Phoenix Suns - Weekly Roundup - Week 16

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

Week 16: 31 January - 6 February 2022

Week Record: 2-1

Overall Record: 42-10. 1st in Western Conference & NBA.

Games Played and Results:

W - 121 - 111 Vs Brooklyn Nets

L - 115 - 124 Vs Atlanta Hawks

W - 95 - 80 Vs Washington Wizards

I thought the Nets game would be a battle, but it ended up being just another day in the office.

Bridges had a season high 27 points, Book another 30+ point game and a 20 point, 14 assist game from CP3 - more on all of those below.

We took a loss in Atlanta, ending our 11-game win streak. The Hawks shot 50% from 3 and Trae Young had 43. Book, Bridges & CP3 led the way again for the Suns, but it wasn't enough, as we only hit 28% from 3.

We held the Wizards to 80 points. Had our starters not rested for the whole of the 4th, the scoring gap would have been even larger. Ayton had his biggest game since returning from injury with 20 points & 16 rebounds in only 3 quarters. Everyone else had a pretty relaxed evening.

Superstar Watch (Season stats):

Booker - 25.2 Points, 5.4 Rebounds, 4.3 Assists, 1.0 Steal, 44.5 FG%, 36.9 3PT FG%, 2.5 Turnovers

Chris Paul - 14.9 Points, 4.5 Rebounds, 10.4 Assists, 1.9 Steals 48.9 FG%, 33.5 3PT FG%, 2.3 Turnovers

Scorching Suns:

Mikal Bridges

Mikal was super aggressive on the offensive end last week, with just under 14 FG attempts. For the season he's at just under 10 and we have certainly seen a great reward for those extra shots.

He averaged 21 points, after setting a season high with 27 against the Nets, followed by 24 against the Hawks. The extra aggression has also allowed him to open up the floor for his teammates and he's been finding them grabbing 4 assists in all 3 games.

Is he finally becoming our legitimate 3rd option instead of 3a/3b with Ayton? Let's hope so!

His stats for the week:

21.0 Points, 6.3 Rebounds, 4.0 Assist, 1.7 Steals, 58.5 FG% & 35.7 3PT FG%.

Cam Johnson

Moving back to the bench with Jae Crowder back from injury has not slowed Johnson down one bit. He continues to shoot the lights out and carried the bench with Cam Payne and Shamet missing time.

His stats for the week:

13.3 Points, 4.7 Rebounds, 55.6 FG% & 52.9 3PT FG%.

Struggling Suns:

Elfrid Payton

Pressed in to action again with Payne and Shamet out, Payton has been a minus when on the court.

His stats for the week:

14.7 Mins, 1.7 Points, 2.0 Rebounds, 3.7 Assists, 2.3 TOs, 25.0 FG% & 50.0 3PT FG% (2 Attempts).

Stat Line(s) of the Week:

Mikal Bridges Vs Brooklyn Nets

Game stat line:

27 Points, 8 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block, 10/14 FGs (71.4%) & 1/3 3PT FG (33.3%).

Devin Booker Vs Brooklyn Nets

Game stat line:

35 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, 13/23 FGs (56.5%) & 3/8 3PT FGs (37.5%).

Honourable mentions:

Chris Paul Vs Brooklyn Nets

Game stat line:

20 Points, 4 Rebounds, 14 Assists, 2 Steals, 5/12 FGs (41.7%) & 1/4 3PT FG (25.0%).

Upcoming Games:

We have 4 games this week.

The East road trip continues with stops in Chicago and Philadelphia.

The Bulls are one of the biggest surprises of the season, with All-Stars DeMar DeRozen & Zach LaVine leading the way. They play the 76ers on Sunday (I'm writing this on Sunday), so will be on the 2nd of a back-to-back against us. Zach LaVine is also not guaranteed as he missed Friday's Pacers game and isn't playing against the Sixers.

Our game against the Sixers is the 2nd of a back-to-back for us. Embiid is playing at an MVP level again and the games between the 2 sides were hard-fought last season. The Sixers have 2 great wing defenders in Thybulle and Maxey.

We then return home to Phoenix, but that doesn't mean were safe, as the Bucks return to Phoenix for the 1st time since last year's Finals. The Bucks haven't been quite as formidable this season as they were in those Finals. Missing Lopez has really impacted their offense, but having Giannis on your team, must make you confident every time you hit the floor.

We end the week with our (on paper) easiest game of the week, as the Magic come to town. They are very young and are currently the worst team in the league. I'm hoping the starters can get some rest in this one.

Predictions:

I think the schedule is going to be a big factor this week. I'm going to predict that we beat the Bulls, lose to the Sixers, then beat the Bucks & Magic, so a 3-1 week for us.

Predictions League:

Any Other Business:

All-Stars

The coaches made the right decisions and selected Chris Paul and Devin Booker as All-Stars.

This is CP3's 12 selection and Booker's 3rd.

Win Streak

The loss against the Hawks ended our 2nd double-digit win streak of the season at 11 games. This is tied for the 2nd longest streak of the season with the Grizzlies and only behind our own 18-game win streak earlier in the season.

300

Saturday's win over the Wizards was Monty Williams' 300th career win. Well done Coach, I'm looking forward to many, many more with this team.

Go On My Suns!

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