Are you a bad NBA team? Because if you are, one team you do not want showing up on the schedule is the Phoenix Suns. Odds are they are going to beat you, and probably make it uncomfortable along the way.
That is exactly what happened to the Washington Wizards on Sunday night, and it was not subtle.
This had all the makings of a trap game. Subpar opponent. Bags half packed. A six-game East Coast trip looming. This is the kind of night where focus slips and habits get sloppy.
That never happened.
Phoenix came out locked in, connected, and sharing the ball like a team that knows who it is. 32 assists on 40 made field goals tells the story. The bench swung the game in the second quarter, flipped the momentum, and from there it was over.
This is the kind of night young players need to experience and remember. You stay sharp. You stay engaged. You do not take anything for granted. Winning in this league is hard, even when it looks easy. The Wizards were stumbling and bumbling, sure, but that was a response to pressure. Pressure after every rebound. Active hands everywhere. Pressure on the inbounds after made shots.
The Suns play an aggressive brand of basketball, and on a night that could have gone sideways, they leaned into it and ran right through the trap.
Their reward? With the Rockets losing to the Kings, Phoenix is now the sixth seed in the West.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
Devin Booker picked up his 11th Bright Side Baller of the season after a 31-point night against the New York Knicks, and the two that mattered most came at the very end. The Suns had pushed the lead to 9 in the fourth, then watched it disappear as New York clawed all the way back. With two minutes left and the game hanging in the balance, Booker rose into an absurd step back from 19 feet and buried it. That shot put Phoenix up 103-101, and that is where it stayed.
Mark it down as number 11 for Mr. Booker.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 39 against the Wizards. Here are your nominees:
Royce O’Neale
19 points (6-of-10, 5-of-9 3PT), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, +18 +/-
Devin Booker
17 points (5-of-14, 1-of-4 3PT), 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 turnover, +16 +/-
Mark Williams
11 points (5-of-6), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, +10 +/-
Grayson Allen
12 points (4-of-10, 4-of-9 3PT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, +17 +/-
Dillon Brooks
16 points (5-of-14, 4-of-8 3PT), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, +10 +/-
Oso Ighodaro
10 points (4-of-5), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, +11 +/-
Who gets the vote?
