Vibes. They are impossible to quantify, impossible to pin down, but you feel their absence immediately. You feel their presence even faster. Tuesday night had them. The Phoenix Suns, rolling into the City
of Brotherly Love for the second game of a back-to-back, walked onto the floor with a pulse. A hum. Something alive.
Why were the vibes humming? Health. Actual, real, honest to basketball health. For the first time all season, everyone was available. No asterisks. No caveats. The full roster. Including Jalen Green, the centerpiece of the Kevin Durant trade, finally upright and ready to roll. That alone felt like a small miracle in a season that has rarely offered them.
It did not start pretty. The Suns opened the night 0-of-9 from the field, cold, clunky, searching for rhythm. Philadelphia tried to punch, tried to manufacture runs, tried to tilt the floor. Phoenix bent. Phoenix answered. Every surge met with a response. Every wobble met with composure.
The numbers tell part of the story. 16-of-39 from deep, a clean 41%. 20-of-20 at the line. Then there was the bench. 58-28 in favor of Phoenix. Wave after wave. Energy that did not fade. Meanwhile, the 76ers were grinding through their own second night of a back-to-back, short-handed without Joel Embiid or Paul George, asking too much of too few.
This one mattered. Not for style points. For tone. For trajectory. For vibes. The win locks in a road trip where the floor is now .500, sitting at 3-2 with one left to play. The math works. The vibes agree. Sometimes basketball is less about schemes and more about momentum, belief, and bodies being available at the same time.
On this night, the Suns had all three.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
Collin is now up to 8 Bright Side Baller’s on the year after a hyper-efficient 22-point performance against the Nets. Who woulda thunk it?
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 44 against the 76ers. Here are your nominees:
Devin Booker
27 points (9-of-23, 2-of-5 3PT), 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 6 turnovers, -10 +/-
Grayson Allen
16 points (5-of-11, 4-of-9 3PT), 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, +11 +/-
Jordan Goodwin
16 points (6-of-9, 2-of-4 3PT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 0 turnovers, +9 +/-
Collin Gillespie
12 points (3-of-6, 3-of-6 3PT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 0 steals, 2 turnovers, +7 +/-
Oso Ighodaro
12 points (5-of-7), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 4 turnovers, +10 +/-
Jalen Green
12 points (4-of-11, 2-of-4 3PT), 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 2 turnovers, +10 +/-
…and the winner is?
