How would I describe the Suns’ win over the Mavericks, a game that tested them late but never took the lead away? Maybe it’s best to start with this. Have you ever flown out of Chicago? Ever flown into
Palm Springs? That game felt exactly like what I imagine taking a trip from Chicago to Palm Springs on a Bombardier CRJ regional jet is like.
If you’ve flown out of O’Hare or Midway on a regional, you know what I mean. Chicago earns that Windy City nickname the second your wheels leave the runway. The plane starts rattling, every gust punches the fuselage, and for a moment you wonder if you should’ve driven instead.
That was Phoenix in the first six minutes. Turbulent. Down ten. The Mavericks threw length, pressure, and double teams at them from every direction. Dillon Brooks found himself open, firing away, while the Suns scrambled to stay upright. And if Dillon Brook is consistently your offensive answer, you may have issues.
But by the back end of the first quarter, the Suns hit a 12–0 run and everything settled. Like climbing up over the Midwest, the turbulence faded and the ride smoothed out. Through the second, third, and into part of the fourth quarter, it was easy flying. The kind where you start to relax, glance out the window, and think, hey, are those the Rockies down there? Nice.
Then came the descent. And if you’ve ever flown into Palm Springs, you know what’s coming.
Those big white windmills outside the city aren’t for show. That Coachella Valley catches every gust the desert can throw at you. As soon as the nose of the plane tilts downward, the calm air disappears. It’s bump after bump, stomach in your throat, praying you don’t spill your drink.
That was the fourth quarter. From the 8:26 mark on, the Suns were gripping the armrests, white-knuckled, holding tight as a 16-point cushion shrank to three with under two minutes left.
But they made it. The wheels touched down, the cabin clapped in relief, and everyone walked off into that warm desert air feeling lucky to see the big bronze head of John F. Kennedy greeting them in the terminal.
That’s what this win was. The first of its kind this year. They were down, built a lead, nearly lost it, then held firm. Another test passed. Another small piece of their evolution falling into place.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
I don’t know if we really needed a poll after Grayson Allen dropped 42, but we ran one anyway. And guess what? It looks like we broke it.
Yeah, it’s a little unfortunate that we outsource our polling these days, because with that comes a bit of, let’s say, fragile reliability. Hopefully it’s back up and running correctly.
In the meantime, let’s go ahead and update the scoreboard and officially add Grayson Allen to the mix.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 12 against the Mavericks. Here are your nominees.
Devin Booker
26 points (7-of-19 FG, 0-of-3 3PT, 12-of-13 FT), 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 5 turnovers, +8 +/-
Grayson Allen
23 points (8-of-17 FG, 4-of-9 3PT, 3-of-4 FT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, +2 +/-
Dillon Brooks
18 points (6-of-14 FG, 3-of-8 3PT, 3-of-3 FT), 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, -6 +/-
Jordan Goodwin
13 points (5-of-11 FG, 3-of-5 3PT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, +16 +/-
Royce O’Neale
13 points (4-of-7 FG, 3-of-4 3PT, 2-of-2 FT), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, -9 +/-
Mark Williams
10 points (5-of-6 FG), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, -5 +/-
All right. BSB votin’ time. Fingers crossed it doesn’t break.
