The Phoenix Suns exacted revenge on the San Antonio Spurs (on their home court, no less) Friday night with a 103-99, much-needed victory.
The San Antonio Spurs seem to have the Phoenix Suns’ number. That is an old-timey way of saying the Suns can never seem to beat them and the refs are always in the way too and Tim Duncan, and ugh! Stupid Spurs.
But, on this night, the Suns flipped what looked to be a familiar script unfolding, and beat the Spurs in San Antonio for the first time since February, 2013. Yes, you read that correctly. It has almost been seven full years since the last time this happened.
I only say this to pat myself on the shoulder, but it played out almost exactly how I said it needed to in order for the Suns to get the win.
Monster game from Booker? Check. The holy-cow-he-better-be-a-freaking-All-Star Devin Booker put up a smooth 35 point and dished out 10 assists and played like the best player on the court.
The starters (plus Bridges) needed to do all the scoring? Check. Out of the Suns’ 103 total points, 100 of them came from the starters (plus Bridges). The only other contribution came from a lone Ty Jerome 3-pointer. More on him in a minute.
Someone else needing to step up and have a big game? Check. Well, I predicted it would either be Rubio or Oubre, but it was Super Dario Saric who poured in 20 points on 9-13 shooting to help push the Phoenix Suns over the edge.
After the game, Saric said Devin Booker is the best player with which he has ever played. That includes the likes of Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and future member of the Phoenix Suns, Karl-Anthony Towns.
Agreed, Dario. Agreed. Now let’s get him some help. With Aron Baynes and Cameron Johnson still sidelined with lingering injuries, and Tyler Johnson resigned to the bench in an effort to curb the plummeting of his trade stock, Monty Williams only played eight guys, and if you exclude Jevon Carter‘s two minutes, he only played seven.
First round pick, Ty Jerome, who the Suns gave up their Milwaukee Bucks first round pick in order to draft, has struggled this season. He hasn’t seen the floor that much, and when he has, he looks like something between a lost puppy and a baby giraffe on ice.
It is way too early to write him off as a bust. Way too early. But you have to think one of the reasons James Jones chose to draft an older player was with the hope he was more game-ready. I’ll reserve further judgment until Ty gets his NBA legs under him, but I think it is fair to say everyone was hoping for a little more from former Virginia Cavalier and National Champion.
Only playing seven guys will work for a game or two, but it is not a recipe for long term success. With only 12 days until the February 6th trade deadline, James Jones‘ time to obtain the help Devin Booker needs to secure the 8th spot in the West is dwindling.
Hopefully something shakes out soon, but until then, Suns fans can enjoy this much-needed win.