It probably was not as smooth as you would have drawn it up, but the Suns took care of business in Brooklyn on Monday night. They never fully shook the Nets, yet they controlled the game anyway. Brooklyn was doing
it on the second night of a back-to-back, which made it even more impressive, especially after falling into an early 20-point hole. You could feel the Nets gaining confidence as the night went on. They shot 50.6% from the field and 39.5% from deep and kept pushing.
The difference came on the defensive end, specifically in how Phoenix handled Michael Porter Jr. The plan was clear: let the kids around him fire. Make everything he wanted uncomfortable. It worked. He finished with 23 points, but it took 23 shots to get there, including 2-of-10 from beyond the arc.
The Suns led nearly wire-to-wire after a brief 6-3 deficit, though a 15-2 run to close the second quarter let Brooklyn linger longer than ideal. Same story in the fourth. Not perfect. Still effective. Phoenix held on for win number 26.
It was a full team effort to reach 126 points. Three players cleared 20. Six finished in double figures. Scoring came from everywhere. The road trip now sits at 2-2 with two games left, and the Suns are back to even at 12-12 away from home.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
It was close after the Suns’ win over the Knicks, with the entire bench mob pulling in 28% of the total vote. But one guy separated himself from the pack, and that was Jordan Goodwin.
His 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, paired with the defensive pressure he brought as part of that second unit, helped steady the game when it started to wobble. That impact did not go unnoticed, and it earned him his third Bright Side Baller of the season.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 43 against the Nets. Here are your nominees:
Dillon Brooks
27 points (8-of-15, 6-of-9 3PT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, +7 +/-
Devin Booker
24 points (10-of-18, 1-of-4 3PT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, +7 +/-
Collin Gillespie
22 points (7-of-10, 5-of-7 3PT), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, +16 +/-
Mark Williams
16 points (5-of-6), 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, +12 +/-
Grayson Allen
14 points (5-of-13, 4-of-10 3PT), 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 0 turnovers, -7 +/-
Royce O’Neale
11 points (4-of-8, 3-of-7 3PT), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers, +13 +/-
Who gets it?
