Week 14 is officially in the books, and it somehow managed to be the best of times and the worst of times all at once. The line between winning basketball and losing basketball could not have been clearer.
The record tells the story. A 2–2 week. The two wins came with Devin Booker on the floor. The two losses came without him, at least when it mattered most in the fourth quarter. You could feel it. You could see it in how the offense flowed, or stalled, depending on his presence.
In the games Booker played, the team shot 45.7% from the field and 50% from deep, knocking down 46-of-92 from three. When he was not available, those numbers cratered. 34.7% overall in the 5 quarters without him. 17.8% from beyond the arc. Woof.
If you are looking for a clean personification of what Devin Booker means to this team, there it is in black and white.
Yes, surviving Atlanta emotionally after that night was always going to be tough. But the looks were there. The same can be said against Miami. Open threes. Clean opportunities. Shots that usually fall. If a handful of those go down, both games feel very different late.
And that is the reminder this week delivers. Even if Booker is not the most efficient version of himself this season, he brings steadiness. He brings order. He brings a scoring and playmaking gravity that holds everything together. That is the heliocentric core of this offense. Take it away, and there is a learning curve.
Without him, there are moments where the team looks rudderless. That has been evident. In the 41 games Booker has played, the Suns are 26–15. In the four games he has missed, they are 1–3.
That gap is not theoretical. It is real. And Week 14 made sure everyone noticed.
Week 14 Record: 2-2
@ Brooklyn Nets, W, 126-117
- Possession Differential: +1.9
- Turnover Differential: +5
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: 0
It was not pretty, but it was professional. The Suns handled Brooklyn on Monday, never fully shaking the Nets but keeping a firm grip all night. Phoenix spread the wealth, dropped 126 points, had three over 20, six in double figures, and grabbed win number 26.
@ Philadelphia 76ers, W, 116-110
- Possession Differential: +1.9
- Turnover Differential: +3
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: -3
Vibes do not show up in the box score, but they were loud in Philly. On the second night of a back-to-back, the Suns showed up healthy, whole, and very much alive, with Jalen Green finally back in the mix. No Embiid, no George, no excuses. This one mattered for tone, momentum, and belief.
@ Atlanta Hawks, L, 110-103
- Possession Differential: +2.7
- Turnover Differential: 0
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: +3
The Suns limped out of Atlanta shell-shocked, losing both the game and their emotional armor in one brutal night. Jalen Green went down. Devin Booker left on crutches. A road trip that ended 3–3 suddenly felt like a gut punch instead of a win.
vs. Miami Heat, L, 111-102
- Possession Differential: -2.1
- Turnover Differential: -5
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: -2
Phoenix shot a brutal 37% from the field and an unforgivable 7-of-35 from deep, turning a winnable game into a slow bleed. The Heat were quicker, sharper, and better armed, even on a back-to-back.
Inside the Possession Game
- Weekly Possession Differential: +6.4
- Weekly Turnover Differential: -1
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: +2
- Year-to-Date Over/Under .500: +8
Grpah it? Let’s graph it.
The Suns actually did a better job overall of maintaining and earning extra possessions. From a raw numbers standpoint, it was a solid-looking week. But as noted above, this becomes a different team without Devin Booker on the floor.
The next week, maybe two, is going to be telling. Not because the effort disappears, but because the context changes. It will be interesting to see how these same metrics hold up without him, because the team has shown it can still generate extra possessions. That part of the equation does not belong to Booker anyway.
He is not your rebounder. He is not the guy hunting steals or living in passing lanes. That work belongs to the players around him. Booker’s role is different. He is the rudder. He gives direction. He stabilizes everything.
Because of that, the possession and turnover margins might stay relatively intact. The efficiency, however, is another story. That is where the drop off tends to show up, especially when you factor in the upcoming opponents and the reality that players are now being asked to operate with less space.
Without Booker’s gravity, defenders shrink the floor. Shots come a beat quicker. Reads get tighter. Roles blur. And that is where you start to feel his absence most, not in the hustle stats, but in how hard every basket suddenly becomes.
Week 15 Preview
Another week, another four games in six nights. All of them at home, sitting right in the middle of a five-game homestand. The setting is friendly. The schedule is not.
It starts with the Brooklyn Nets, a team the Suns handled earlier this week. That does not mean it gets easier the second time around. If Phoenix wants to take care of business again, controlling Michael Porter Jr. becomes priority number one. The Nets are not a great team, but they are feisty. They hang around. They turn games into work if you let them. Oh, and it’ Dave King’s Bright Side Night. I’ll see you there!
Then comes the back-to-back, and this is where the degree of difficulty spikes.
First up, the Detroit Pistons, currently the best team in the Eastern Conference. And if you want to talk about timing luck, look at it from their perspective. Two games against the Suns, and both come without Devin Booker. That is a gift.
The very next night, the Suns turn around and face the Cleveland Cavaliers, who currently sit fifth in the East. That one comes with some residue. Phoenix lost to Cleveland on New Year’s Eve.The Suns walked into Sunday night like gunslingers at high noon, stared down Miami, and then realized the chamber was empty. Phoenix shot a brutal 37% from the field and an unforgivable 7-of-35 from deep, turning a winnable game into a slow bleed. Miami’s pace exposed every loose possession, every second chance, every stagnant trip. Fourteen assists on 37 makes told the story. The Heat were quicker, sharper, and better armed, even on a back-to-back. Sometimes the duel ends before you ever get a clean shot.
The homestand closes Sunday with the Suns’ first Western Conference opponent since January 7, the LA Clippers. The record says 20–24. The seeding says tenth. The recent form says something entirely different. They have won 15 of their last 18 games. They have figured something out. They are organized. They are physical. And they are a team nobody is excited to see on the schedule right now.
So yes, the Suns are home. But comfort is relative. This week is going to ask questions. The answers will tell us a lot.
What is your prediction for Week 15?
