Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams (R) talks to Jae Crowder # 99, Abdel Nader # 11, Chris Paul # 3, Cameron Payne # 15 and Mikal Bridges # 25 during a time out of overtime in the NBA game against the Denver Nuggets at the Phoenix Suns Arena on January 23, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
PHOENIX – Relatively healthy, at a pace and with the second best record in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns enters the NBA All-Star break very strongly.
As if it had gone through 24-11, which included 16 wins in its last 19 matches, Suns did it with a complete team effort.
They closed the first half of the 2020-21 calendar with a 120-98 victory over the Golden State Warriors at the Phoenix Suns Arena on Thursday, and 61 of their points came from the bank.
“Sheesh,” said reserve winger Abdel Nader when asked about this gaudy number.
Nader scored 14 points on nine exchanges, and reserve guard Cam Payne added 17 points with 10 assists. It was Payne’s first double-double since a March 2018 game, when he was with the Chicago Bulls.
“It’s been crazy,” said Payne for the past 12 months, who has seen him cling to Phoenix in the bubble and return this season. “It’s been a really scary roller coaster … I feel like I’ve found a home.”
Payne’s heat and cold in recent weeks, and Suns’s success with that, is not an anomaly this season.
Remember that All-Star Devin Booker’s own injury and his return in mid-January triggered this sudden success. The same goes for the guy who is arguably the sixth man, Dario Saric.
The Suns survived their absences and prospered after that.
On Thursday, Phoenix’s contributions allowed Suns coach Monty Williams to rest his starters throughout the fourth period on a night when the Warriors sat Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kelly Oubre Jr.
Suns starters were not exactly fresh on Thursday.
They combined for 10 turnovers and got off to a slow start.
Phoenix led 24-23 with 1:41 remaining in the first quarter, but behind their bench the players ended the period in a 10-0 explosion. It stretched out to become a 21-2 run three minutes after the second half, and the Golden State never threatened again from there.
It has been a theme throughout the year for the bank to change the tone, change the pace or just apply new bodies to get the Suns out of trouble. That happened Thursday with Nader, Payne and Saric ending the game with plus-minus over 20 each.
Despite the great night of the second unit, the success in a game generated concerns for the second half. This introspective focus on success is why Suns players give Williams credit. He never stops criticizing.
The coach mentioned the nine consecutive games in the second half of the schedule as something he would study during the break.
He added that he is still looking for a solidified rotation.
“Yes, because I haven’t (found an answer) so far,” Williams said, laughing. “Just trying to decide who will be the reserve guard is something that I have not been able to feel comfortable with.
“Cam played well tonight, but I’m still looking for him to be more solid at times. … It will be a big decision in the second half of the season. “
Payne and E’Twaun Moore were in this conversation and, after a few tough games last week, the time off helped the old man to zero. A reduction in minutes last week against Chicago and Minnesota also allowed Payne to recover from a persistent foot / ankle injury.
He admitted that he needs to do a better job of being a “plague” in defense. His health could also improve more during the holidays.
But his success in outbreaks has kept Suns out of trouble.
The same goes for Nader, who Williams said was forced to join the team in recent games, feeling that the athletic striker and active defender brings something that no one else on the team can.
Saric, Nader, Moore, Frank Kaminsky and Langston Galloway provided their own unique pop throughout the year.
They legitimately won games for the Suns, but also saved the legs of players like Booker, who scored 16 points out of 6 out of 20 shots against Golden State.
“We saw it on the last trip, in the second half in Chicago, I felt that they came and won that game for us, they gave us a lot of momentum,” said Williams of his second unit. “Laker’s game (Tuesday) when Book comes out, the bank proved valuable in a big moment.
“It is very gratifying to be able to put these guys in the game and at a different level to be able to rest some of our players. If we can be more consistent with this group … it will be important in the second half with all the consecutive games that we will face. “
Booker hit his court against the Warriors and from then on he didn’t look well, but Williams said he should be fine.
Once again, the coach was grateful to have the luxury of resting his All-Star shooting guard and the rest of the starters for an entire quarter while winning the victory.
Now comes the All-Star break.
With the Suns able to rest.
And with them behind only Utah Jazz (27-9) in the league’s overall standings.