Week 9 of the NBA season is in the books. We are two months in, and we have officially passed the last light scheduling week until the All-Star break. The real grind is about to start, even if a decent
chunk of the country still thinks the season begins on Christmas Day.
So what did we learn? The Suns only played twice, both games against the same opponent, which actually told us plenty. Phoenix and the Golden State Warriors, currently sitting seventh and eighth in the Western Conference, feel like they are headed for a season-long staring contest in the standings. Not because they play the same way. Not because they have the same talent level. But because both teams have gaps, and those gaps matter.
When the Suns face the Warriors, Phoenix’s weakness becomes clear. Five-out teams cause problems. I dug into this in the Nick Richards piece, but the short version is simple. The Suns do not have a big who is large, long, and athletic enough to function as a true small-ball five on both ends without becoming a target. Oso Ighodaro is close. He really is. He just feels a step slow when asked to defend players like Stephen Curry or Jimmy Butler on switches. And to be fair, there are not many humans on earth who are built for that job.
I expected some adjustment from game one to game two this week. The Suns leaned heavily on Oso in the first matchup. They won by one point, but it was far from convincing. I wondered if the second game would bring more Mark Williams, especially if Phoenix wanted to lean into its identity of creating extra possessions through rebounding. That did not happen. They stuck with Oso again.
The result was painful. Phoenix was out-rebounded 103-83 across the two games. That gap showed up where it always does, second-chance points. The Warriors outscored the Suns by 20 in that category over the week.
It makes me curious whether this is something head coach Jordan Ott will adjust the next time these teams meet. That next meeting comes on February 5, the trade deadline. That timing feels meaningful, whether Phoenix wants it to or not.
But that is what I learned this week. Adjustments still need to happen. There is a thinner line than you might think between what the Suns are and what the Warriors are, at least right now. That matters even more when you factor in that Phoenix was missing nearly $50 million in payroll, with Jalen Green and Grayson Allen both sidelined.
I did not learn this part, but I am thankful for it: this brutal 14-game stretch of quality competition almost every night, outside of the Kings game, is nearly in the rearview. There is one more game on Tuesday. After that, the schedule finally starts to breathe. The Suns will get a chance to see some teams they should beat.
They survived this stretch. That counts for something.
Week 9 Record: 1-1
vs. Golden State Warriors, W, 99-98
- Possession Differential: -1.2
- Turnover Differential: -5
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: -3
It was a sweaty, under-100-point win in downtown Phoenix, the kind that makes you pace the living room. The Suns survived late chaos, including a Dillon Brooks flagrant that gifted Golden State a five-point swing. Brooks carried the first half, the rhythm arrived late, and Phoenix erased a 14-point hole by leaning into who they are.
@ Golden State Warriors, L, 119-116
- Possession Differential: -2.0
- Turnover Differential: -6
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: -8
The Suns dropped a three-point grinder in Golden State that felt closer on the scoreboard than it ever did in real time. Sloppy passes, soft rebounding, and long stretches of flat energy put them in a hole they spent the fourth quarter trying to escape. The fight showed up late, because it always does, but the middle of the game told the real story.
They stole one earlier in the week. This one was there too. They let it go against the Golden State Warriors.
Inside the Possession Game
- Weekly Possession Differential: -3.2
- Weekly Turnover Differential: -11
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: -11
- Year-to-Date Over/Under .500: +2
I feel like I am banging the same drum every week, but I am going to keep doing it until something changes. It is something worth watching every time this team takes the floor, and it is where a lot of the frustration lives.
The Suns are converting the extra possessions they earn into points, but they are also permitting the opposition to do the same. Add that to losing the overall possession battle this week, and losing the fight on the offensive glass, and they were fortunate to come out 1-1. This has to get better, and this week was another reminder. When you force 21 turnovers from Golden State like they did on Saturday night, you have to come away with more than 24 points.
So let’s dig into the numbers for a minute. Opponents turn the ball over 17.6 times per game against Phoenix, which ranks second in the league behind Oklahoma City at 18.1. The Suns score 22.6 points off turnovers per night, also second in the NBA. The problem shows up on the other end. Phoenix allows 21.5 points off turnovers, third most in the league. That leaves them at a net +1.1 in points off turnovers, which ranks ninth.
Second chance points tell a similar story. The Suns score 15.2 and allow 15.0, putting them at a net +0.2, good for 13th in the league. On the season, Phoenix has generated five more possessions than its opponents. They have committed 46 fewer turnovers. They have grabbed 16 more offensive rebounds.
My takeaway is this: Ott Ball is trending in the right direction. But it only works when the Suns do their part with those extra possessions and turn them into something real. Otherwise, what is the point of earning more chances if you are handing points right back the other way?
Week 10 Preview
Three games on the slate for the Phoenix Suns this week, with a very merry holiday wedged right in the middle.
It starts Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers, a familiar opponent. The Suns have already seen them twice this month and will see them two more times before the season wraps after this one. They have split the series so far. The Lakers come in after a 103-88 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, and they will be looking to steady themselves as the fourth seed in the West when they roll into downtown Phoenix.
Christmas Day passes without any purple and orange on the national stage. That part stings a little. But it’s the night after where things get strange.
Phoenix plays back-to-back games against the same opponent in the same building. It feels odd, even though we were told years ago this baseball-style scheduling would pop up more often. It really has not. And no matter the team or the location, beating the same group twice in a row is never easy.
That opponent is the New Orleans Pelicans, who sit at 7-22, with only Sacramento below them in the West. The record does not tell the full story. They have some bite right now. They have won four straight. Rookie Derik Queen is playing well. Trey Murphy III continues to look the part. They are long, active, and capable defensively. Two games in two nights against them is not something you pencil in lightly.
The good news is that Devin Booker has a history of playing well at the Smoothie King Center. It is not far from Moss Point, Mississippi, where he is from, and over his career, he has averaged 29.6 points per game in New Orleans. If there was ever a week for Booker to fully find his groove, this feels like a good place to start.
All right, Bright Side. What will the Suns’ record be on the week?
