It was a nail-biter in downtown Phoenix on Thursday night. One of those rare games where the Suns won without cracking 100 points. The last time that happened was April 5, 2024, against Minnesota. Even
after Dillon Brooks flagrantly fouled Stephen Curry, which led to a five-point play that tied the game late in the fourth, the Suns survived.
I am thankful the schedule is finally about to calm down. Truly. Some consistency would feel like a luxury at this point. The front end of December has been a mess. Stop, start, sprint, slam on the brakes. This Suns team hates that. They live on rhythm. They feed off it. They want to get punched in the mouth, punch back, then show up the next night and do it again. That is who they are. Back to back one night, then three days staring at the ceiling the next, that is basketball whiplash. And it shows.
We saw it right away in the first half. If Dillon Brooks is not out there pouring in 20 of the Suns’ 46 points, this thing probably tilts early in a bad way. Instead, they hung around. They waited. Then the game found its groove, and so did Phoenix. Once the rhythm kicked in, they erased a 14-point hole and flipped the script. That mattered. Not because it was pretty, but because it was them.
They sit at 15-12 on the season. Over this brutal stretch, 12 games deep, they are 6-6. Golden State is the team looking up at them in the standings, now three games under .500. Thursday night mattered. Playing the same team again on Saturday, this time in their building, makes this one even sweeter. I am glad they got the win, even if the Suns (and ye,s I am looking at you, Dillon Brooks) turned it into more of a nail-biter than it needed to be.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
Devin Booker finally made his way back to the hardwood last Sunday, and while the stat sheet won’t be framed on his wall anytime soon — he went a cold 0-of-5 from deep and lived at the charity stripe to get his points — he’s officially back in the Bright Side Baller standings.
That gives him six on the year. It wasn’t the prettiest performance, but in a season defined by grit and getting back to full strength, we’ll take the points however they come. Progress, not perfection.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 27 against the Warriors. Here are your nominees:
Devin Booker
25 points (9-of-19, 2-of-6 3PT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, -8 +/-
Dillon Brooks
24 points (10-of-23, 4-of-9 3PT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, -13 +/-
Collin Gillespie
16 points (5-of-12, 1-of-6 3PT), 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, +14 +/-
Oso Ighodaro
2 points (1-of-3), 13 rebounds, 5 steals, 2 turnovers, -12 +/-
Mark Williams
6 points (2-of-3), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, +12 +/-
Royce O’Neale
9 points (3-of-9, 2-of-5 3PT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, +6 +/-
The polls are open!
