Join us as we review the highs and lows of the last week, as well as previewing the week ahead.
Week 5: 18-24 November 2024
Week Record: 0-2
Overall Record: 9-7. 7th in the Western Conference.
Games Played and Results:
L - 99 - 109 Vs Orlando Magic
L - 122 - 138 Vs New York Knicks
Centre of The Sun
We debuted the new City Edition jerseys this week to 2 losses 😭
In the standings you'll see we picked up 2 losses, but this genuinely was down to the other teams having more talent available to them, as we still had Durant and Beal missing time due to their calf injuries. The great thing was the effort was there in both games.
Against the Orlando Magic, we struggled to scored for most of the game, going 4 for 22 from 3 across the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Tyus Jones opened the game hot with 11 of his 18 points in the 1st quarter. As I said the effort was there throughout and we actually won the 2nd half, but it wasn't enough, as Franz Wagner hit shot after shot in the 4th to secure it for Orlando.
New York was next and out the gate Phoenix looked tired. The Knicks started with a 14-3 run. The Suns allowed 44 points in the quarter, which is a season worst. Brunson was unstoppable, hitting all 4 of his attempts, including 3 three's for 11 points. Book was the only one who looked ready, leading us with 12 to start.
It was ultimately the 1st quarter that killed us, as we matched them point for point the rest of the game. The silver lining is this is the best scoring game we've had in a couple of weeks, Book had another 30 point performance and Nurkic returned to the line-up knocking down 3 of 5 three's.
Superstar Watch (Season stats):
Devin Booker - 24.1 Points, 3.7 Rebounds, 6.4 Assists, 1.0 Steals, 43.8 FG%, 33.9 3PT FG% & 2.1 Turnovers
Kevin Durant - 27.6 Points, 6.6 Rebounds, 3.4 Assists, 0.8 Steals, 1.4 Blocks, 55.3 FG%, 42.9 3PT FG% & 3.3 Turnovers
Bradley Beal - 17.8 Points, 4.0 Rebounds, 3.7 Assists, 1.4 Steals, 0.9 Blocks, 47.5 FG%, 38.3 3PT FG% & 1.3 Turnovers
Ad Break:
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Scorching Suns:
The bench guys had strong showings this week, so it's about right I gave them some love.
Josh Okogie
I think, and I won't say it too loudly, that Josh now has a reliable 3-point shot.
His stats for the week:
9.0 Points, 4.5 Rebounds, 2.0 Assists, 1.0 Steal, 0.5 Blocks, 54.5 FG% & 75.0 3PT FG%
Monte Morris
Monte has been solid and reliable all season long and has been on the verge of joining this section for a few weeks. Well, now he's here 😁. He always makes the right choices on the floor and it feels like every shot he takes is going to drop.
His stats for the week:
9.0 Points, 0.5 Rebounds, 63.6 FG% & 40.0 3PT FG%
Honourable Mentions:
Oso Ighodaro
Oso is back here again, this time netting just under 78% of his shots.
His stats for the week:
7.0 Points, 5.0 Rebounds, 1.5 Assists, 1.0 Steal & 77.8 FG%
Struggling Suns:
Jusuf Nurkic
The Nurk-a-coaster continues. Unfortunately an ankle injury has put him here this week. He probably shouldn't have been playing and have his ankle heal first, but I think he pushed through because we were already short-handed.
His stats for the week:
4.0 Points, 8.7 Rebounds, 0.7 Assists, 1.0 Steal, 15.8 FG% & 11.1 3PT FG%
Stat Line(s) of the Week:
Devin Booker vs New York Knicks
Book's 5th 30-point topping game of the season came in a loss and he wasn't the most efficient from 3, but you can't deny a 30-piece.
Game stat line:
33 Points, 3 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 12/23 FGs (52.2%) & 2/7 3PT FGs (28.6%).
Jusuf Nurkic vs New York Knicks
I think Nurk's ankles might be on the mend. He was on fire in this one.
Game stat line:
14 Points, 12 Rebounds, 3 Assist, 3 Steals, 2 Blocks, 5/8 FGs (62.5%) & 3/5 3PT FGs (60.0%).
Rookie Watch (Season stats):
Ryan Dunn - 15 games, 9 starts
6.9 Points, 2.6 Rebounds, 0.8 Assists, 0.5 Steals, 0.5 Blocks, 42.3 FG%, 33.3 3PT FG% & 0.5 Turnovers
Another full week of starts for Ryan. He grabbed a career high 6 rebounds vs the Orlando Magic
Oso Igodharo - 11 games
4.5 Points, 4.0 Rebounds, 0.6 Assists, 0.4 Steals, 0.4 Blocks, 65.6 FG%, 0.0 3PT FG% (0 attempts) & 0.7 Turnovers
An excellent week from the field for Oso as he continues to fill the minutes opened up by injuries. He started and set a career high 12 points against the Orlando Magic, topping his previous high of 11, which he set the night before.
Jalen Bridges - 2 games
0.5 Points, 0.5 Rebounds, 0.0 Assists, 0.0 Steals, 0.0 Blocks, 0.0 FG%, 0.0 3PT FG% & 1.0 Turnovers
Upcoming Games:
The homestand continues, kicking off with the Lakers in an NBA Cup game, followed by the Nets and Warriors.
Here are the UK tip-off times:
Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are back! This awesome news completely changes the outlook for his week's games.
We face the Lakers for the 3rd time this season and it's also our 3rd NBA Cup game. We've split a game each, but after the Lakers beat us, we went on to win 7 straight before Durant got injured. As always the Lakers are led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Davis is playing extremely well this season, averaging 30 points and 11 rebounds. The key, which the Suns did well in our win, is keeping him off the free throw line, where he averages 10 attempts per game.
The Nets look to be the easiest game of the week, with an 8-10 record, but they have just come off victories against the Kings and Warriors. Cam Thomas is a firework on the court and can blow up for 30 on any night, so they'll need to watch him. It's another return to the Valley for a former Sun - Cam Johnson.
Last up is the Warriors. Coming into the season many pundits thought they would drop off this year, but they've had a good start (questionable times benching number 30 aside). Even though they've lost 2 in a row, they're still 2nd in the West and losing Klay hasn't seemed to impact the at all. His replacement, Buddy Hield, is arguably playing better for them than Klay did last year.
Prediction:
I'm on a high with KD and Beal due to return, so I'm going with 3 wins!
Predictions League:
Other Suns Stuff:
I appeared on The Shooter's Lounge
Last week I caught up with friend of the account and former writer for Sunsfansuk.com Matt Alcock, appearing on his podcast to speak about the Suns.
We had a great chat and you can have a listen via the links below.
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