I would not label any game in mid January as a must-win, especially given what the Suns have already done to put themselves in this position. But in the context of this road trip, part of a six-game stretch that started 0-2, a win in New York at Madison Square Garden was badly needed. Not a must-win. A needed one.
You can start with the bench. They flipped this game. Phoenix outscored New York 39-14 from the bench, and after the Knicks ripped off a 16-0 run in the third quarter, it was the second unit that calmed everything down. When Ryan Dunn, Jordan Goodwin, and Oso Ighodaro checked in, the energy shifted immediately. The game tilted back.
“That second unit that we played,” Jordan Ott said after the game. “I thought that they were great, their energy, and then that helped us carry on into the fourth.”
It is also worth noting the context. The Knicks entered the night with the third-best offensive rating in the league at 119.8. The Suns held them to 99 points. New York also came in as one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA, and they kept firing anyway. It caught up with them. They went 1-of-11 from deep in the fourth quarter.
Credit the Suns’ defense. 9 steals. 17 forced turnovers. Relentless pressure. That effort completed the sweep of the Knicks this season, as Phoenix has now beaten them twice. Sometimes you do not need style points. You need a win that reminds you who you are. This one did exactly that.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
Back-to-back BSB’s for the Gray Suns, Grayson!
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 42 against the Knicks. Here are your nominees:
Devin Booker
27 points (7-of-18, 1-of-5 3PT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 0 blocks, 4 turnovers, -3 +/-
Grayson Allen
16 points (4-of-14, 4-of-13 3PT), 0 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 blocks, 1 turnover, +15 +/-
Jordan Goodwin
13 points (5-of-6, 3-of-4 3PT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, +18 +/-
Mark Williams
14 points (5-of-8), 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 turnovers, -12 +/-
Collin Gillespie
11 points (4-of-10, 2-of-5 3PT), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 0 blocks, 1 turnover, +8 +/-
Ryan Dunn
8 points (3-of-4, 2-of-3 3PT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 blocks, 1 turnover, +23 +/-
I got a million ways to get it. Choose one.
