Saturday night marked the fifth straight loss for the Phoenix Suns, and you can feel the frustration starting to seep in. On the surface, the reasons are clear. The team is banged up. The injury report before games reads like a CVS receipt. It is long, it is exhausting, and it impacts everything. But even with that, they are right there late. But their poor decisions are costing them the opportunity to win.
They are in the game, within reach, close enough to grab it, and then it slips. They run out
of gas. They run out of options. They run out of answers. Execution fades, possessions tighten, and the game gets taken from them. That is where this frustration lives. Because it is not about being blown out, it is about being close and not finishing.
After the loss to San Antonio, I was not mad. I was disappointed. There is a difference.
This one hits different. Losing to Milwaukee without Giannis brings out something else. This is not a powerhouse version of the Bucks. This is a team that is navigating the end of its season with a different agenda, one that includes positioning for the future. You can see it, and you can feel it. And still, the Suns could not take advantage.
That is where the frustration comes from. Because the opportunity was there. Another winnable game, another moment to stop the slide. And once again, it slipped away.
And it keeps coming back to the same place late in games. Devin Booker.
He is the highest-paid player on the floor. He is the one who is supposed to take control when things tighten, when possessions matter most. That is the expectation and that is the responsibility. Right now, it is not showing up consistently. You watch Ryan Rollins (who?) attack the rim without hesitation, getting downhill, putting pressure on the defense. Then you watch Booker settle. Midrange looks that are not falling. Turnovers at the worst times. Situational decisions that leave you scratching your head, like taking a two when you are down three with under 20 seconds left.
Those are the moments. Those are the possessions that define games, and right now, they are not going Phoenix’s way. Booker is the one who has to change that.
Did he look hurt? Yeah, there were moments where you could see it. A slight hobble, a lack of burst, something that did not look quite right. And maybe that is part of the explanation for a 4-of-17 night and only 14 points. But if that is the case, then adjust. Dictate the offense, do not become it. Lean into the guys around you. Let Collin Gillespie organize. Let Jalen Green attack. Let Jordan Goodwin bring that energy and pressure. Use your gravity to create opportunities rather than forcing yourself into every possession.
Because when you try to carry it while not at full strength, it can swing the wrong way. And in this one, it did. Yes, the team is injured. That is real. But it cannot be an excuse for poor decision-making. That is what is fueling this losing streak.
You look at a moment like tonight, up 91–84, with control of the game starting to tilt your way. Jalen Green was rolling, feeling it, and instead of settling into a quality possession, he pulled up for a 27-foot three. A heat check. And it missed. Momentum gone. That is the difference. Those are the possessions that matter. Not the highlight plays, not the runs, the decisions in between. The ones that either steady you or derail you. Right now, they are derailing the Suns.
The injuries make everything harder. They shorten the margin and they force different lineups and roles. But the decisions are what swing games, and too often, Phoenix is making the wrong one at the wrong time.
We know help is coming. The troops are on the sideline, and at some point, the opportunity to turn this around should be there. The problem is that the clock is not slowing down. The season is entering its final stretch, and the runway is getting shorter.
We gave Jalen Green about 20 games to find his legs and get comfortable again. What does that timeline look like for Dillon Brooks or Mark Williams? That is where this gets tricky.
It is a strange place to be. This is a team that has overachieved relative to preseason expectations, and now it feels like it is drifting back toward them. Injuries are the primary driver, everyone understands that. Still, you need more from your max player. That is part of the deal. Because even with everything working against them, the Suns have been in these games. They are right there. They simply cannot finish, and that is where the frustration turns into anger.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
It is funny how this works. I sit here writing about different players and how the Suns could best utilize them, and then they hear it. I say Collin Gillespie should probably move to the bench now, start getting comfortable in the role he will have once Dillon Brooks returns.
His response? 24 points. 6-of-11 from beyond the arc.
So maybe there is a lesson in there somewhere. Maybe I should keep writing those pieces, keep pushing buttons, keep saying what players cannot do. Because every time it happens, it feels like they go out and prove the opposite. And Gillespie did exactly that against San Antonio.
That performance gave him his 11th Bright Side Baller of the season, second only to Devin Booker. That says a lot about this season, about who he is, and about what he is becoming.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 71 against the Bucks. Here are your nominees:
Jalen Green
24 points (9-of-17, 3-of-6 3PT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, -14 +/-
Collin Gillespie
18 points (6-of-13, 4-of-11 3PT), 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 turnover, -1 +/-
Devin Booker
14 points (4-of-17, 2-of-5 3PT), 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, +3 +/-
Ryan Dunn
12 points (5-of-9, 2-of-5 3PT), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 block, +1 +/-
Oso Ighodaro
12 points (6-of-8), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, -11 +/-
Jordan Goodwin
11 points (4-of-9, 2-of-6 3PT), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, -3 +/-
How’s about a ‘lil Sunday morning voting?
