Phx-Suns.Net

Time: 7:00 pm AZ (6:00 pm PT/9:00 pm ET)
Place: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
TV: BSAZ / NBALP

Second game since our run with Covid. The 2nd unit should beat the Thunder anyway!

Go Suns !!!

Dis • cuss

I think this is as close to a must-win game in December as we'll see for this Suns team, so I activated my gambling hex and put money on OKC +15 and +750 to win outright.

I watched the 4th quarter of the OKC/SAC game last night and it was 12 minutes of SGA driving into the paint on every possession. He's really their only option on offense, but we just saw Ja Morant live in the paint against the Suns and SGA is even better than Morant at getting to the rim.

On the bright side, OKC doesn't have guys like Steven Adams or Desmond Bane, so the Suns shouldn't have as many problems dealing with role players. But OKC will almost certainly go 5-out to clear a path for SGA, so watch out for Mike Muscala's shooting. Aaron Wiggins has had a couple of good games in a row and Luguentz Dort is always a wildcard to go off even though he's not been very good recently.

I disagree that SGA is better than Ja at getting to the rim. He has more size and a bit better mid range pull up game but he’s not a better driver. Guess the key is whether Dort is gonna shoot 35% or be Bane for one game.

I’ll admit that it’s pretty close, but SGA is bigger, stronger, and is better at drawing fouls on his drives.

Well, moot point now as the Thunder are sitting SGA.

pickle wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 29, 2021 6:14 pm

Well, moot point now as the Thunder are sitting SGA.

My bets worked. You're welcome everyone.

Putting that aside, OKC is still up to their BS with sitting him out for random games.

Just came to post about Payton. What a headache all of this is for teams and players.

So Payton must have tested positive Sunday morning and then they retested Sunday and he was negative and then negative again Monday to be cleared and now has tested positive again?

Did I get that right?

I did read something about how many cycles it takes to discover a positive test. I believe they are saying if it takes 35 cycles or more for the positive test to show, then you’re not really contagious and can play? So perhaps Payton has been testing positive, but only after running the test through at least 35 cycles? Who knows?

So this will be the Hutchinson game then?

It’s the Ty Jerome game.

Allowing too much dribble penetration by Ty Jerome…he’s shooting under 30% from 3 this year, I’d go under the screen and make him make a pull-up 3. He’s getting easy looks right now in the mid range.

Some more trouble with letting guys get into the lane. We should be letting them shoot the 3. Good minutes from Stix on the boards again and a nice tip in in traffic. This should be a good game for him to get minutes. Book looks to be in a good rhythm and the 3pt shot is becoming automatic, which is scary.

JALEN SMITH IS LEGITIMATELY GOOD

Stix blocked that one with his elbow.

There's a spot in this league somewhere for Stix. He may not be a big scorer, but he can impact a game with his rebounding and defense.

Good close to the half and Book feeling it with 23pts and 4-6 from three. Feels like we need another scorer to step up. Cam Johnson sat with 3 fouls so maybe he can get it going in the 2nd half. Shamet 3-9 and 1-6 from three. Payne looks good but not enough shots.

Where's our defense?

I still wish we had picked up the option on Smith. Just seemed like low risk, high reward to me. I get the argument that he was more valuable as a trade chip being an expiring contract, but I just feel like those trades are a lot less common nowadays.

OKC kept it close for most of the game and even led in the 3rd quarter, but we pulled away in the 4th to make it look like a comfortable victory. Impressive game by Booker who had 38 points despite being the focus of the defense and guys like Dort in his face all night. Six Suns in double figures including MY MAN Jalen Smith who had a big 11 points, 14 boards, and 2 blocks. I really wish we had kept him another year; he's actually starting to figure things out, and now we're going to lose him. JaVale had a nice game including his heave to end the quarter. New Sun Emanuel Terry only got about 2 minutes at the end, but he hustled his ass off and got 3 rebounds (!) in that short time; I liked his energy.

For OKC, Ty Jerome seemed out to prove something against us tonight, ending up with 24, 8, and 5 (!!). And their Wiggins is a real find; he had 22. I like Dort a lot but he shot 3-18 tonight; oof. A few nice young pieces on this OKC team but nowhere near enough talent to win at the NBA level. At least they have 87 draft picks in the next 5 years I guess.