Join us as we review the highs and lows of the last week, as well as previewing the week ahead.
Week 12: 2-8 January 2023
Week Record: 0-4
Overall Record: 20-21. 8th in the Western Conference.
Games Played and Results:
L - 83 - 102 Vs New York Knicks
L - 88 - 90 Vs Cleveland Cavaliers
L - 96 - 104 Vs Miami Heat
L - 98 - 112 Vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Well that was an awful way to start 2023.
We lost all 4 games, as part of a current 6-game skid (the 2nd longest current streak in the league, behind the Rockets) and losing 9 of our last 10 games.
We are now under .500 for the 1st time since October 2001 (Thanks to @protectedpick on Twitter for that horrible stat).
The Suns gave, what can only be described as and embarrassing performance at MSG against the Knicks. They had Shamet and Payne returning from injury, which I thought would bring a spark and although Payne was ok in his return with 8 points and 7 assists off the bench, Shamet might as well have been back on the trainer's bed. With 2 minutes left in the game he was 0 for 7 from the field.
Our top scorer, Ayton only had 12 points, all in the 1st half and shot one of the worst air balls I've seen in a very long time.
The energy from the team was just disgusting and really couldn't be described as energy. I don't want to talk about it anymore.
The Cavs game was a different story, as the Suns played hard all game and it came down to the last few possessions. We had a chance to send the game to overtime, but a mid-range shot from Mikal came up short. This is where Book is really missed, as we had no closer, with CP3 inbounding the ball on the final play. Paul put up a game high 25 points and DA controlled the board with 18, but it wasn't enough.
Things were going ok against the Heat, only being down by 5 going in to half time, but CP3 picked up an injury to his hip and didn't play in the 2nd half. The Heat were too experienced to let this one slip. Washington Jr came in to take Paul's minutes, but could barely hit a shot and another double-double from DA didn't cut it.
For the final Cavs game of the week, we would be without CP3 following the injury he picked up against the Heat, meaning we had this as a starting line-up. It's not Halloween for a long time yet, but that's scary stuff!
The Cavs ultimately had too much talent for us to over come, so it's no surprise to see a L here. Despite another double-double DA struggled from the field and also left the game in the 2nd half with an apparent left leg injury. There's been no announcement from the Suns yet on the severity.
Superstar Watch (Season stats):
Booker (Out with Injury) - 27.1 Points, 4.6 Rebounds, 5.6 Assists, 0.9 Steal, 47.7 FG%, 37.0 3PT FG% & 2.4 Turnovers
Deandre Ayton - 17.5 Points, 9.8 Rebounds, 2.0 Assists, 0.5 Steals, 0.7 Blocks, 59.2 FG%, 33.3 3PT FG% & 2.1 Turnovers
Chris Paul - 13.1 Points, 4.2 Rebounds, 8.3 Assists, 1.5 Steals, 42.5 FG%, 39.8 3PT FG% & 2.0 Turnovers
Scorching Suns:
Chris Paul
CP3 didn't have the best week, but compared to the rest of the team he shot brilliantly. His 3-point percentage was good though for the 2nd week running, meaning he's back to 20-21 level in terms of percentage from 3.
It's a shame he picked up another injury and missed a game.
His stats for the week:
13.7 Points, 2.7 Rebounds, 3.7 Assists 1.3 Steals, 48.4 FG% & 55.6 3PT FG%.
Struggling Suns:
The Whole Team.
This seems like an exaggeration, but it really isn't. As a team we only managed to average 91.2 Points per Game on 41.0 FG%.
Stat Line(s) of the Week:
Chris Paul vs Cleveland Cavaliers (Game 1)
CP3 led all scorers in this game and also had a great shooting percentage, providing the scoring we desperately need at the moment.
Game stat line:
25 Points, 4 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 2 Steals, 9/17 FGs (52.9%) & 3/5 3PT FGs (60.0%).
Honourable mentions:
Deandre Ayton vs Cleveland Cavaliers (Game 1)
Ayton's 16 defensive rebounds were a season high for him and also tied career high in the same area, set last season against the Kings.
Game stat line:
15 Points, 18 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal & 7/12 FGs (58.3%).
Upcoming Games:
We have 3 games this week, all on the road.
In a week where we could do with as much luck as possible to get back to winning, the schedule definitely isn't it this week.
The Warriors and Wolves have had their own injury issues in recent weeks, with Steph and KAT being out for their respective teams, the Suns are still struggling with injuries the most.
The Warriors have lost 2 in a row to the Pistons and Magic, but before that had strung 5 wins in a row together. Klay has looked better recently, highlighted by 54 points in the double-overtime win against Atlanta.
The Nuggets are 1st in the West and have won 8 of their last 10. 1 of those wins includes their overtime win over us on Christmas. Jokic is having another MVP calibre season, but this time round has running mates Murray and Porter Jr back. As always the Nuggets are very well coached and are a tough match-up for the Suns, even when we are healthy.
The Wolves are having an underwhelming season after going all-in on Gobert. He's been pretty underwhelming himself and there's rumours in the media of a toxic locker room, which seems to be one of the qualities he brings to a team. Anthony Edwards is amazing when he can be bothered though and we don't currently have anyone that can light up the scoreboard like he can.
Predictions:
I was too optimistic last week, against teams that we matched up better with, so unless Book magically returns, I'm gonna say 3 L's this week.
Predictions League:
Any Other Business:
Iron Man
Mikal Bridges currently has the longest active consecutive game streak with 350 games played. He hasn't missed a single NBA game throughout his whole career so far.
Injuries (This is becoming a permanent section in the Roundup at this point)
Last week we had the good news that Cam Payne (and Shamet to an extent) were returning from injury and Payne did return against the Knicks. He put up a respectable 8 points and 7 assists, but it may have been too soon as after playing just 8 miuntes against the Cavs, he left and didn't come back to the game. He was then back on the shelf against the Heat, with the Suns announcing on Saturday that he has a sprained ankle and would be re-evaluated in 2 weeks 😞
Chris Paul also picked up a knock to his hip against the Heat and did not play in the 2nd half. The Suns claimed he was day-to-day, but he did miss Sunday's Cavs match-up.
More bad news came out of that game, as Deandre Ayton left the game favouring his left leg. The Suns haven't given an update on DA as of writing.
On a positive note Duane Rankin has seen Cam Johnson on the court A LOT over the last week or so and Booker has also been on the court, albeit just shooting at the moment.
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Also, I'm regretting not copying Elliot's predictions for this week. 🙈
Do you think there's something wrong with Mikal too?
I know with all the injuries there's a lot more pressure on him to step up. But I think, if the streak wasn't a thing, he'd be on the injury report too.