Join us as we review the highs and lows of the last week, as well as previewing the week ahead.
Week 2: 24-30 October 2022
Week Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 5-1. Tied 1st in Western Conference.
Games Played and Results:
W - 134 - 105 Vs Golden State Warriors
W - 124 - 111 Vs New Orleans Pelicans
W - 124 - 109 Vs Houston Rockets
Quite an eventful week that, wasn't it?
We started by welcoming the defending champs. I thought this would be a close one, which it was in the 1st half, but the Suns came out on a mission in the 2nd half, outscoring the Warriors 62-39. One the way to that score things got chippy, of course. Booker got so far under Klay Thompson's skin that he received the first ejection of his career.
We knew that the Pelicans weren't going to roll over for us, following last season's first round Playoff battle. They were without Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, so we did have the advantage on paper. There was some worry for the Suns however, as Deandre Ayton left the game in the 1st quarter, after landing on Valanciunas' foot on a jump shot attempt, spraining his left ankle. Luckily for the Suns, Biz was ready to fill in, with a double-double and Mikal Bridges had his best game of the season so far with 27 points - more on that below.
The Suns, clearly the more talented team, went through the motions in this game, but still made sure they put the Rockets away. Sunday marked Booker's 26th birthday he celebrated with a 30-point performance. Deandre Ayton missed the game following the ankle sprain picked up against New Orleans, but Jock Landale stepped up with 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting.
The 3-0 week means that the Suns sit joint 1st in the Western Conference with the Trailblazers and that tie will be broken this coming week, as we face them twice.
Superstar Watch (Season stats):
Booker - 29.3 Points, 3.9 Rebounds, 5.5 Assists, 1.0 Steal, 52.9 FG%, 36.1 3PT FG% & 2.7 Turnovers
Deandre Ayton - 15.4 Points, 6.2 Rebounds, 2.0 Assists, 0.6 Steals, 0.4 Blocks, 54.8 FG%, 33.3 3PT FG% & 2.6 Turnovers
Chris Paul - 9.3 Points, 4.7 Rebounds, 10.8 Assists, 1.7 Steals, 34.6 FG%, 23.8 3PT FG% & 1.8 Turnovers
Scorching Suns:
Mikal Bridges
What a fantastic week it's been for Mikal, has the dude done anything wrong on the court? It could be his most complete offensive week ever. We've seen him with the ball in his hands more and as Mike Vigil pointed out on Twitter (you should definitely be following him), we've seen him act as the screener way more as well.
More on his game stats in our Stat Line of the Week section.
His stats for the week:
19.7 Points, 4.3 Rebounds, 2.3 Assists, 0.7 Steal, 2 Blocks, 78.6 FG% & 62.5 3PT FG%.
Struggling Suns:
Damion Lee
Lee's minutes have dropped since his 1st 2 games for the Suns. This could be because Cam Payne has picked up his game and seen the floor more, as well as Landry Shamet being back from injury.
Lee hasn't helped himself though, as when he has been on the court he has been underwhelming, playing much more like the end of the bench guy we were expecting when he was signed.
His stats for the week:
4.3 Points, 2.3 Rebounds, 0.3 Assists, 0.3 Steals, 27.3 FG% & 28.6 3-PT FG%.
Stat Line(s) of the Week:
Mikal Bridges Vs New Orleans Pelicans
Game stat line:
27 Points, 2 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steal, 3 Blocks, 10/13 FGs (76.9%), 3/5 3-PT FGs (60.0%).
Mikal Bridges Vs Golden State Warriors
Game stat line:
17 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks & 7/8 FGs (87.5%).
Torrey Craig Vs New Orleans Pelicans
Game stat line:
13 Points, 6 Rebounds (4 Offensive), 2 Assists, 6/6 FGs (100%) & 1/1/ 3-PT FG (100%).
Honourable mentions:
Bismack Biyombo Vs New Orleans Pelicans
Game stat line:
11 Points, 13 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Blocks & 5/7 FGs (71.5%).
Upcoming Games:
We have 3 games this week, all at home to end a 6-game homestand.
The Timberwolves could be a tough game for us this week. They outsize the Suns with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert on their frontline and that's when we do have Deandre Ayton. His status seems to be day-to-day, so we don't know if we'll have him for this game or not. The biggest x-factor for the Timberwolves though is Anthony Edwards, if he has a big game, we could be in trouble.
No, the above isn't a mistake, we do face the Blazers 2 nights in a row, with both games at home in Phoenix. We faced them in our 2nd game of the season, in a tight game that went to overtime and was decided by free throws. Since then the Blazers have continued to play well, being joint 1st in the West with us. They have been without Damian Lillard the last 2 games, losing 1 of them.
Predictions:
I'm finding the Timberwolves game a difficult one to predict. On one hand they outsize us and have dynamic guards, but on the other they have lost to the Jazz and Spurs - twice.
I think without Lillard, we'll be too much for the Blazers. Overall we're the more talented team and the loss to them was so close that it could have gone either way.
I'm going to say we keep our win streak going all week and have another 3-0 week.
Predictions League:
Any Other Business:
Win Streak
Since losing to the Trailblazers, the Suns have racked up 4 straight wins. The Suns have won those games by an average of 18.5 points.
30 Points
Booker's 30 point performance against the Rockets marked the 145th of his career. He continues to increase his gap on the all-time Suns list in this category.
Can you tell me who is 2nd on that list?
Efficient Assists
Chris Paul also increased the gap on a list he leads. He had 15 assists and 0 turnover vs the Rockets, making it the 51st time he's have 10+ assists and 0 turnovers. He has the most such games in NBA history. Once again, can you tell me who is 2nd on the list?
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Bench was a concern for me coming in, but seems to be fine so far. Tom Chambers is a good shout, but not correct. The assist one is not a Suns player.
I thought the Pelicans would want revenge for the playoffs. Didn't expect Zion and Ingram to be out 🙈 Good win though!
Really happy with our bench right now. Jock, Payne and Torrey are all looking great right now. Long may it continue!
Show me some Dario! 💜🧡
Man... I don't know enough of the older players to guess really but Tom Chambers for 30 point games and Steve Nash for 10+ assists/0 turnovers.