Devin Booker # 1 and Chris Paul # 3 of the Phoenix Suns look down during the second half of the NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks at the PHX Arena on December 23, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 106-102. (Photo by Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Is it a little warmer here or is it just me? Ah, the national highlight. Right. It tends to do that.
The Phoenix Suns have won nine of their last 10 games, becoming the NBA’s hottest team outside the 22-5 Utah Jazz, the best in the league.
Most concerns about an 8-8 start have disappeared.
Devin Booker and Chris Paul, unsurprisingly, figured out how to coexist. During the seven-game series, both were healthy, the Suns beat the teams by 9.5 points per 100 possessions when both are on the ground. This was greatly helped by both finding their elite form:
Booker: 8 GP, 27.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.5 APG, 2.6 TPG, 52.6 FG%, 40.9 3P%, 82.2 FT%
Paulo: 9 GP, 19.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2.6 TPG, 1.8 SPG, 53.1 FG%, 45.0 3P%, 96.2 FT%
The nightmare numbers in times of crisis that saw the Suns losing in the clutch are gone. In the last five Phoenix games involving clutch minutes, it’s over-29 in just 19 minutes. Before that, the Suns had 35 fewer clutches.
And they are finally healthy. Saturday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers was the second game in the entire season that the Suns had all their players available. The return of Cam Payne and Dario Saric boosted the second unit, a group already in full turmoil thanks to the intensification of Frank Kaminsky and E’Twaun Moore during these two absences.
The Suns are now 17-9. They have certified themselves as a good team and are slamming the door to become a great team, where discussions can start about being potential candidates at the Western Conference.
That’s what we like to call it juice. Or, in simpler terms, momentum. Conveniently, as the Suns enter the new week in the top 5 of most power ratings, they host the must-see Brooklyn Nets in prime time on Tuesday.
Suns’ post-game media availability after Sunday’s victory against the Orlando Magic included more questions about the Nets than about Magic, and with good reason.
The Nets (16-12) have been on television by appointment since the arrival of ex-MVP James Harden.
Using pre-Brooklyn numbers on Monday against the Sacramento Kings, he has an offensive rating of 119.1 in the 15 games since he acquired Harden, the NBA’s third best. On the contrary, his defensive classification is 117.6, 27th championship.
Sometimes, a team led by Steve Nash and Mike D’Antoni does exactly what you think it would do. They are very much in the middle of figuring this out, 9-6 since the blockbuster business.
Brooklyn will be without All-NBA winger Kevin Durant due to a sprained left hamstring, but will still have Harden and All-Star Kyrie Irving. Here are the numbers for these two since Harden’s debut:
Toughen up: 14 GP, 23.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 11.6 APG, 4.3 TPG, 1.2 SPG, 48.3 FG%, 38.1 3P%, 89.7 FT%
Irving: 12 GP, 27.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.6 APG, 2.5 TPG, 53.8 FG%, 39.4 3P%, 93.2 FT%
This is a defense fight on the deck, huh?
And we didn’t even get to Nash’s first practice in Phoenix. It is safe to say that there is a lot in this game.
But it’s a game, after all, so let’s review some things that stand out inside it, besides the obvious guard battles of the All-NBA and the elite attack of the Nets facing the elite defense of the Suns (fifth in the defensive classification).
The Nets made the terrible decision to send the talented center Jarrett Allen to Cleveland as part of Harden’s switch, probably to start DeAndre Jordan again and keep everyone happy, which shook the depth of his attacking court.
Jordan, 32, is already well beyond his All-Star ability of previous years and his reserve is Norvel Pelle, who signed three weeks ago. Nash has gone small without Pelle through a nine-player rotation, using veteran winger Jeff Gren as his only other big one.
Once again focusing on the numbers since the agreement with Harden, the Nets are 27th at opposite points for second chances and lastly at opposite points in the painting.
This will require a joint effort by the Suns team to take advantage of this, but if it points to one individual in particular, it would be Deandre Ayton.
Ayton has struggled during this great stretch of the Suns, playing normally well (13.0 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 2.4 TPG) while making the biggest impact on the game when he is hitting the offensive glass and running on the ground. Even though he is not reaching his potential, these two parts of his game became consistent last month and could make a difference on Tuesday.
Another hole in Brooklyn’s defense has been the middleman, where Paul and Booker have residences all year. The teams hit 48.0% in the midfield against Nets with Harden, last third in the league, and there they gave up 33.8% of the strokes, 25th in the NBA. Keep an eye on the Sun Guard stars, finding a rhythm in these pockets of space.
Finally, Nets’ opponents against Harden have a turnover percentage of 10.8, low in the league.
The Suns will be able to score inside and in the favorite area of their two ball handlers, all without much pressure to turn.
It seems that the formula for winning is there. It should be fun!
All statistics at NBA.com/stats and Cleaning the Glass