When you roll into Denver on the second night of a back-to-back, you already know what time it is. Altitude. Fatigue. Nikola damn Jokic waiting like a mountain troll who knows you don’t belong up there.
Add in the fact that you’re missing your second-best scorer (we think…we still haven’t seen Mr. Green is the study with a basketball) and one of your bigs, and that climb starts to feel more like a slow suffocation.
This isn’t about excuses though. It’s about context.
We’re three games into a marathon, and anyone trying to find grand trends in that small sample is seeing ghosts. Still, there were lessons in Denver, even if they came with bruises. The paint was a crime scene, 62 to 34, and Phoenix was the victim. The fouls piled up again too, which tells you they’re still learning how to channel that new edge without letting it get sloppy.
You can live with aggression. You can live with missed shots. What’s harder to swallow is starting games like you’re half awake. The first halves have been brutal, more so because the defense hasn’t shown up early. And that’s the shift this team needs before anything else. Utah’s next, and the fix starts there. If you can’t defend early, you’re not growing. You’re treading water, waiting for the next wave to knock you under.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
It didn’t take long for Dillon Brooks to grab his first Bright Side Baller of the year, and honestly, no one should be shocked. The guy plays with a mix of chaos and conviction that you can feel from the cheap seats. He’s a menace in the best way, the kind of player who treats every possession like a personal insult.
On nights like Friday, when the Suns were clearly outgunned, you never questioned his fight. You never doubted his dedication to disruption. He showed up swinging, and that’s why this one was a landslide.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Your nominees for Game 3 of the season?
Devin Booker
31 points (10-of-16, 2-of-5 3PT, 9-of-9 FT), 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 9 turnovers, -13 +/-
Grayson Allen
17 points (6-of-12, 5-of-10 3PT), 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, -10 +/-
Dillon Brooks
15 points (6-of-18, 3-of-13 3PT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, -16 +/-
Ryan Dunn
9 points (4-of-8, 1-of-3 3PT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, -0 +/-
Khaman Maluach
6 points (1-of-3, 0-of-1 3PT, 4-of-4 FT), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 fouls, -1 +/-
Collin Gillespie
6 points (2-of-4, 2-of-4 3PT), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, -16 +/-
Voting time!
