Phx-Suns.Net

Jordan Ott has impressed in his first season as a head coach, and may even be in line for some Coach of the Year votes if Phoenix keeps playing this well. The first thing that stands out is he just has the Suns playing hard, which is a big step forward for anyone forced to watch this team the past couple of seasons. One of the things Ott has preached is Phoenix winning the possession game, and you saw that Sunday in a comeback win over San Antonio when the Suns took 20 more shots on the night. Can they do that on Peacock NBA Monday in a great early-season showdown against Houston, a game worth streaming to catch?

Week 6 Team to Watch

Phoenix — The Suns have been the biggest surprise in the Western Conference, but they’ve played the league’s second easiest schedule. The big tests come this week, when they face three of the top four teams in the West, hosting the Rockets on Monday, visiting the Thunder on Friday and hosting the Nuggets on Saturday.

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Last Week:16↑
Record: 11-6

OffRtg: 116.9 (10) DefRtg: 112.0 (7) NetRtg: +4.8 (10) Pace: 100.7 (20)

The Suns’ schedule got a little tougher last week, but they haven’t slowed down. They’re now 3-2 against other teams that currently have winning records, pulling off an incredible comeback against the Wolves and, later, running past the Spurs in the second half over the weekend.

Three takeaways

It was somewhat of a miracle that the Suns were able to force three turnovers as they came back from eight points down with less than a minute to go against the Wolves on Friday. But the Suns force a lot of turnovers, having seen the biggest jump in opponent turnover rate from last season. Their 19 steals in Portland three nights earlier were the most for any team this season.
Devin Booker fouled out well before the comeback began, and it was Collin Gillespie draining the game-winning runner with 6.4 seconds left. Gillespie’s numbers have been remarkably consistent over his three years in the league, but he’s finally getting a real opportunity to play and his 193 total points this season are just one shy of the 194 he totaled all of last season. The Suns have the league’s fifth-ranked bench and have outscored their opponents by 22.2 points per 100 possessions in 170 minutes with Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin on the floor together.
Having allowed just 107.2 points per 100 possessions over their last seven games, the Suns are now one of six teams that rank in the top 10 on both ends of the floor.
Coming up: Now the Suns’ schedule gets really tough. Their win over San Antonio on Sunday was the start of their first stretch of five games in seven days, which includes games against three of the top four teams in the West. They’ll be at a rest disadvantage against the Rockets on Monday night.

Week 6: vs. HOU, @ SAC*, @ OKC*, vs. DEN

pickle wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 25, 2025 3:49 am

Wonder what Kemp would be in today’s game. A 5 who can’t quite shoot 3s? I didn’t understand basketball that well back then. I don’t remember him to be a particularly effective defender but he was a good rebounder?