Tues, Dec 13 @ Houston LOSS 111- 97
Thurs, Dec 15 @ LA Clippers WIN 111-95
Sat, Dec 17 vs New Orleans WIN 118-115
This Week's Games
Mon, Dec 19 vs Los Angeles Lakers 9:00pm EST BSAZ
Tues, Dec 20 vs Washington 9:00pm EST BSAZ
Fri, Dec 23 vs Memphis 10:00pm EST ESPN
Sun, Dec 25 @ Denver 10:30pm EST ABC/ESPN
Suns Stories
'When are others going to be held accountable?': Allegations of Suns misconduct extend beyond Robert Sarver
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/352 ... ert-sarver
Despite rough stretch, Suns will be just fine... as long as James Jones sees the bigger picture
https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2022 ... er-picture
Power Rankings
NBA.com
https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2022-23-week-10
#6 Suns
Record: 18-12
OffRtg: 116.2 (3) DefRtg: 111.4 (10) NetRtg: +4.8 (4) Pace: 98.8 (21)
Raise your hand if you had Josh Okogie saving the Suns’ season.
OK, saving the season is a little overboard. But Okogie, who was 13th on the team in total minutes through the first 22 games, played a significant role as the Suns ended a five-game losing streak and picked up important wins over the Clippers and Pelicans on Thursday and Saturday. He totaled 18 points and 16 rebounds over the two games, with eight of those 16 boards coming on the offensive end of the floor. Three of those eight offensive boards were in the clutch as the Suns protected a late lead after coming back from a 24-point deficit against New Orleans. (Devin Booker’s 58 points were probably a little more important than Okogie’s offensive boards, but still.) The Suns are now the only team that’s won multiple games it has trailed by at least 20 points*, and the 24-point deficit on Saturday is the largest any team has come back from to win this season.
* The Suns are 2-4 when trailing by 20-plus. Other teams are 4-155 (.025).
Of course, Okogie’s best play of the week (and arguably the best play in the league this season) came in the Suns’ loss in Houston on Tuesday, when he somehow snatched Jalen Green’s 3-point attempt out of the air and went the other way for a dunk on Tari Eason. Okogie’s 5.1 deflections per 36 minutes rank fourth among 340 players who’ve played at least 200 total minutes, and over these last eight games in which he’s seen rotation minutes, the Suns have allowed 22.8 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor (101.5) than they have with him off the floor (124.3).
The Suns have played 19 Christmas games all time, but only two of those 19 have come on the road. They’ll be in Denver on Sunday for their first meeting of the season with the Nuggets.
SI.com
https://www.si.com/nba/2022/12/19/nba-p ... -christmas
6. Phoenix Suns
Record: 18–12
Previous ranking: 6
The Suns were moving in the wrong direction at the beginning of last week. They had lost four in a row and left their two-game set in New Orleans defeated. And that was before a 14-point loss to the Rockets without Devin Booker. Two nights later, he returned against the Clippers to stop the bleeding—Phoenix won by 16 on the road. Next he put together a monster 58-point outing against the Pelicans and led a furious second-half comeback. He’ll look to keep it going when the Suns play the Lakers, Wizards and Grizzlies this week before their Christmas game in Denver.
