The Denver Nuggets are a formidable opponent, and on Tuesday night, the Suns had a real shot to take one from them. They were down by 12 at one point, and against a team like Denver, that can get away from you quickly. Especially when you are dealing with a multi-time MVP who drops 23 points, grabs 17 rebounds, and hands out 17 assists. Yeah, Jokic had the kind of stat line that bends the entire game around it.
Even with that, Phoenix stayed in it. They competed, they responded, and when the fourth
quarter arrived, it turned into a back-and-forth battle that felt like something bigger than a late-season game. Possessions carried weight, execution mattered, and you could feel the intensity rise with each trip down the floor.
If you are searching for something to get you ready for the postseason, this is the kind of game that does it. It had that edge, that urgency, that sense that every decision mattered.
The Nuggets are a tough solve, and on this night, Phoenix did not quite crack it. You can trace it through the small moments, the possessions that tilt a game one way or the other, and one of the more interesting threads was how Jordan Ott handled Khaman Maluch’s minutes. He saw only 11, and they were impactful. You could feel it. He gave Nikola Jokic a bigger body to navigate, he brought a presence inside, and for stretches it nudged the game in a different direction.
Denver made it clear where they wanted to go. They leaned into the interior. They tested the Suns there repeatedly. Oso Ighodaro does a lot of things well, but interior protection is not where he makes his living. And free throws are not his forte. Denver astutely went to hack-a-Oso, and I thought we’d see some Khaman minutes, but alas, I was wrong.
In his minutes, Malauch looked comfortable and engaged. And it leaves you wondering what it might have looked like if he was out there in the final five minutes, learning in real time, growing through those possessions.
There is risk in that. Denver has spent years putting Phoenix in the blender with Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic in the two-man game, and it does not take much for that action to start humming. It is a brutal test for any big, especially one still finding his footing. And if you need a reminder of how that matchup has gone historically, Jamal Murray is 19–2 in 21 career games against Devin Booker. That tells its own story.
It was a good, competitive game, and you can feel this Suns team starting to move toward something healthier, something more whole. When you get 21 points from Grayson Allen off the bench, when Royce O’Neale is knocking down 5-of-8 from deep on his way to 17 points, it tells you something is lining up. The supporting pieces are finding their rhythm, and that matters as you inch closer to games that carry real weight.
With the postseason sitting just beyond the horizon, every opportunity to sharpen iron has value. You take these games, you absorb them, you learn from them, because they mirror what is coming. This one did not shift anything in the standings — Phoenix still holds that seventh spot — but it felt like more than a routine loss.
They were right there. One clean look, a wide-open three from Devin Booker, and the outcome could have flipped. That is how thin it was. So you walk away from it seeing the positives, recognizing the growth, understanding where a few tweaks could have made the difference. It was a good game, one that showed progress, even if it stopped short of becoming a great one.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
The efficient 25-point performance against the Bucks gives Book his 17th Bright Side Baller of the season!
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 73 against the Nuggets. Here are your nominees:
Devin Booker
22 points (5-of-14, 1-of-4 3PT), 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 11-of-13 FT, 0 turnovers, +1 +/-
Jalen Green
21 points (6-of-13, 3-of-6 3PT), 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 turnovers, +9 +/-
Grayson Allen
21 points (8-of-19, 5-of-12 3PT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, -16 +/-
Royce O’Neale
17 points (5-of-8, 5-of-8 3PT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, 3 blocks, +10 +/-
Oso Ighodaro
15 points (6-of-7), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, -7 +/-
Collin Gillespie
11 points (4-of-11, 2-of-7 3PT), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, -1 +/-
Time to cast your vote.
