He certainly thought he was after hitting 2 shots. Then Book decided to give him a proper education. Baited him into contact and frustration fouls all night, and Miller lost his shot.
Booker was absolutely flawless even when his shots weren’t hitting (or getting blocked). Grateful he stuck it out through many not so enjoyable stretches here. He’s some kind of player.
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2026 12:09 am
by 3TheHardaway
And I’m super high on Maluach after this one. Obviously made a few eye-popping plays in the first half, but in the second half when Diabate was on a mini-heater, he was bodying him up down the floor, talking right back, and forced a strip steal that put an end his Diabates shit talking. He’s a competitor.
The physicals are insane, and he’s surprisingly fluid at that size. He’s got a crazy set of tools to really become the center we’ve never really had in my lifetime.
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2026 4:45 am
by ShelC
Really good win. Felt like a get-right game against a team that's been playing well. We looked more like ourselves in this one playing with some pop, moving the ball on offense and the defense was really tight.
Glad the rooks contributed, nice to have that kind of young size and athleticism compared to where we've been the past few seasons. Sheer with a career high scoring game , Maluach holding it down in his minutes. Interesting seeing Highsmith get 20 minutes so soon.
I like Green more when he's making quick decisions and attacking the rim. He's taking too many bad shots tho which is why he's generally been inefficent so far in his career. The dribbling into a stepback 21ft jumper with a defender all over him needs to be removed from his offensive vocabulary.
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
And I’m super high on Maluach after this one. Obviously made a few eye-popping plays in the first half, but in the second half when Diabate was on a mini-heater, he was bodying him up down the floor, talking right back, and forced a strip steal that put an end his Diabates shit talking. He’s a competitor.
The physicals are insane, and he’s surprisingly fluid at that size. He’s got a crazy set of tools to really become the center we’ve never really had in my lifetime.
He was not only bodying him up, he was just touching and pushing him just to get under his skin. loved it.
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2026 6:46 am
by Mori Chu
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2026 7:11 am
by O_Gardino
Great win. I was honestly expecting a loss with Allen out. Love to see that Green is starting to put it together (although he has a ways to go). Love to se Maluach, AKA the Slender Sender returning packages. Love to see Rasheer Fleming hitting shots - he's hitting 50% from 3 since Brooks got injured.
Edit: Didn't get to pay close attention last night, so I'm rewatching while I work today. Feels good, man.
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
How we feeling now? Some of y’all were crashing out when we went 1-3 with all our guards hurt…4-2 since then. Lakers keep winning, so still in 7th, but we seem to be locking at least 7th up…Lakers have a rough schedule down the stretch, so still a chance to catch them.
Much better. It's certainly helped that we're now getting some burn for the rookies and they're contributing. It'll be nice to get Goodwin back at some level, his offensive boards are missed.
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
How we feeling now? Some of y’all were crashing out when we went 1-3 with all our guards hurt…4-2 since then. Lakers keep winning, so still in 7th, but we seem to be locking at least 7th up…Lakers have a rough schedule down the stretch, so still a chance to catch them.
Honestly, I'm in awe. There's got to be a limit to our depth, right? I guess not. With Brooks, Goodwin, and Williams out, our defense should suck, right? Damn, I was wrong about that, too.
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2026 10:52 am
by Split T
Mazzula is probably winning COTY, but Ott has to be 2nd
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
Great win. I was honestly expecting a loss with Allen out. Love to see that Green is starting to put it together (although he has a ways to go). Love to se Maluach, AKA the Slender Sender returning packages. Love to see Rasheer Fleming hitting shots - he's hitting 50% from 3 since Brooks got injured.
Edit: Didn't get to pay close attention last night, so I'm rewatching while I work today. Feels good, man.
I don't know. Maluach looks huge out there and physically kind of mauling other bigs. If he's considered slender now, I can't imagine what he looks like as he gets an off-season or two under his belt with even more strength and conditioning.
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
Great win. I was honestly expecting a loss with Allen out. Love to see that Green is starting to put it together (although he has a ways to go). Love to se Maluach, AKA the Slender Sender returning packages. Love to see Rasheer Fleming hitting shots - he's hitting 50% from 3 since Brooks got injured.
Edit: Didn't get to pay close attention last night, so I'm rewatching while I work today. Feels good, man.
I don't know. Maluach looks huge out there and physically kind of mauling other bigs. If he's considered slender now, I can't imagine what he looks like as he gets an off-season or two under his belt with even more strength and conditioning.
My male body standards were set by Shaq.
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2026 11:24 am
by ShelC
Kham definitely needs to get on that Oso strength program this offseason. He's been pushed around a bit in these games, needs get stronger for sure.
Re: Game Day: Hornets (32-31) @ Suns (35-27), Sun 3/8/26
Normally, it doesn’t take Green long to shake a bad game from his system, but this stretch has tested his resolve. He returned home and watched every shot he had taken that night, staying up until 2 a.m., looking to see if he had stayed aggressive, wondering what went wrong.
At the end of Sunday’s shootaround at Phoenix’s practice facility, Green shot flat-footed jumpers in the lane, focusing on form. Then assistant coach Chaisson Allen led him to the perimeter. Allen demonstrated what he wanted Green to do.
Dribble to the 3-point arc, plant both feet, elevate. Green had been rushing lately. Allen wanted him to slow down. Green took the ball, dribbled between his legs, paused as he set his feet and fired.
Again.
Dribble, plant, pause, shoot.
Again.
Dribble, plant, pause, shoot.
That night against the Charlotte Hornets, Green looked as comfortable as he had since his first game with Phoenix in November. He hit his first shot, a 26-foot 3. He drove past LaMelo Ball and scored. Green was 7-of-11 shooting in the first half for 20 points. He finished with 24 as the Suns snapped Charlotte’s 10-game road winning streak with a 111-99 win.
