Phoenix Suns: Player grades from win over the Miami Heat

The Phoenix Suns won their fifth straight game against the Miami Heat Saturday night. We know about Jevon Carter’s big night, but how about everyone else?

The Phoenix Suns got out of the gate slowly against the Miami Heat on Saturday evening. Nearly every shot they put up clanked off the rim and they finished the first quarter 8/23 from the field (34.8 percent) including just 3/11 from 3.

The Heat, on the other hand, were led by Tyler Herro who you could tell from the tip was out to make a statement against his fellow Kentucky alum and basketball role model, Devin Booker. Herro played aggressively and finished the game with a near triple-double, notching 25 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds.

Combine the poor shooting and opposing rookie trying to make a name for himself and the Suns fell into a hole early, but just kept clawing back. Eventually, their tenacity (and Jevon Carter’s 3-point barrage) propelled them to their fifth straight win, the most in Booker’s young career.

This wasn’t a game where everyone was hitting on all cylinders and they rolled a weaker team. There were definitely times where everyone looked off, but as Monty Williams told his team afterward, these guys fought, and they keep fighting their way up to the standings.

The Suns are just 1/2 game behind Portland and two games behind Memphis. If the Suns win out and go 8-0, they need either two losses from the Grizzlies or one loss from the Trail Blazers to land in the play-in game. Each team has three games remaining.

For now, though, let’s focus on the big win versus Miami and grade out each player starting with the game’s MVP: