Phoenix Suns: Player grades from a dramatic win over the Mavericks

Bridges came back to Earth
Grade: B

Going into this game, perhaps no one in the entire NBA had shown more improvement over the hiatus than Mikal Bridges. He turned himself into a budding star and a do-it-all Swiss Army Knife for the Phoenix Suns.

Against the Mavericks, he came back to Earth a bit.

It wasn’t that Bridges had a bad game. He didn’t. It just wasn’t what we have grown accustomed to seeing lately.

Even though the man he was guarding most of the game had 40 points, he played solid defense. Because Bridges is the team’s best defender, he is going to guard the opposing team’s best player every game. For this contest, it was Luka Doncic.

His on-ball defense, for the most part, was solid but often the Mavericks screened him which resulted in a switch and subsequent mismatch Doncic took advantage of.

Bridges finished the game with three blocks and two steals, but guarding Luka took it out of him on the offensive side of the court as the confident and aggressive version of Bridges we saw was rarely seen. He mustered a team-low four points, one rebound, and one assist.

Still, his value is immeasurable and this team doesn’t win this game without him.