Dillon Brooks gave the Suns exactly what they needed on Friday night until one moment ended his evening early.
Brooks had already poured in 22 points in 21 minutes, shooting 75% from the field and knocking down four shots from beyond the arc, when he was tossed after a Flagrant Foul penalty two on Jamal Murray. The play came as Brooks was rising for a turnaround jump shot and then kicked Murray in the groin area, leading officials to rule the contact excessive and unnecessary.
The game had already been marked by a heavy whistle, with plenty of fouls going against Phoenix. Some of those calls were on the ticky-tacky side, but the ejection itself was not the result of some long-simmering sequence.
Even as the third quarter got more physical, the tone never fully crossed into anything out of the ordinary. Murray simply started scoring more, and that seemed to raise the level of edge on the floor.
Still, the officials saw enough on Brooks’s play to send him out.
That’s a tough loss for Phoenix because Brooks brings more than points. He’s the kind of microwave scorer the Suns don’t have much of, and his intensity can change the feel of a game in a hurry. Jordan Goodwin can match some of that energy to a degree, but not in the same way Brooks does, especially when the scoring comes with it.
With Brooks gone, the Suns will need more from Devin Booker, Miles Bridges, and Jalen Green to keep the offense moving. Booker remained the team’s top scorer at the time of writing.
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Still, Flemings situation is not just about present-day rotation math. The Suns are clearly weighing whether he can grow into the kind of two-way forward who fits next to Devin Booker, and that development path may end up deciding how much patience the organization is willing to show. For now, his opportunity remains limited, but the longer-term question is whether he can force his way into a more meaningful place in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Loss Put Two Frustrating Lineup Debates Front And Center
A tense night against Denver ended with more than just a loss hanging over the Suns, as Dillon Brooks was tossed after being assessed a flagrant 2 for kicking Jamal Murray in the groin area. Jordan Ott and several teammates pushed back on the severity of the ruling, while Murray said there had been trash talk but did not believe the play was necessarily malicious. It was the kind of sequence that can linger beyond one game, especially when emotions are already running high.
The other issue was less dramatic but just as relevant for Phoenixs rotation. Jalen Green stayed in the starting lineup even with limited offensive production, while Collin Gillespie gave the second unit a lift and Oso Ighodaro made a noticeable impact in his return from injury with rebounds and assists. For a team still sorting out its best combinations, the loss in Denver put two lineup debates right back in the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Enter A November Stretch That Could Calm Or Deepen Doubts
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The schedule does not stay friendly for long. After the home stretch, the Suns head into a five-game road trip that includes NBA Cup games, and the calendar after Thanksgiving brings matchups against teams built around notable young players. That creates an interesting contrast for a roster leaning in a different direction, and it gives this month a chance to say a lot about where Phoenix really stands before the season gets much deeper. [Read more 🡒]