Phoenix Suns - Weekly Roundup - Week 10
- Matt Elvy
- Mar 1, 2021
- 5 min read
Join us as we review the highs and lows of the last week, as well as previewing the week ahead.
Week 9: 22 February - 28 February 2021
Week Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 22-11. 4th in Western Conference
Games Played and Results:
W - 132 - 100 Vs Portland Trail Blazers
L - 121 - 124 Vs Charlotte Hornets
W - 106 - 97 Vs Chicago Bulls
W - 118 - 99 Vs Minnesota Timberwolves
Firstly, the Suns have 2, yes 2 All-Stars in this year's All-Star game.
Chris Paul was selected as an All-Star reserve by Western Conference coaches, however Booker was not chosen as a starter or a reserve.
He was widely seen as the biggest snub this year with comments coming from media, fans and players alike at the shock of him not being named.
He had to wait for Anthony Davis to be confirmed as not being able to play due to injury and be named as his replacement. It's the 2nd year in a row that Booker has needed an injury replacement spot to make the game, maybe this is why Book was so on fire against Portland.
This is the first time that the Suns have had 2 All-Stars in the same game since 2010, when we had both Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire represent the Suns in the game.
Now on to the review
We finished the month by getting our 22nd win of the season against the Timberwolves. Here's my thought on the matter going in to that game:
I know I don't have to write about it, but this team is other worldly compared to what we've been used to in recent years. Even compared to last year's improved Suns team, we're riding high this season.
I'll ask you this though - Are the Suns contenders in the West?
Anyway, back to last week, the game we all thought would be our toughest and potentially a loss, turned out being a 32 point blow out win. I'm talking about Monday's game against the Blazers. The game was a offensive masterpiece from the Suns, as they scored at least 31 in every quarter and shot over 48% from 3. We were playing so well that all starters were able to sit out the whole of the 4th quarter. Booker had 34 points in just those 3 quarters.
Our only loss of the week came against one of the most surprising and exciting teams in the league, the Charlotte Hornets. Booker once again led the way with 33 and CP3 added a near triple double with 20 points, 10 assists & 8 rebounds, but it wasn't enough.
Phoenix had the chance to tie the game on a 3 point shot from Devin Booker, but air-balled the attempt, after what seemed to be a foul by Gordan Hayward. The NBA would later confirm in their Last 2 Minute report, that Booker was fouled by Hayward on the shot and the refs missed the call.
The game against Chicago was a close one. The Bulls are a fun up and coming team, being led by All-Star Zach LaVine. I was hoping for an old school shootout between LaVine and Booker, but neither of them lit the score board on fire.
The game came down to the last quarter, where Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton played a fantastic 2 man game down the stretch to bring home the victory. Paul finished with 14 points and 15 assists.
Lastly was Sunday's win against the Timberwolves. The question I had going in to the game was how would Ayton handle his matchup with Karl-Anthony Towns (Booker's best mate). Well he did pretty well, putting up 22 points and 10 rebounds on 9 for 11 shooting, while keeping KAT to 7 for 16 shooting.
The big news in the game though was Devin Booker's season high of 43 points, with 21 coming in just the third quarter. CP3 also had another 15 assist game.
For the week Chris Paul averaged an awesome 12.3 assists, with only 3 turnovers. Fellow All-Star Devin Booker averaged 33 points and 4.3 assists.
Superstar Watch:
Booker - 25.5 Points, 3.6 Rebounds, 4.3 Assists, 0.8 Steals, 50.1 FG%, 36.7 3PT FG%, 3.4 Turnovers
Chris Paul - 16.4 Points, 4.7 Rebounds, 9.0 Assists, 1.3 Steals 48.8 FG%, 38.6 3PT FG%, 2.4 Turnovers
Scorching Suns:
Devin Booker
How could it not be. This week Book has tallied the following points totals:
34 (in only 3 quarters), 12/17 FG, 2/2 3PT FG, 8/8 FT and his highest plus/minus of the season at +28
33, 13/24 FG, 4/10 3PT FG and 3/4 FT
22 (had an off night in this one)
43 (season high & 21 in 3rd quarter), 15/26 FG, 12/13 FT.
For the week he averaged:
33 Points, 2.8 Rebounds, 4.3 Assists 53.8 FG% & 33.3 3PT FG%
Lets just say he's been on a scoring tear since the All-Star reserves were announced and he was not selected.
To be fair he's been great all throughout February:
Honourable Mentions
Chris Paul for his incredible assist totals this week. He had 2 games for 15 assists and averaged over 12 per game.
Deandre Ayton for averaging 19.8 points on 68.1 FG%
Struggling Suns:
Cameron Payne
I love Cam Payne, so I'm quite sad to put him in this section. It could be down to match-ups, but he's seen his minutes fall off a cliff this week.
He played 25 minutes last week against Memphis, but only saw the floor for 3 minutes against Minnesota.
It's possible that he is still bothered by the leg injury he had, so hopefully he can crack the rotation in the coming games and be a big contributor again.
For the week he averaged:
2.8 Points, 30.8 FG% & 12.5% from 3 in only 10 minutes per game.
Stat Line of the Week:
Devin Booker Vs Portland Trail Blazers
34 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 12/17 FG - 70.6%, 2/2 3PT FG - 100% & 8/8 FT - 100%
Rookie Watch:
Jalen Smith - 2 game this week.
With the release of Damian Jones, the team needed to add some depth to the frontcourt, so they recalled Smith from the G-League Orlando bubble. He only had 4 total minutes across the 2 games he appeared in.
Season Stats
10 Games, 5.4 mpg, 1.4 Points, 1.0 Rebounds, 0.2 Assists, 0.2 Blocks, 33.3 FG%
Upcoming Games:
This coming week we have 2 games.
We have our first game of the season against the Lakers on Tuesday night. They beat the Warriors on Sunday to snap a 4 game losing streak, but they are without All-Star Power Forward Anthony Davis.
Our second and last game before the All-Star break is a rescheduled game from January, thanks to Covid health and safety protocols.
Any Other Business:
"Did you watch me play last year?"
A reporter said that Booker is playing better than this year, than last year. Booker is very self aware and knows that he has not been as good as last year, especially to start the season. The question posed, clearly insulted him and he was very blunt with the reporter, many called him rude, but what do you think?
If you've seen Book with the media before, you'll know he's all business and this was no different. He holds himself and other to high esteem, so must have felt that the reporter had no idea what he was talking about. There may also have been a language barrier, as the reporter, who always attends these calls, is from Greece.
Thank you for reading. Please like, comment below what you think and share on social media.
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