Phoenix Suns - Weekly Roundup - Week 11
- Matt Elvy
- Mar 8, 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 11: 1 March - 7 March 2021
Week Record: 2-0
Overall Record: 24-11. 2nd in Western Conference (& whole NBA)
Games Played and Results:
W - 114 - 104 Vs LA Lakers
W - 120 - 98 Vs Golden State Warriors
It was a short week for the Suns with the All-Star break on the horizon. We were able to go in to the break on a 4 game winning streak and securing the 2nd best record in the West and the whole NBA, at the half way point.
Coming off the announcement that he had won the Western Conference Player of the month award for February, Devin Booker looked to continue his hot play going in to Tuesday's game against the LA Lakers. LA were without All-Star Anthony Davis, Centre Marc Gasol and key 6th man Kyle Kuzma, so if Phoenix played their game they would come out with the win, which of course they did. The down side to the win was that the refs wanted to be the centre of attention on national tv and decided to give Booker the boot part way through the 3rd quarter:
I discussed the ejection in more detail in our game review.
Most frustrating though was that until that point Booker was clearly the best player on the floor, amassing 17 points on 7/12 shooting, 6 assists, 3 steals and 3 rebounds.
We managed to pull out the win in the end thanks to the great depth we're able to boast and keeping a cool head after the ejection. In years past we would have fallen apart losing our best player, but this team is built different.
Next was a visit from the Golden State Warriors, who conceded defeat before even leaving San Francisco. They were already without Kelly Oubre Jr to injury, but decided to rest Steph Curry and Draymond Green. The 2 didn't even fly to Phoenix for the game.
Not much to say for this one. No Suns played more than 28 minutes and we had a well balanced attack, as we cruised to victory. Cam Payne seemed to find his groove again in the game - more on that below.
All-Stars
As discussed in last week's Weekly Roundup it was announced that both Devin Booker and Chris Paul were chosen to represent the Suns in this year's lockdown style All-Star game.
Booker and Paul were some of the first reserves chosen by their respective captains, with Book being the first non-Nets player that Kevin Durant chose for his team. This just shows the respect that Book has amongst his peers and we love to see it.
It was also announced that CP3 would participate the Skills Challenge and Book would be in the 3-Point Contest.
In the game against the Warriors Booker knocked his knees and it was decided to keep him out of the mid-season festivities to ensure he didn't aggravate the knock any further. Mike Conley of the Utah Jazz replaced him in both the 3-Point Contest and the All-Star game itself.
Chris Paul said that, "It's actually tough being here without him," in the pre-game media call. He added, "I was actually looking forward to coming here with Book, but his health is what's most important. It's an unfortunate situation, but the timing, going right into this little break, I know him and how much he hates to miss any game. I know he's rehabbing and trying to get ready."
He's right, you know. If you are going to pick up a little injury, the best time to get it is when you have a week's rest in front of you.
No report has come from the team explaining the severity of the injury, so I'm hoping it's a case of, 'no news is good news'.
CP3 wasn't able to win the Skills Challenge, he is 0-5 in the competition over the years, as he was eliminated by Nikola Vucevic in the 2nd round.
Paul was able to make history in the main All-Star game though. He became the all-time leader in All-Star game assists. You can read about this achievement and how the whole day went for him here. He helped lead Team LeBron to a 170-150 victory.
Superstar Watch:
Booker - 24.9 Points, 3.6 Rebounds, 4.4 Assists, 0.9 Steals, 49.6 FG%, 36.2 3PT FG%, 3.3 Turnovers
Chris Paul - 16.0 Points, 4.7 Rebounds, 8.8 Assists, 1.2 Steals 48.6 FG%, 39.1 3PT FG%, 2.4 Turnovers
Scorching Suns:
Dario Saric
No one's numbers over the 2 games were eye popping, but Dario was great in both. He really stepped up against the Lakers once Booker was ejected, to the point where he took Ayton's 4th quarter minutes. DA didn't see the floor in the period at all.
Monty ran the offense through Saric, allowing him to use his passing to get others involved and his wide body to score down low. He finished that game with a season high 21 points, 5 rebounds & 3 assists, in 26 minutes.
Video courtesy of The Timeline: A Phoenix Suns Channel
Against the Warriors he had 13 points on a very efficient 6 of 9 shooting.
For the week he averaged:
17 Points, 4 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 50 FG% & 37.5 3PT FG%
Struggling Suns:
Umm.... Pass
I don't feel like anyone particularly struggled this week. You could say Booker, with his ejection and less than stellar game against the Warriors, but I wouldn't say it was a struggle for him.
Everyone did their job this week - well done team!
Stat Line of the Week:
Cameron Payne Vs Golden State Warriors
I think Cam may have saw last week's Weekly Roundup where I nominated him as my "Struggling Sun", because he was wonderful against Golden State:
17 Points, 5 Rebounds, 10 Assists, 3 Steals, 1 Block, 7/11 FG - 63.6%, 2/3 & 3PT FG - 66.7%
Video courtesy of The Timeline: A Phoenix Suns Channel
Rookie Watch:
Jalen Smith - 1 game this week.
Smith saw 3 and a half minutes in our blowout victory against Golden State, scoring his only attempted shot for 2 points and pulled in 1 rebound.
Season Stats
11 Games, 5.2 mpg, 1.5 Points, 1.0 Rebounds, 0.2 Assists, 0.2 Blocks, 36.8 FG%
Upcoming Games:
We have another 2 game week following the All-Star break.
First we head off to Portland for our 2nd match-up with the Trail Blazers of the season. Dame can always catch fire against any team, so I'm always worried going in to these games. Although last time we played them we won in a 32 point blowout - more of that please!
Next we welcome the Pacers to the Valley. This is our 2nd and final matchup against Indiana and last time we pulled out a 125-117 victory as the visiting team.
If Booker has recovered from the injury we could have another 2-0 week and extend our win streak to 6 games, but both of these teams are dangerous and they look to be exciting games.
Any Other Business:
Go On My Suns!
On Friday we held our very first Go On My Suns! Instagram Live show. We welcomed regular writer for SunsFansUK.com, Matt Alcock on the show. Sadly we were unable to save the live video, so have been unable to upload for those that didn't catch the show live.
We will be back this Friday at 7PM (UK time) with another Suns fan telling their story of how they became a fan of this great team.
We endeavour to save this video for you all to watch back.
Keep an eye on our social media channels (linked below) for more info about the show.
Thank you for reading. Please like, comment below what you think and share on social media.
You can also use the code 'SUNSFANSUK' on The Throwback Store to receive a 10% discount on any order you make.
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