Sometimes it feels like the odds stack up fast. The schedule hits weird. Injuries pile on. Players get banged up. Feelings do too. The response is what matters. Do you stay locked in and ride the wave? Or do you fold and lean on excuses that make the effort look optional?
With this Suns team, there is no excuse. Next man up might sound tired, but it’s real with this group. They live it. And it has been fun to watch. I feel like every Bright Side Baller turns into me talking about how enjoyable this team is. Can you blame me? They are.
Monday night dropped another test in their lap. Jalen Green stayed out. Grayson Allen, fresh off his return, missed the game with an illness. Devin Booker played one quarter, looked sharp, and then left with a groin issue. He looked ready to snap out of that slump that dragged through November.
Facing the second seed in the West, you would not have been shocked if they slipped. They didn’t. They kept swinging. Mark Williams threw down a transition dunk that showed how much his effort in open space matters. Dillon Brooks went wild with turnaround jumpers. Collin Gillespie closed the door with three after three after three in the fourth.
There is no quit. There is only fight. The Suns earned their 13th win with style, taking a 125-108 victory off a team that walked in at 15-4. It was all Phoenix once Booker left, and while thinking about the future without him feels rough, for one night in Los Angeles, it was another game you could sink into and enjoy.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
Dillon the Villain ended up being the only real offensive threat against the Denver Nuggets. The team shot poorly across the board, and while they played with aggression, it never turned into production. For those reasons, you overwhelmingly voted him to his fourth Bright Side Baller of the year.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 22 against the Lakers. Here are your nominees:
Dillon Brooks
33 points (15-of-26, 2-of-7 3PT, 1-of-3 FT), 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, +22
Collin Gillespie
28 points (10-of-19, 8-of-14 3PT, 0-of-0 FT), 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, +12
Mark Williams
13 points (6-of-8, 0-of-0 3PT, 1-of-3 FT), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 0 turnovers, +14
Jordan Goodwin
13 points (5-of-10, 3-of-7 3PT, 0-of-0 FT), 1 rebound, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, -2
Devin Booker
11 points (4-of-7, 1-of-2 3PT, 2-of-2 FT), 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, -1
Royce O’Neale
6 points (2-of-7, 2-of-6 3PT, 0-of-0 FT), 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, +20
Another monrning, another Bright Side Baller voting opportunity.