Join us as we review the highs and lows of the last week, as well as previewing the week ahead.
Week 6: 25 January - 31 January 2021
Week Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 10-8. 6th in Western Conference
Games Played and Results:
L - 97 - 102 Vs OKC Thunder
W - 114 - 93 Vs Golden State Warriors
W - 111 - 105 Vs Dallas Mavericks
Well it started off rocky, but we came out of this week without Devin Booker, Dario Saric or Cam payne with a winning record. The win against the Warriors also snapped a 3-game losing streak for the Suns.
One good thing to come out of Book's injury is that it has forced Chris Paul to be more assertive on offense. Throughout the season he'd been seemingly stepping back and deferring to others until late game situations. With Book out Paul has been searching for his shot, while also keeping the whole team involved.
The loss against the Thunder has to be one of the worst performances of the season so far. The team lacked energy and the only player that seemed ready for the game was Abdel Nader, as he was facing his former team. CP3 scored 32 in the game as well, but it wasn't enough and OKC scored the upset victory.
Thanks to Covid protocols this was our first game against the Warriors and many thought that we'd be dealing with a motivated Kelly Oubre and of course the scoring machine that is Steph Curry. Steph did his usual thing, but Oubre had a dismal showing going 1-11 for 4 points.
The Suns did a fantastic job on the defensive end in the game, holding Golden State to only 93 points and also shared the ball at an elite level, assisting on 34 of their 41 made field goals.
The final game of the week was against a struggling Mavericks team that had lost the previous 4 games and would be without Kristaps Porzingis, however they did not make it easy for the Suns.
It was a back and forth game, which we almost let slip away, but then the Point God showed up in the 4th quarter to bring it home for the Suns.
The Suns' bench has been impressive all week as well. Abdel Nader has seen an increase in minutes and has been better than expected, by attacking the rim and not settling for 3's. E'Twuan Moore has also started to see his first meaningful time on the floor this season and they were both key to the Suns' comeback in Saturday night's game.
This season's added depth has allowed us to stay afloat while Book, Dario and Payne remain out, something that in recent years has not been the case at all. Missed time by any core players has usually been disastrous for the team, so kudos again to James Jones for this team's construction this year.
Superstar Watch:
Booker - 22.9 Points, 3.5 Rebounds, 4.1 Assists, 1.1 Steals, 47.3 FG%, 34.1 3PT FG%, 4.1 Turnovers
Book missed all 3 games this week recovering from a hamstring injury.
Chris Paul - 15.6 Points, 4.6 Rebounds, 8.7 Assists, 1.2 Steals 45.0 FG%, 30.0 3PT FG%, 2.5 Turnovers
Is it time to add Deandre Ayton in this space?
I put out a poll on Twitter with this question and here are the results:
We'll keep DA out of this section for now and review again at mid-season.
Scorching Suns:
Chris Paul
As mentioned above Chris Paul has had to raise his game on the offensive end this week with Booker out with injury and he has not disappointed.
This week Paul has averaged 24.6 Points, 3.6 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 2.3 Steals, 49.2 FG%, 40.2 3PT FG%, 3.6 Turnovers. Thanks to the efficient week he's had Paul has raised this season's scoring average from 13.8 - 15 points per game, field goal percentage from 43.6 - 45%, 3 point percentage from 27.7 - 30% (still not great, but better) and steals from 0.9 to 1.2 per game.
CP3 was fantastic against Dallas scoring 29 points, dishing 12 assists and getting to the foul line 13 times, only missing 1. It was Paul's 4th quarter which was most impressive. In just this quarter alone, Paul had 16 points and 5 assists. He scored or assisted on 30 of the teams 34 points throughout the quarter. This type of performance is the exact reason that we traded for the all-time great.
Struggling Suns:
Jevon Carter
Carter is only shooting 35.3 FG% and 27.7 3PT FG%. Jevon played 22 minutes against the Thunder, but saw that fall to 3 minutes against the Warriors and had a DNP - Coaches Decision
Stat Line of the Week:
Chris Paul vs Dallas
29 Points, 3 Rebounds, 12 Assists, 4 Steals, 12/13 Free Throws.
Honourable mention for Frank Kaminsky's near triple double vs Warriors - 13 Points, 12 Rebounds and 8 Assists off the bench in only 24 minutes.
Videos courtesy of The Timeline: A Phoenix Suns Channel
Rookie Watch:
Jalen Smith - 2 game this week.
Smith appeared in 2 games this week, seeing only 5 minutes of game time against the Thunder and Warriors.
Season Stats
5 Games, 7.8 mpg, 2.8 Points, 1.6 Rebounds, 0.2 Assists, 0.4 Blocks, 42.9 FG%
Upcoming Games:
This coming week we have 3 games.
Great news for us Suns fans. Sunday's game against Boston will be live on Sky Sports Arena. You will also be able to join the NBA Heat Check team for free on Youtube for the NBA Watch Along
Any Other Business:
Rescheduled Game:
The Suns vs Golden State Warriors game that was originally scheduled for 15th January, will now be played on 4th March in Phoenix.
The game had to be called off due to the NBA's Covid Health & Safety protocols, thanks to the Suns' contact with the Washington Wizards on 11th January.
Booker Injury Update:
Booker's status has been raised to questionable for tonight's game against Dallas.
Though he may not play, this is a great sign as he recovers from a hamstring injury, picked up on 29th January vs Denver.
Mikal Bridges featured on the The Void with Kevin O'Connor - Watch it here:
KOC then joined The Timeline: A Phoenix Suns Podcast to discuss the video further, which you can listen to here.
Thank you for reading. Please like, comment below what you think and share on social media.
You can also use the code 'SUNSFANSUK' on The Throwback Store to receive a 10% discount on any order you make.
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