Game Day (Preseason): Lakers (1-2) @ Suns (2-1), Tues 10/14/25

[Split T]

Just came to ask if Butler got himself a spot haha

[Mori Chu]

[Gladiator]

I’m still going Goodwin over Butler. He was double figure +/- for virtually the whole game and I thought much better in the minutes against the Lakers starters. Generally better at defense and plays a more team oriented game.
But I could see how they would prioritise Butler’s shooting and scoring punch.

[bajanguy008]

I really enjoyed tonight's game

It's cool to have a bench guys game and know that hey
Some of these young dudes are actually our future and just not a bunch of misfits who probably not going to be part of the team as been the case in recent seasons

Maluach potential was there for all to see and I'm glad we can be patient with him.
Yes that's assuming that Mark is the guy (still don't mind the Williams trade) and will continue to be my usual optimistic self that the plan for him results in 60 or so games played

I like that Fleming kept shooting, his form is decent and he knocked down a few. His length is nuts and he definitely will be a solid defensive player

I am a Brea fan, his shot actually been off this game and a half of run he had. The 1st half I liked that when he got ran off the 3pt line that he used his height on some nice contested jumpers. Looks like he got in his head a lil bit in the 2nd half because he was missing his 3s and started pressing a bit. Still think in time he is one of those snipers that every team values

[Uncle_Gene]

Great game !

It was good to see Butler on a heater tonight. Goodwin was excellent and Maluach was very active in the paint with his rebounding and shot blocking as well as scoring. The 10th pick of the draft played with a lot of promise. That was a very encouraging sign.

Once again, the Suns played pretty scrappy defense out there. I know it's just for preseason games, but they show that they want to stay consistent with it. Jordan Ott and the coaching staff is really laying that foundation down really good. To be scrappy on defense and stay aggressive.

I wish they had one more preseason game to play, but I'm ready for next Wednesday. Go Suns !

[ShelC]

Postgame Quotes and Videos

Spoiler: show/hide

[Mori Chu]

[ShelC]

A villain, a fill-in, and chillin.

[Bucktastic365]

Flemings shot reminds me of Horrys; his only fault, lol
His defense(especially steals) is amazing

[Superbone]

Wow, what a fun game to watch! That might have been more fun than any game last season. We have a deep bench. Our rookies are growing before our eyes. Brea hasn't shot well yet but he made a perfect bounce pass to Butler for a lay in on a fast break. And Fleming has flashes of brilliance. That block and save was amazing. I think both Butler and Goodwin have earned a spot on this roster. Man man seems to get better every game. And he's so smart for his age. I can't wait to see how he progresses over the years. So fun to watch him dunking all over especially when playing against Ayton.

Bring on Westbrook and the Kings and the start of the regular season! This team may surprise. I'm looking forward to watching them grow. And is there any question that Brian Gregory and team picked the right coach for us? Ott has been an amazing revelation and exactly what we needed. He may be the next big thing in NBA coaching. I'm hoping he's here for years to come and we finally have some coaching stability.

[Nodack]

Wow, what a fun game to watch! That might have been more fun than any game last season. We have a deep bench. Our rookies are growing before our eyes. Brea hasn't shot well yet but he made a perfect bounce pass to Butler for a lay in on a fast break. And Fleming has flashes of brilliance. That block and save was amazing. I think both Butler and Goodwin have earned a spot on this roster. Man man seems to get better every game. And he's so smart for his age. I can't wait to see how he progresses over the years. So fun to watch him dunking all over especially when playing against Ayton.

Bring on Westbrook and the Kings and the start of the regular season! This team may surprise. I'm looking forward to watching them grow. And is there any question that Brian Gregory and team picked the right coach for us? Ott has been an amazing revelation and exactly what we needed. He may be the next big thing in NBA coaching. I'm hoping he's here for years to come and we finally have some coaching stability.

What he said.

Like Bone said, that was more fun to watch than any game I remember from last year. My outlook and expectations for this year were about as low as it gets after the last couple. It’s only preseason and zero starters but, if they play like this all year as a team, I am going to enjoy it.

[Superbone]

Here's the Brea pass I mentioned. Loved Man Man's defense just before too.

[pickle]

I started the game last night not knowing what to expect. Thought we got the snot beat out of us in the first half by Luka Reaves et al and scrapped back into it when the Lakers pulled their starters. How wrong I was.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable game to watch. Towards the end of the second quarter I was telling myself I could really get used to this type of effort on the court.

Brea is not a break you down off the dribble player and he failed a couple of times trying to score with less than 3-4 seconds on the board but in general he’s shown that he’s more than a shooter. Stayed competitive on the defensive end, stalled Reaves on one possession, and had very good vision on a couple of fast breaks.

Fleming is loooooong. Glad to see him play with confidence when he knows he won’t be pulled.

Man Man was amazing. Loved in particular when EJ pointed out that he clearly took the scouting report to heart when he broke two straight lob attempts from Luka to Ayton.

If we could only keep one of Goodwin and Butler I’d prefer Goodwin like most others. 6’5 defender who has a decent shot sounds good to me. I’m tired of being undersized all over the court.

[Split T]

Is Goodwin 6’5? I thought he was 6’2?

[pickle]

i have no idea. I thought he was smaller too but the broadcast last night said he was 6’5 and Butler was 6’3. Whatever his actual height is he does play bigger and didn’t seem completely overwhelmed when he was on Luka for a few possessions in the early going.

[ShelC]

Got finished watching the game and it was good to get an extended look at the bench/young guys. Not sure if we'll keep both Butler and Goodwin, would be nice to keep both. I'd probably take Goodwin right now just for his size and defense but it looks like his offense has gotten better too since he was last here. Butler's a player for sure tho.

Maluach looked pretty good and moves really well. His agility at his size stands out and he'll be a legit deterrent at the rim even he doesn't get a lot of blocks. He's also explosive as a run-jump athlete. The lobs are nice and our guys can throw it higher than normal because of his athleticism and length. I'm still concerned about his rebounding because he's not boxing out a lot of the time. Doesn't get low, doesn't sit in the post and use his body to push out the other big. Some boxout drills would help a lot. Good sign he was able to play 30minutes since conditioning was supposed to be a concern in college, tho you could tell he was gassed at the end of the 2nd qtr when he played about 9 minutes straight. He was also the only player with a negative +/-.

Fleming should be a high energy defender and his shot looks good. Still not sure what his ceiling is but it's nice to have a long, active, athletic 6-9 guy on the team who can shoot it. Generally, I wish both he and Maluach got more looks ducking inside closer to the basket to see how they look in the paint, creating some easy shots near the rim. We're also just ghost screening/slip screening with them, which is the big trend in the league now but I'm still a fan of a hard screen and getting the mismatch either on the perimeter or in the paint. We should have that option when the 3s aren't falling.

I wonder if NHD can lean into being a high energy, hustle guy. He's got the quickness, athleticism and length and shows flashes but I think too often just disappears waiting for his turn on offense.

Brea really looks the part, just needs some time to get stronger and really find his spots on offense. Livers looks like an NBA player too and gives a different look as a thicker 6-6 230lb SF.

Good game, the guys were bought in and still running the offense. Stuck with the Lakers in the first half when they were up against Luka, Reaves, DA then pulled out the win against their backups.

[Mori Chu]

My wife briefly half-watched part of this game. When she saw that "J. Butler" had 30+ points she said, "Oh, did the Suns end up getting that Jimmy Butler guy you kept talking about?"

[Mori Chu]

BTW, I was checking the box score, and Ayton had 10 points and 13 rebounds in this one. For those who are keeping track.

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401812721

[ShelC]

Lakers fans are still in the honeymoon phase with DA. Maybe expectations are just lower for him right now and they'll be happy with 10 and 10 on 8 shots.

[O_Gardino]

My wife briefly half-watched part of this game. When she saw that "J. Butler" had 30+ points she said, "Oh, did the Suns end up getting that Jimmy Butler guy you kept talking about?"

When a woman actually listens to your ramblings about hoops, she's def in love. You should marry your wife, my dude.