You learn a lot about a team when they line up against what the world calls “lesser competition.” Monday night it was the Pelicans. Battered. Confused. Forever a team searching for itself. The Suns entered as 8.5-point favorites, a rare luxury this season, and that alone made the game intriguing. It’s one thing to be the hunter. It’s another to act like you’re the hunted and still deliver.
So what did the Suns do? They aced the test. It wasn’t poetry early. The rhythm was off, the rim unkind. But
the looks were clean, the pace steady, and once the shots began to fall, the game swung hard. Out of hand, as it should have been.
Credit where it’s due. The players stayed locked in, the coaches had them ready, and the plan worked. These are the games that define maturity. The ones you’re supposed to win. The ones good teams take care of without overthinking it. Last year, this same setup would’ve gone sideways. We all remember those nights. The lack of focus. The unraveling. Not this time.
This version of the Suns handled business. Calmly. Efficiently. No drama, no doubt. Could I get used to this? You bet I could. But for now, it’s one game at a time. One matchup. One shot.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
…and Booker takes the lead!
You could have picked from a plethora of players following the Suns’ victory over the Clippers on Saturday night, but it was Devin who earned his fourth BSB of the season.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 11 against the Pelicans. Here are your nominees.
Grayson Allen
42 points (12-of-17, 10-of-15 3PT), 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, +22 +/-
Dillon Brooks
18 points (4-of-13, 1-of-6 3PT), 5 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, +7 +/-
Royce O’Neale
14 points (5-of-9, 4-of-8 3PT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, +21 +/-
Devin Booker
19 points (8-of-13, 0-of-2 3PT), 0 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, +4 +/-
Mark Williams
2 points (0-of-1, 0-of-0 3PT), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, +8 +/-
Oso Ighodaro
2 points (1-of-2, 0-of-0 3PT), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 2 turnovers, +8 +/-
Not sure if I really need to do this. But I will…
