Around the Suns - Weekly Roundup - Week 12

Join us as we review the highs and lows of the last week, as well as previewing the week ahead.

Week 12: 8-14 January 2024

Week Record: 2-1

Overall Record: 21-18. 8th in the Western Conference.

Games Played and Results:

L - 111 - 138 Vs LA Clippers

W - 127 - 109 Vs Los Angeles Lakers

W - 109 - 88 Vs Portland Trail Blazers

Centre of The Sun

It was no surprise to me that we started the week with a lost to the Clippers. Even with Durant back, LA are flying at the moment. I do look at them with envy, but I have a lot of faith that we can get to where they are as a "Superteam".

They outscored us in every quarter by basically taking advantage of our weak spots. They were able to take Nurkic out the game by forcing him in to turnovers. It also didn't help that Book and Beal were completely off target all night.

Next was the Lakers and wow, what a difference. Book and Beal were en fuego in this one and the offense looked incredible. Book scored 16 in the first quarter and 23 for the half (a season high for a half), then finished with 31, even when resting for most of the forth.

Beal took his turn in the third quarter, with 20 points. He also rested for a lot of the forth, but was the last of the Big 3 to come out of the game. He finished with 37, a season high and also his first 30-point game as a Sun. He was hitting 3's like they were layups, going 8 for 10 from beyond the arc.

Book and Beal were so good that Durant actively took a back seat to them, facilitating the offense. He did take the time to hit a lot of contested shots in Reaves and Christie's faces though and finished with 18.

Okogie did this as well 🤩

We didn't make it easy for ourselves, but we managed to pull out the victory against the Trail Blazers. They were missing 8 of their key players including Ayton, Grant & Brogdan, so leant into hustle and launching threes instead. On multiple occasions they got offensive rebounds from the Suns not boxing out. Our defence in general was lazy, allowing them to gain confidence from beyond the arc. Bradley Beal was a steadying hand, taking over the offense at points driving to the hoop and finding the open man. He also wasn't happy after the game saying in an interview, I think we took a step back and I think we all know that." That may sound bad, but I think it shows the team are addressing their issues.

A couple of positives though, four players scored over 20 points and Durant had his best dunk as a Sun (in my opinion).

Superstar Watch (Season stats):

Devin Booker - 26.6 Points, 4.9 Rebounds, 7.7 Assists, 0.9 Steals, 48.6 FG%, 37.0 3PT FG% & 2.9 Turnovers

Kevin Durant - 29.0 Points, 6.3 Rebounds, 5.8 Assists, 0.9 Steals, 1.1 Blocks, 52.6 FG%, 46.9 3PT FG% & 3.2 Turnovers

Bradley Beal - 18.2 Points, 4.0 Rebounds, 3.9 Assists, 0.8 Steals, 51.2 FG%, 42.4 3PT FG% & 2.4 Turnovers

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Scorching Suns:

Bradley Beal

As discussed above Beal has been a rock for us most of the week. He's shaken off the rust after being injured and seems to be back to his usual level of play. Also, after shooting a horrible 18% through his first 7 games back, he has shot 75% (12 of 16) through the last 2 games.

His stats for the week:

25.0 Points, 4.3 Rebounds, 3.7 Assists, 1.7 Steals, 61.2 FG% & 66.7 3PT FG%.

Honourable Mention:

Chimeze Metu

He played sparing minutes and only took 4 shots this week, but Metu hit all 4, so he gets a special mention here 😊

His stats for the week:

5.3 Points, 2.3 Rebounds, 1.0 Block, 100 FG% & 100 3PT FG% (1 attempt).

Struggling Suns:

Eric Gordon

Gordon has been fairly solid most of the season, but he's struggled this week. His biggest strength for us is his 3-point shooting, but has only hit 4 of 19 across our 3 games.

His stats for the week:

6.7 Point, 2.0 Rebounds, 2.0 Assists, 26.1 FG% & 21.1 3PT FG%.

Stat Line(s) of the Week:

Bradley Beal vs Los Angeles Lakers

Game stat line:

37 Points, 6 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steal, 14/21 FGs (66.7%) & 8/10 3PT FGs (80.0%).

Upcoming Games:

There are 3 games this week, 2 at home and 1 on the road.

Our last matchup against the Kings did not feature Kevin Durant or Bradley Beal and the Kings, led by De'Aaron Fox's 34, used their fluid offense to pick us apart. They've won 3 of their last 5, but did just lose (as of writing) to a Embiid-less 76ers.

This will be our first game of the season against the Pelicans. They're quietly putting together a very nice season. With their main guys healthy, they're fighting for homecourt in the Playoffs. Like the Kings, they've won 3 of their last 5 and face the Mavs and Hornets before us, so could carry a 3-game win streak into our game.

The Pacers have been one of the pleasant surprises this season, with Tyrese Haliburton on the cusp of Superstardom. They've won 3 of their last 5, but our matchup will be the last of their 6-game West Coast road trip and they'll be missing Haliburton to a hamstring injury, which we'll be looking to take advantage of.

Prediction:

I have faith this coming week and I'm hoping the Lakers and Blazers wins were just what we needed to springboard this team. 3 wins is my prediction.

Predictions League:

Any Other Business:

Book Player of the Week Nomination

Book missed out on the award behind Lauri Markkanen, but it was great to see him nominated.

Grayson's Milestone

Congratulations to Grayson, as he hit the 3,000 career points mark in the win over the Blazers.

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