Re: Game Day: Suns (11-7) @ Kings (5-13), Wed 11/26/25
Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2025 9:21 am
Yeah +1 to a lot of what you said here. I really like Gillespie running our offense. Mark Williams has been absolutely on fire and I hope the guys keep feeding him because he's one of our biggest advantages most nights. Crazy how effective he's been. I would include Grayson in guys I want taking lots of shots besides Booker.ShelC wrote: ↑Thu Nov 27, 2025 4:40 amGreat start to the game which basically won it for us because we pretty much lost quarters 2, 3 and 4. We came out on fire and played much faster than we have been but couldn't maintain that pace. Ice cold in the 3rd which let the Kings back into it so that's annoying but the lead was so big they couldn't get closer than 8-9 points. Got to know when the 3s aren't falling and start making it a point to attack the basket. The Kings didn't have any size out there but we were too content to take long jumpers.
Really good games from CG and Mark Williams. I'd rather see them as our 2 other guys supporting Book than Brooks being a leading shot taker/scorer. No knock on Brooks but he's best in a limited offensive role. 21 and 9 for CG and 21/16/4 for Williams. Oso was also effective on both ends, just a good team for him to matchup with because of their smaller centers.
Wish we could've held onto the lead so Book didn't have to play 39 minutes. Hopefully Allen comes back this weekend to soak up some minutes. Wonder if we keep CG in the starting lineup because we just look better with a lead guard out there but the way the subs and lineups have been working it shouldn't matter too much.
I also agree about Brooks. I like what he's giving us, but I like him much better when he's scoring around 15-18 points rather than needing him to score 25-30 and carry a lot of offensive load for us. When he starts initiating all the plays, you start getting into bad-Dillon-Brooks mode where he just lowers his head and plows into traffic and often puts up an ugly shot or loses the ball. Not trying to bash him because he's generally playing great, I just want to see him in the best position to succeed. Tell Brooks to mostly let CG or Book start those plays and be ready for the pass. And love what Brooks is doing on defense, giving lots of energy and hustle and muscle and attitude.
Mixed feelings about Oso tonight. He shot great, 4-4, and in general seemed like a big plus out there. But they fouled him twice, seemingly on purpose, and he badly bricked every single free throw. That's still a big weakness in his game.
I love seeing Royce O'Neale's stat line: he was only 3-9 shooting, but all nine shots were 3s, LOL. He knows why he's here. He had one play where Book was in big trouble with the shot clock running out, and he passes to Royce who puts up a 3 from waaaay behind the line, and it goes right in. Bailed us out. I really like the way Royce is playing. He and Grayson have both been awesome this year, and it would be tempting to lump them together or decide that one of them makes the other one unnecessary. But having Grayson out for a while shows how useful it is to still have Royce at the ready.
I wanted to shout out Jordan Goodwin. His scoring doesn't really pop out, 7 points on 3-8 shooting (1-5 from 3), but he gave us 8 (!) rebounds, 2 steals, and was a +15 (highest on the team) during his minutes. He has been an awesome bench guard for us, bringing a lot of defense and toughness and hustle. Really fits the new identity we're trying to build.
Even my man BOOYEA! had 11 points in this game! Can you believe that? He has a very slight frame but has good speed and shooting, reminds me a tiny bit of a homeless man's Barbosa. Happy to have him on the squad.
Thankful for this team.