It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t pretty. And yeah, the Dallas Mavericks did their part. Pulling Cooper Flagg late, the five-second violation down five, no real push to extend the game. You saw it. But a win is a win for the Phoenix Suns, and this one mattered. Because with it, they lock up the seventh seed as the Los Angeles Clippers fall. Opponent still unknown, but that piece is secured. Two games left, and you know where you stand. There is value in that. There is comfort in that. Even
if the path to get there felt a little clunky.
And honestly, I’ll say it, I’m happy. Because I got what I wanted. It came in an unexpected way, with Jalen Green going down early, and you never root for that. But it opened the door. It created minutes, and those minutes went to the young guys. We saw Rasheer Fleming again. Ryan Dunn got some run. As the season approaches its twilight, and considering how putrid the team has been guarding the perimeter, it was nice to see them again.
Jordan Ott rolled out Khaman Maluach for his first start, and you saw the good and the bad. Late rotations, inconsistent box outs, all of that. But he was out there and he was playing. He was learning in real time. And yeah, blocking his former teammate Flagg? That was a moment.
Now, did the influx of youth solve everything? No. Dallas pushed consistently as rust was evident. Every Suns’ run had an answer. It got tight, some would say too tight. Phoenix flirted with letting it slip, and you could feel that tension creeping in. But they held on. And more importantly, they learned.
That is what this is about right now. Yes, locking in the seventh seed matters. But development has been the thread all season, and in Game 80, you saw it again. Not perfect. Not polished. But progress. And we’ve been looking for signs of progress for the past month. So I’ll take it.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
Mark Williams’ effectiveness — and his size — helped him earn his 7th BSB of the year.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 80 against the Mavs. Here are your nominees:
Devin Booker
37 points (13-of-27, 2-of-6 3PT), 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 9-of-9 FT, 4 turnovers, +11 +/-
Dillon Brooks
28 points (11-of-22, 4-of-5 3PT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, +5 +/-
Royce O’Neale
14 points (5-of-7, 4-of-6 3PT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 turnovers, 1 block, -3 +/-
Collin Gillespie
13 points (5-of-12, 1-of-7 3PT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, +4 +/-
Jordan Goodwin
9 points (3-of-7, 3-of-4 3PT), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, +1 +/-
Khaman Maluach
4 points (2-of-5), 14 rebounds, 3 blocks, 0 turnovers, +11 +/-
…and the winner is?
