The Phoenix Suns are back home tonight, and they’re walking into a game that already feels like a measuring stick. A 1-4 start, three straight losses, and a seven-game homestand beginning against the Portland Trail Blazers has put the pressure squarely on Phoenix to show something different.
The problem is Portland has already shown plenty. The Blazers are 5-1, and they hammered the Suns 124-83 in the season opener a couple weeks ago. Phoenix was down by as many as 52 in that one, a result that has hung over the early part of the season ever since.
For this rematch, the Suns are rolling out the same starting five they’ve used through the first five games. That group has posted a rough -29.9 net rating in 60 minutes together, and Phoenix is still searching for a combination that actually fits around Devin Booker.
Some of the issues have been easy to spot. Green is averaging just 11 points while shooting 22.2% from 3-point range, and Maluach “still doesn’t fully look ready in his second season,” according to the source report. The bigger picture, though, is that the Suns simply haven’t made the pieces work together yet.
Before tip, coach Jordan Ott said the focus isn’t on reliving that opening-night blowout.
“It’s less about what it was. Game one, we all remember it,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said pregame. “It’s more about us continuing to get better, put a full 48 (minutes) together, starting with our defense, cleaning that part up.
“Watched a little bit of the fourth quarter from the other night. Energy and intensity, our intent was there in Golden State. Just a little execution pieces down the stretch that we know we can clean up.”
Ott also broke down the challenge Portland’s defense presents, especially the drop coverage the Suns struggled to handle the first time around.
“It’s unique, very unique how they play. It starts with not only the level of that five man, but also the pressure that they apply on the basketball,” Ott said.
“They’re able to bring their five man back because how elite a couple of those guys are on the basketball. A lot of teams fear playing that way because you just get your on-ball defender picked off.
“We’ll start there. We’ll set legal, solid screens against this team.
It’s always hard. You’re trying to set the legal limit when someone falls on the ground.
Hopefully the whistle doesn’t follow all the time. That’s always a key against this team to keep your emotional stability with some of that stuff.
And then we’ll shoot those pull-up threes.
“That’s one we’ll try to wide roll a little bit with (Maluach), so we have a pocket there. It’s going to take multiple penny cuts against this crew because it’s really hard to find closeouts because they stay home a lot of the time.
So beat them in transition, hopefully with some of those pull-up threes we’re able to find some spots. And then we got to get multiple paint touches against this group because they have a tendency to negate your ball movement by just staying home and not putting themselves in the closeouts.”
The Suns and Blazers are set to tip shortly after 7:00 p.m. MST.
In Other News...
Damian Lillard Had Every Reason To Explode Over Dillon Brooks
Dillon Brooks managed to turn a routine stoppage into one of those moments that instantly grabs everyones attention. During a game, the Phoenix Suns wing appeared to try to step on Damian Lillards Achilles after a whistle, and Lillard reacted immediately by confronting him before referees and coaches stepped in to keep it from getting any worse. Lillard was not injured, but the sequence still had the kind of edge that can linger long after the possession is over.
For Portland fans, it was another reminder of how quickly things can get heated when Lillard is involved in a physical matchup. He has always carried himself with a calm, steady presence, so when he goes straight at an opponent like that, it says plenty about how serious the moment felt. The incident ended without further escalation, but it left plenty of room for questions about what Brooks was trying to do and how the league will view the exchange. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Backcourt Takes Another Hit After Vt Krej Scare
Vt Krejs night ended in a hurry late in the third quarter against the Suns, and the sight of him leaving the arena on crutches with a protective boot only deepened the concern around Portlands backcourt. The Trail Blazers were already dealing with multiple injuries in that area, so another setback there is the last thing they needed as the season moves along.
The immediate issue now is the uncertainty around how long Krej will be out, with the team still waiting to learn more about the fracture to his lower left leg or ankle and whether surgery will be part of the recovery plan. For a Blazers group trying to piece together guard minutes on the fly, even a short absence would be a problem, and this one could linger well beyond that. [Read more 🡒]
Dillon Brooks Is Giving Suns Fans The Wrong Kind Of Headlines
Dillon Brooks managed to turn a regular-season meeting with Portland into the kind of night that lingers long after the final buzzer. After a whistle, he kicked the back of Damian Lillards left leg, setting off a brief confrontation between the two before Lillard answered the moment the old-fashioned way, by getting back to work and finishing at the rim with Brooks in the picture.
The Blazers walked away with a 132-119 win, and Lillards 25 points helped make sure the on-court response mattered more than the post-whistle heat. Brooks still finished with 15 points for Phoenix, but the bigger takeaway for Portland was how quickly the game tilted from irritation to control, with Lillard making sure the last memorable play belonged to him. [Read more 🡒]