The Suns didn’t leave Friday night with a win, and their NBA Cup hopes are gone, but they did leave with something that’s been missing early this season: a real sense that the group was starting to click.
Phoenix still gave up 127 points, so nobody is pretending this was clean basketball. But for the first time this season, the Suns looked like a team that was moving with purpose on both ends.
There was flow. There was some fight.
There was even a little intestinal fortitude in the closing stretch, which counts for something in a game that never felt like one Phoenix was expected to steal.
Denver, for its part, looked a bit worn down. The Nuggets have had their own rough patches to open the year, and that showed at times.
Still, this one swung on variance, with Jamal Murray and Christian Braun combining to go 7-of-9 from deep. That kind of shooting can tilt a night fast, and it did.
The bigger takeaway for Phoenix was less about the result and more about the feel. This was the first game all season where the Suns looked functional and connected on both ends.
Not perfect, obviously. But early in the year, progress matters, and Friday offered a few encouraging signs worth holding onto.
There’s more to break down from the game itself, but that fuller analysis will wait for another piece. For now, the important thing is that the Suns finally showed some life, some cohesion, and a little backbone, even in defeat.
On the Bright Side Baller front, Jalen Green remains the current leader after his efficient 20-point showing against OKC on Monday, edging Mariah by 10 votes.
For Game 4 against the Nuggets, the nominees are Miles Bridges, Dillon Brooks, Collin Gillespie, Devin Booker, and Jordan Goodwin.
Miles Bridges finished with 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-7 from 3, plus 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, and no turnovers, with a -1 plus-minus.
Dillon Brooks scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, adding 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, and a -14 plus-minus.
Collin Gillespie posted 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 4-of-8 from 3, along with 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, and a +8 plus-minus.
Devin Booker had 20 points on 7-of-19 shooting and 3-of-7 from deep, with 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, and a -14 plus-minus.
Jordan Goodwin added 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-7 from 3, plus 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, no turnovers, and a 0 plus-minus.
In Other News...
Suns Enter Nuggets Matchup With A Problem Fans Can Feel
The Suns head into their matchup with Denver carrying a roster issue that has been hard to ignore, and it is the kind of problem fans can spot even before tipoff. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported internal frustration over the lack of a true point guard, a concern that has hovered around the team as it tries to find a steadier rhythm on offense.
Phoenix will also have to manage that issue while dealing with another absence, with starting center Mark Williams sidelined. Denver brings its own injury questions into the game, listing two players as questionable and two out, and the Nuggets have a little extra incentive with a chance to move their record above .500. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Already Have A Defensive Problem They Can't Ignore
The early returns on defense have been rough enough to demand attention, and the Suns have spent recent practices trying to clean up the issues before they harden into a bigger problem. Through the first three games of the season, Phoenix has sat last in defensive rating and has allowed opponents to shoot the highest three-point percentage in the league, a troubling start for a team that knows it cannot afford to give away easy looks.
Jordan Ott and the players have made the focus clear: better effort, sharper communication and more physical play on that end of the floor. Dillon Brooks, Miles Bridges and Khaman Maluach have all acknowledged the need for improvement, and the timing matters with the Denver Nuggets up next, a matchup that will quickly show whether the Suns' defensive emphasis is starting to stick. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Have Reached A Devin Booker Debate Fans Dread
The Suns have reached the kind of uneasy place where even a star like Devin Booker can become part of the conversation around what comes next. With the team struggling and the locker room already described as unsettled, the noise around Phoenix has grown loud enough that outside voices are now floating ideas that would have sounded unthinkable not long ago. One of those came from Bill Simmons, who suggested on his podcast that a Booker-for-Bam Adebayo swap could help both Phoenix and Miami.
It is the sort of debate Suns fans dread because it forces a hard look at where the franchise stands right now and what kind of reset might actually make sense. Booker remains the face of the team, but the broader question is whether Phoenix can keep building around him as constructed, or whether the pressure around the roster has reached a point where even a player of his stature gets dragged into trade speculation. For now, there is no official move or confirmation, just a conversation that says plenty about how far the Suns have fallen into uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]