The Phoenix Suns rallied from an early deficit, forced overtime and came away with a 132-127 win over the Nets in their second preseason game Friday.
The first of an NBA China Games double-header against Brooklyn in Macao, Phoenix was once again without projected starters Jalen Green (hamstring) and Mark Williams (injury management).
To quickly recap things, Phoenix found itself trailing 18 points in the first quarter with a sputtering offense and Devin Booker disengaged. It didn’t help the Suns that Nets guard Cam Thomas was playing with a fire, like failing to sign a long-term contract as a restricted free agent this summer had given him a little juice.
The undersized Phoenix team struggled on the glass early, but by the end of the comeback, it actually had the edge with backup point guards Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin leading the team with nine and seven boards, respectively. Rookie center Khaman Maluach was next in line with five in 20 minutes.
In case you didn’t wake up for the 5 a.m. MST tip, here are a couple of takeaways, with the asterisk that this was the second game in the preseason.
Dillon Brooks will not be afraid to pick up more offensive duties if Suns require it
As Booker hung back in the first half — a fair thing in this context for the veteran — it was Brooks picking up the slack.
Brooks went into his one-on-one bag a little much, but for better or worse, that might be necessary at points this season, especially if either Booker or Green is hurt.
Brooks led the way in shot volume, going 7-of-18 overall and 2-of-10 from three-point range for 18 points.
Booker matched him with 18 points, five assists and five steals in 27 minutes.
Half of Booker’s points came in a five-minute run to start the third quarter that pulled Phoenix from down 12 to even at 82 points apiece as he picked his spot well.
Some Devin Booker buckets for your viewing pleasure. pic.twitter.com/ReAFYZ1hmj
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 10, 2025
Young guys take their lumps
While the day’s starting center, Oso Ighodaro, finished with 12 points and three blocks, the second-year big man struggled in the rebounding department with just three boards over 22 minutes against a big man group of Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe.
Ighodaro also got off to a rough start, losing a ball on a dribble, blowing a pick-and-roll coverage and getting bodied by Claxton within the first few minutes.
Fellow Suns second-year man Ryan Dunn had a similar challenging start, failing to be the answer as Phoenix ran through options to stop a red-hot Thomas, who scored 22 points and added six assists in 24 minutes.
At center, it was actually Nick Richards standing out. He only played 11 minutes but scored nine points and grabbed four rebounds with two blocks before Maluach got 20 minutes of run, some with the starters in the first half.
With the starting group, the No. 10 pick from the 2025 draft showed more of why his development — and earned playing time — will be incremental. Maluach was a step out of position to let a rim-roller get behind him, jumped off his feet on a mid-range pump-fake and was at least involved in mistaken coverage defending another pick-and-roll play.
Maluach got in a groove in the second half, finishing with 10 points and getting to the foul stripe six times. He also had two assists.
KHAMAN THROUGH THE CONTACT 😤 pic.twitter.com/twMdsT2xIO
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 10, 2025
Backup point guard battle
Of the training camp battles that could be a tough cut, the backup point guard competition is the one to watch. Gillespie was the leader of the pack Friday with a team-best +15 plus-minus thanks to his near double-double. Granted, three of his offensive boards came on one play.
Goodwin made his push with a team-best 19 points, and his last six were the Suns’ final six of overtime.
Both point guards’ rebounding chops might end up being important for this undersized team, as will their on-ball defense.
The third guy in this race, Jared Butler, had his moments despite being a little too aggressive. He went 2-for-10 with eight points, four assists and three steals.
Goodwin, Butler, forward Nigel Hayes-Davis, plus rookies Rasheer Fleming and Maluach closed the win for the Suns.
A last note: Fleming, who earned some “biggest rookie steal” votes in the annual NBA GM survey, had two chasedown blocks, two steals and six points in 15 minutes.
RASHEER FLEMING CHASE DOWN BLOCK. pic.twitter.com/DPYF3k4WID
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 10, 2025
So… the Rasheer Fleming defensive playmaking pic.twitter.com/AEtkjwsWZl
— Stephen PridGeon-Garner 🏁 (@StephenPG3) October 10, 2025