In a dogfight that went down to the wire, the Suns find themselves victorious, shorthanded, over the Brooklyn Nets, 106-102. In one that went back and forth and featured many physical altercations, it was nice that the Suns could pull this one out.
Not only was the win nice for the team morale, but this night was very special for our site. With it being Bright Side Night at the Mortgage Matchup Center, I know so many kids were lucky to attend this game due to all your donations. I also know how much Dave King meant to Bright Side, so I am very excited to say they won on his special night!
In a night when Mark Williams set a season-high with 27 points, he was a significant factor alongside Dillon Brooks and Grayson Allen, who made winning plays on both ends. With most of their shot creators out, they struggled from three again, but they still had 72 points in the paint, a season high, which was very impressive. Even with Michael Porter Jr. trying to will the Nets back with 36 points, it was not enough against this sound Suns defense.
First Half
In a night for the Suns missing a majority of the shot creators, it was going to be a rough start, sadly, which showed from the beginning, with both teams struggling in the first few minutes. Luckily, the Suns were saved by two players, Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams, who got involved early. Brooks made some big-time shots being the lead man, while Williams feasted down low, getting more touches in this game. He had found this hot hand in the previous matchup vs. Brooklyn, when they had no interior rim pressure to stop him.
For Brooklyn, they went to their main man, Michael Porter Jr., who was also finding ease to get to the rim and score. This matched the game a bit until Dillon Brooks received another flagrant foul, which was completely unnecessary. I did not notice it at first, but this lit a fire in the team not to back down. Phoenix then took a timeout and started going right back into the action with Mark Williams, finding him easy opportunities at the basket. This forced the Nets to take a timeout, following a Suns 8-0 run.
Sadly, this is where the Nets get their own 8-0 run as they found some ease scoring inside. Porter Jr., who has been their best player, cannot be stopped early, as he had 12 first-quarter points. Day’Ron Sharpe was also a beast inside for them. After the first, the Suns saw themselves down one, 29-28. After some shaky offense, it is clear that both teams will enjoy scoring in the paint tonight; it is just a battle of the big men.
Similar to the first quarter, it was rough for both teams to get it going offensively to start. With the Nets having Porter Jr. on the bench, they generated little and had some bad turnovers. The Suns, on the other hand, were led by a hot hand, Jamaree Bouyea. After being out a couple of games due to a concussion, he struck gold when the team needed him most. In just eleven minutes, he had 8 points and was attacking at all levels for the squad.
Luckily, in this quarter, the Suns were able to hold their own and take back the lead, 60-51. The one wild thing that transpired near the end was another hilarious call on Dillon Brooks. He received a technical foul for a “push” on Egor Demin, which is a bit weird. Since he already received a flagrant, the following technical results in a one-game suspension.
The Suns need to find a limit for Michael Porter Jr. in the second half, while also continuing these runs on offense. The defense has stepped up, even with a deeper rotation than usual due to injuries, as young guys learn on the fly.
Second Half
Sadly for the Suns, Porter Jr. started to catch fire out ofthe gate once again and continued to strike this defense. Luckily for the Suns, he seems to be one of their only productive scorers, and the Suns’ defense is making that known. With fighting for loose balls and never giving up on the defensive end, guys like Jordan Goodwin are making key steals to keep the Suns in front.
Grayson Allen also made a huge three-pointer off of one of those turnovers caused by Goodwin, which lit the crowd up. At that point, the Suns had only made two threes in totality this game, and it was needed more than ever. Since they are struggling beyond the arc without their primary scorers, the defense needs to win this game for them.
With some more action, the Suns went back to what worked in the first quarter, playing through Brooks and Williams. Both found some tough buckets inside the paint and kept this run alive, while the defense locked down and gave every ounce of hustle they could. Unfortunately, Porter Jr. eclipsed 30 points in the third, but even with that, the Suns still held a seven-point lead, 82-75, heading into the fourth after a big three from Grayson Allen at the end of the quarter.
To start the fourth quarter, the Suns’ defense remained locked in and limited the Nets. They have forced some big turnovers that have led to some big shots to extend the lead. One big play was a corner three from Ryan Dunn, as the team has been quiet from three-point land overall.
Sadly, the fun did not last long, as the Nets actually made this a game after Terance Mann attacked the rim. This was the fourth time the officials went to review a technical or flagrant foul, and Allen was assessed a flagrant 1 following this review. The Suns were now down and had to crawl back in this one to give the hometown fans their money’s worth.
That’s where Mark Williams came to play late, making some tough baskets in the paint once again. He stopped a huge Nets run and then found his own way to keep them in this one. Even with Porter Jr. trying to match the score, guys like Brooks, Allen, and Bouyea continued to keep this dog fight alive.
The most entertaining part had to be the late-game scuffle. After a physical matchup with a lot brewing, it was bound to happen, with coaches running in to stop it. Following the scuffle, five players were assesed technical fouls. Those players were Egor Demin, Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann, Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale. Funny part is Allen was not even involved in this conundrum.
Anyway, this led them to getting a free throw that Allen missed. This led to a jump ball, with the Suns getting possession in a close game. Even after losing that possession, the defense did what it does best and locked down Demin, who has had a hot hand alongside Porter Jr for the Nets.
In the end, Porter Jr’s electric night was not enough as Grayson Allen made another tough layup to secure the victory at home. A hard-fought night did not go wasted, and the Suns got the season series sweep over the Nets.
After an excellent bounce-back win on their home court, the Suns look to get another sneaky win against a top team in the East, the Detroit Pistons. After losing on the road, this team will seek revenge, regardless of who is available, with this next-up mentality instilled here in the Valley.