the usual zip in working a tick fewer than 20 minutes against Denver.
"I felt great today," Dragic, who scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, said. "We know these guys like to run and we did it back. I still think that we could score more. ... We missed some open shots, but in the end I think we played well. It doesn't matter, though, it's only preseason. Tomorrow we go back to practice and we will try to work hard and try to get better."
Rookie forward T.J. Warren was the star of the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points in nine minutes.
Warren, a cold-blooded scorer whose calling card at North Carolina State didn't include deep range, made half of his four attempts from 3-point range.
He was 4 of 8 overall, mixing in an off-the-glass runner after a nifty dribble move and a put-back following one of his three offensive rebounds. Warren had six rebounds in all.
