Phoenix Suns - Weekly Roundup - Week 10
- Matt Elvy
- Dec 27, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 29, 2021
Join us as we review the highs and lows of the last week, as well as previewing the week ahead.
Week 10: 20 - 26 December 2021
Week Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 26-6. 2nd in Western Conference & NBA.
Games Played and Results:
W - 108 - 90 Vs LA Lakers
W - 113 - 101 Vs OKC Thunder
L - 107 - 116 Vs Golden State Warriors
The Lakers game was a blowout, unsurprisingly as they have been hit with injuries and multiple players in covid protocols.
Booker starred with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists and Ayton used his size advantage to get 19 points and 11 rebounds, on 9 of 11 shooting.
The Thunder game was closer throughout than I expected it to be. OKC always play hard and they reduced a Suns 15 point lead in the 2nd to be leading by 5 in the 3rd. From there though it was game over for them. Booker was on fire all game, ending with 30 and Cam Johnson had the game of his career shooting 100% for 21 points (more on that below).
Then the big one. Christmas day against the Warriors. This was our 1st Christmas day game in years and you can read about our last one here.
The Warriors held the lead for most of the game. They hustled hard, forcing turnovers and creating 2nd chance points for themselves. They seemed to have an energy that the Suns simply couldn't match. We did a pretty good job on Steph Curry, but his supporting cast picked up 7 offensive rebounds off of 11 of his missed 3-pointers.
Going in to the end of the game, the teams were going back and forth, but then out of nowhere Otto Porter Jr scored 10 points in the last 5 minutes. The Suns didn't adjust and that was the game.
Booker also shot only 5 of 19, which definitely didn't help our cause.
I don't mind us losing, but if these 2 teams stay close in the standings for the rest of the season, this loss could come back to bite us when it comes to Playoff seeding, and homecourt advantage if we face them.
Superstar Watch (Season stats):
Booker - 22.8 Points, 5.1 Rebounds, 4.6 Assists, 1.0 Steals, 45.3 FG%, 41.9 3PT FG%, 2.7 Turnovers
Chris Paul - 14.6 Points, 4.0 Rebounds, 9.9 Assists, 1.9 Steals 49.0 FG%, 32.6 3PT FG%, 2.3 Turnovers
Scorching Suns:
Cameron Johnson
Johnson has been playing great for the last few weeks and his hard work paid off with his 100% shooting game against the Thunder.
His stats for the week:
15.3 Points, 6.3 Rebounds, 2.0 Assists, 1.3 Steals, 62.5 FG% & 61.1 3PT FG%.
Deandre Ayton
DA could probably be in this section every week, as he does all his work under the basket and throwing down dunks. He has also now perfected his little hook shot, which is pretty much un-guardable.
His stats for the week:
18.7 Points, 10.0 Rebounds, 1.7 Assists, 1.0 Steal, 1.0 Block & 69.4 FG%.
Struggling Suns:
Cameron Payne
Cam Has been up & down this season, but mainly down. He hasn't been able to find a rhythm at all this season.
This week he struggled with turnovers. He had 5 in just 18 minutes against Golden State.
This week's stats:
8.3 Points, 27 Rebounds, 3.7 Assists, 2.7 Turnovers, 26.7 FG% & 26.7 3PT FG%
Stat Line of the Week:
Cam Johnson Vs OKC Thunder
Game stat line:
21 Points, 9 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 7/7 FGs (100%), 5/5 3Pt FGs (100%).
Honourable mentions:
Devin Booker Vs OKC Thunder
Game stat line:
30 Points, 7 Rebounds, 7 Assists 2 Steals, 12/23 FGs (52.2%) & 4/7 3PT FGs (57.1%)
Upcoming Games:
We have 4 games this week, 1st 2 at home and the 2nd 2 on the road.
The Grizzlies are one of the most exciting young teams in the league. Like all young teams they have stretches of greatness as well as stretches where they struggle. Last time we played, we blew them out by 25 points.
You can look forward to a present vs the future with the CP3 - Morant match-up.
We welcome OKC back to Phoenix for the 2nd week in a row, let's hope for the same outcome there.
We then hit the road and our 1st stop is Boston. It was announced a couple of hours ago that Jayson Tatum has entered the NBA's covid protocols, so we have an advantage there. Even at full strength we have the advantage in that match-up, however they have been playing well since Jaylen Brown's return from injury and even with a changing roster thanks to those covid protocols.
The game is at 6pm UK time, so Happy New Year from the schedule makers. It'll be on sky Sports Mix, which is the free Sky Sports channel.
The last game of the week sees us visit Charlotte. Like the Grizzlies they are young and fun. Like the Grizzlies, the last match-up was a blowout win for the Suns. The Hornets have the worst defence in the league and that hasn't changed in the week and a bit since we last played them.
Predictions:
If we don't get destroyed by players missing time thanks to covid protocols, we should win all these games. I can't predict the future on that front so I will say we win all 4 games (although I wouldn't be surprised if we pick up an L in maybe Boston).
Predictions League:
Any Other Business:
Covid Protocols
The Suns dodged it for as long as they could and they were one of the only teams to not be impacted, but it was announced Sunday that Jae Crowder and Elfrid Payton have been placed in the NBA's Covid protocols. We have to hope that it doesn't rip through the roster like it has with other teams.
While typing the Roundup, Shams Charania has tweeted:
Terry spent time with the Suns in the 2018-19 season.
Also while typing, Woj has tweeted that Monty Williams has entered Covid protocols and will miss tonight's game against Memphis. Not in the tweet, but I assume he'll end up missing all games this week and some of next.
All-Star Voting
The NBA opened up All-Star voting on Christmas day. You can vote for Suns players on NBA.com or by tweeting #NBAAllStar and #PlayersName or their twitter handle.
Click the following links to go to our pre-made tweets and just re-tweet them:
Booker
In the Lakers game, Book reached 2,000 career assists. He's the 6th youngest player in NBA history to reach 9,000 points and 2,000 assists.
Going in to this week, Booker needs just 34 points to reach 10,000 career points. At his current rate (22 ppg), he could reach that tonight against Memphis or Wednesday against the Thunder.
Go On My Suns!
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