After coming out flat against the Houston Rockets in their second game of NBA Summer League play, the Phoenix Suns jumped on the Utah Jazz right from the start of their third game in Las Vegas, never trailing en route to a 91-82 victory. The Suns are now 2-1 heading into tournament play.
Mike James replaced Jerel McNeal in the starting lineup at point guard, Devin Booker was inserted with the starters in a small-ball lineup and Alex Len returned to action after sitting out the Suns’ second game. Now that the three preliminary games are out of the way, the Suns will either be seeded eighth for the Summer League tournament bracket according to Jon Bloom of Suns.com:
As expected the #SummerSuns are the 8th seed in the @NBASummerLeague tournament & will play winner of HOU/MIL on Thurs at 1pm
— Jon Bloom (@JonBloom) July 15, 2015
Here’s a look at the top performers and highlights from Phoenix’s third Summer League game against Utah.
T.J. Warren — Warren continued to be Mr. Consistency and Mr. Efficiency for the Suns, nonchalantly putting up 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Against rookies, undrafted players and D-League prospects, Warren has breezed through Summer League with an array of sharp drives to the basket that either ended with a patented floater, circus shot layup or getting to the foul line.
Warren only played 22 minutes after the Suns pulled away by double-digits early in the fourth quarter.
Devin Booker — Booker may have started 6-for-23 from the field and 0-for-8 from three-point range in his first two Summer League games, but he certainly didn’t lack any confidence Tuesday. Looking more comfortable than he has at any point so far in Vegas, Booker got things started with a left-handed running layup before calmly sinking a wide-open three and another 18-footer after that.
He only shot 7-of-18 from the field, but it honestly doesn’t even matter because it was good to see him so confident in his shot. Booker made two of his five three-point attempts and finished with a game-high 18 points along with six rebounds and two assists.
That @DevinBook 3-point shot. It’s a thing of beauty. #SHAZAM #SummerSuns pic.twitter.com/eO4kyrdioV
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 15, 2015
Archie Goodwin — Goodwin had a relatively quiet third Summer League game, finishing with seven points on 1-of-5 shooting in 19 minutes. But the Suns didn’t really need him after pulling away by double-digits multiple times, and at the very least, the first shot he knocked down was a great-looking three. Archie’s new shooting stroke looks solid, despite what the final shooting numbers indicate.
Alex Len — Len got off to a rough 1-for-5 start from the field, and it was a little disappointing that he didn’t dominate his smaller competition given that he’s a third-year player and that most fans are hoping for a breakout season in 2015-16. But he was extremely active on the boards, finishing with a game-high 14 rebounds.
Now it’ll just be a matter of Len knocking down the midrange shots that defenses surrender to him. Len finished with eight points on 2-of-6 shooting, getting to the line seven times. He also attempted a corner three, but he missed it.
Alex Len has more rebounds in 21 minutes (12) than Utah's starting lineup has grabbed in the game.
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) July 15, 2015
Mickey McConnell — Is it wrong to wish both Mike James AND Mickey McConnell would earn invites to training camp, even after the Suns signed Ronnie Price to a one-year deal? While James impressed in Phoenix’s second Summer League game and earned the start Thursday, McConnell stole the show off the bench this time, with eight points and two assists on 3-of-4 shooting.
As he’s showed over the last two games, McConnell has a flair for dishing out behind-the-back dimes in transition. He also knocked down a completely pure three-pointer out of the pick-and-roll that extended Phoenix’s lead to 12 and forced Utah to call a timeout in the second quarter.
That fast break! Those passes! So much to love! #SummerSuns pic.twitter.com/r6vdJ0W3me
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 15, 2015
Mike James — After looking like the best point guard on the floor in the Suns’ second Summer League game, Mike James earned the start at point guard in Game 3. He wasn’t quite as flashy on the court as McConnell was, but he finished with a respectable seven points, three rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes.
Josh Harrellson — Harrellson hasn’t really stood out to this point, but he changed that in Game 3, scoring eight of the Suns’ first 10 points in the fourth quarter to extend Phoenix’s lead out of reach. He finished with an extremely productive 15 points and nine rebounds in 16 minutes, going 6-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 from three-point range.
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