Phoenix Suns - Weekly Roundup - Week 2

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

Week 2: 30 October - 5 November 2023

Week Record: 1-3

Overall Record: 3-4. 11th in the Western Conference.

Games Played and Results:

L - 114 - 115 Vs San Antonio Spurs

L - 121 - 132 Vs San Antonio Spurs

L - 100 - 112 Vs Philadelphia 76ers

W - 120 - 106 Vs Detroit Pistons

Centre of The Sun

Well, I certainly did not expect to see a 3-game losing streak this early and if I'm honest, at all this season.

It's been a pretty terrible week for the Suns, as they've continued to deal with injuries to Booker and Beal, as well as collapsing and then getting handled by the young San Antonio Spurs.

What started as a 20-point blow-out, turned into the Spurs only lead in the last 2 seconds of the game securing it for them, This did come in controversial fashion, as it seemed as though Durant was fouled as the Spurs stole the ball, but there's no excuse for giving up a 20-point lead.

Game 2 against the Spurs was the opposite way round with the Spurs having a 25-point lead. The difference though, even with a huge night from Booker, is that we couldn't claw back to win. If there's a positive, at least we got to witness Wemby's first star performance, dropping a career high 38 points on us.

Philly was on paper our toughest game scheduled, going up against the reigning MVP and well, they simply out-gunned us and we could not buy a bucket at all. We kept things fairly competitive in the first half, but the Sixers pulled away for the victory.

Some rest bite came on Sunday against Detroit, the youngest team in the league. Once the Suns saw that Detroit could not stop our drives to the rim the game was pretty much over. Oh, and some guy called Kevin Durant decided to drop 41 on them.

Injuries

It's been a frustrating start in terms of injuries. We understand Beal's back has kept him out completely so far, but the biggest frustration has been the injuries that Booker has picked up. He managed to get back from a sprained left ankle for the second Spurs game, however he then missed the next two games with a strained right calf. As of writing there's been no indication from the team (there are rumours on social media), when he will return.

Superstar Watch (Season stats):

Devin Booker - 31.5 Points, 7.5 Rebounds, 10.5 Assists, 0.5 Steals, 57.5 FG%, 53.3 3PT FG% & 5.5 Turnovers (2 Games)

Kevin Durant - 29.9 Points, 6.6 Rebounds, 4.0 Assists, 0.9 Steals, 1.3 Blocks, 52.1 FG%, 34.6 3PT FG% & 4.0 Turnovers

Bradley Beal - No games played yet

Scorching Suns:

Kevin Durant

Imagine how bad our season really would have been so far without KD. He's playing at an MVP level and has been essentially our whole offense throughout most of our games.

He topped off his week with his first 40-point game in a Suns uniform. More on that below.

He's really good at basketball

- Frank Vogel on Kevin Durant

His stats for the week:

31.5 Points, 5.0 Rebounds, 4.0 Assists, 1.0 Steal, 1.5 Blocks, 55.6 FG% & 40.0 3PT FG%.

Eric Gordon

After a bit of a struggle in week 1, Gordon has found his place in the offense. He has been our legit second option without Booker & Beal and has been running our offense to great effect.

His stats for the week:

15.3 Points, 2.3 Rebounds, 4.5 Assists, 1.0 Steal, 52.1 FG% & 45.0 3PT FG%.

Grayson Allen

I documented this on Twitter, but Allen's 3-point shooting has well and truly recovered, following a disappointing first week from beyond the arc.

He's also been putting pressure on the rim with multiple drives to the basket throughout the week.

His stats for the week:

14.3 Points, 4.0 Rebounds, 2.8 Assists, 52.6 FG% & 60.0 3PT FG%.

Honourable Mention:

Drew Eubanks

I just wanted to shout-out Drew here. He hasn't put up spectacular numbers, but he's been dependable in each game this past week, with tenacious D and putting pressure on the rim, as evidenced by his nearly 3 trips to the free throw line per game in just 20 mins per night.

Struggling Suns:

Jordan Goodwin

I love Goodwin's defensive chops, but he is a bad shooter and isn't a good point guard. When I say that I mean that he can't run an offense.

Due to injuries, he has been relied on to do both and it hasn't worked out well while he's been on the court. As the week has gone on we've seen him on the court more with Eric Gordon, so he can run the offense.

His stats for the week:

5.8 Points, 3.8 Rebound, 1.5 Assists, 1.3 Steals, 29.6 FG% & 28.6 3PT FG%.

Josh Okogie

I love Okogie's defensive chops, but he is a bad shooter (stop me if you've heard this one before).

Josh lost his starting spot to Keita Bates-Diop due to his shooting. The problem we've seen, is that he is not a threat from range. The Spurs completely ignored him on offense, essentially allowing them to play 5 on 4 defence. In the second unit, things haven't been hugely better, as he's spent most of his time alongside Goodwin.

He performed a lot better against the Pistons, and in my opinion needs to be alongside the offensive power of the starters, so he can do his thing on D.

His stats for the week:

6.3 Points, 2.8 Rebound, 1.5 Assists, 1.5 Steals, 32.0 FG% & 12.5 3PT FG%.

Jusuf Nurkic

Big Nurk looks a little hesitant in the paint so far this season and that has caused him to have a horrible field goal percentage of just 37 on the season and 23.8% from 3. The looks have been available, he just hasn't been able to get the shots to go. On a plus note, his distribution of the ball has been fantastic, as he is second on the team for assists per game.

His stats for the week:

9.0 Points, 7.0 Rebound, 4.5 Assists, 1.3 Steals, 1.5 Blocks, 33.3 FG% & 26.7 3PT FG%.

Stat Line(s) of the Week:

Devin Booker vs San Antonio Spurs (Game 2)

This was Booker's only game of the week, but he made sure to make it a good one, being just 1 rebound away from a triple-double.

Game stat line:

31 Points, 9 Rebounds, 13 Assists, 10/19 FGs (52.6%) & 5/7 3PT FGs (71.4%).

Kevin Durant vs Detroit Pistons

Kevin Durant's first 40-point game of the season was also his first in a Phoenix Suns uniform.

This was also his 4th 40-point game in a row against the Pistons.

Game stat line:

41 Points, 4 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks, 14/27 FGs (51.9%) & 1/3 3PT FGs (33.3%).

Honourable Mention:

Kevin Durant Vs San Antonio Spurs

Game stat line:

28 Points, 6 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 2 Blocks, 10/15 FGs (66.7%) & 3/5 3PT FGs (60.0%).

Upcoming Games:

This week we have 3 games. 1 on the road to end a 3-game road trip and 2 at home.

The road game is against the Bulls. What the hell is going on in Chicago? They're really struggling to find synergy amongst a team that has hardly changed since last season. I can see them blowing that thing up soon. Watch them destroy us now I've said that 😳.

The Lakers game will be the first game of the In-Season Tournament for the Suns. We took an L when we faced them last week, so we need to get one back against them, as well as win to advance in the tournament. They're having a mediocre start, much like us, and there are rumours that Davis picked up an injury in their last game.

The Thunder are widely considered to take a big leap this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to be excellent for them and Chet Holmgren has a serious chance to challenge Victor Wembanyama for the Rookie of the Year award. On paper this looks to be our toughest game this week.

Prediction:

Bradley Beal has been going through warm-ups prior to our last couple of games and there are rumours that he could be available for Wednesday's game in Chicago. Booker however has been confirmed to be out against the Bulls.

I'm predicting that we win against the Bulls and Lakers, then drop a game to the Thunder, so a 2-1 week.

Predictions League:

Any Other Business:

Walter Davis Passes Away

Sadly we lost a Suns Legend this week, as Walter Davis passed away. The Suns Ring

of Honour member is the Suns All-Time leading scorer and was the heart of the team from the late 70's and throughout the 80's.

Our thoughts are with Davis' friends and family at this time.

Kevin Durant Milestones

KD grabbed his 7,000th rebound against the 76ers. This has made him only the 6th player in NBA history to have 27,000 points, 7,000 rebounds & 4,000 assists.

---

Follow us on X (formally Twitter) and Instagram for all the latest Suns news.

🚨 You can also use the code 'SUNSFANSUK' on The Throwback Store to receive a 10% discount on any order you make 🚨