Is this what a winning streak feels like? The Phoenix Suns are now 4–1 in their last five, have stacked two straight, and finally grabbed one on the road. After [beating the Clippers](/suns-scores-results/92272/win-over-clippers-booker-near-triple-double-road-recap-highlights-analysis) in consecutive matchups, they’re sitting at 5–5 through ten games.
Pleasantly surprised am I.
The game against the Clippers had everything. The headline, though, is Jalen Green. [His injury sucks](/suns-injury-report/92265/jalen-green-hamstring-injury-update-loss-vs-clippers-full-roster-health-status-intuit-dome). It’s painful to even write that sentence. The kid looked fired up to be back, and then to go down in the first quarter like that? It’s brutal. You could see it in his face. The frustration, the pain, the disbelief. Soft tissue injuries are tricky, and it might be a while before we see him again. That sucks too.
But what didn’t suck was how the Suns responded. They saw a teammate limp off the floor, wincing with every step, and they didn’t fold. They locked in. They honored him the only way you can in that moment: by fighting through it. By competing. By playing the kind of basketball that looks like a team growing into its own skin.
They’re starting to form an identity. A real one. They’ve got shooters who step up when the lights hit. A center who isn’t afraid to bang inside. A group that defends like they have something to prove. And a star who’s leaning into the ride, leading a team that’s buying into coaching instead of tuning it out.
That’s what stood out. Resilience mixed with buy-in. It doesn’t guarantee wins, but it guarantees fight. And when a team plays for _we_ instead of _me_, the basketball gets a lot more fun to watch.
Jalen Green has entered the chat.
It probably shocked absolutely no one, but after that electric debut Thursday night against the Clippers — you know, the one where Jalen Green dropped 29 points in 23 minutes and finished a casual +30 — the dude torched the Bright Side Baller rankings. We’re talking near-sweep territory. He pulled in 89% of the votes, which is about as close to unanimous as it gets around here.
To the three people who voted for Mark Williams: you’re precious. Never change.
So yeah, go ahead and pencil Jalen Green’s name onto the leaderboard. After his injury, we know not when we will see it again. Sad face.
Game 10 against the Clippers. Here are your nominees.
**Devin Booker**
21 points (8-of-19, 0-of-3 3PT, 5-of-5 FT), 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 fouls, 5 turnovers, +7 +/-
**Mark Williams**
19 points (7-of-9 FG, 5-of-5 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 fouls, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, +18 +/-
**Dillon Brooks**
16 points (4-of-6, 2-of-3 3PT, 6-of-7 FT), 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, +2 +/-
**Grayson Allen**
14 points (5-of-12, 4-of-7 3PT), 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, +13 +/-
**Royce O’Neale**
12 points (4-of-8, 4-of-8 3PT), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, -3 +/-
**Collin Gillespie**
13 points (4-of-13, 4-of-10 3PT, 1-of-2 FT), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, +1 +/-
You ready to vote? Well then, here’s a poll for ya!