👋 Good morning! Happy Wednesday! The Suns certainly aren’t going to make things easy on us this season, but sometimes you just have to appreciate greatness, even with the news that Jalen Green is going to miss a month-plus. So close…
But before we get into the negatives, let’s bask in the glory of one of Phoenix’s most thrilling (and historic) performances of the season.
Let’s get into it!
— Alex D’Agostino, PHNX Sports Daily Editor
Grayson Allen Makes Suns History
It’s not every night history is made.
But that happened Monday, as Suns guard Grayson Allen etched his name in the record books with a monster performance, shooting 12-17 and scoring 42 points in a blowout 121-98 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Who needs Jalen Green? (The Suns do, but we’ll get to that).
The 42 points is a season-high by any Suns player, but history will remember another number. Allen drained 10-of-15 three-pointers — yes, 10 of them.
That is a Suns single-game record, and one Allen himself had come very close to setting not once, but three times prior.
Allen is in his third year with Phoenix, and is averaging the most points per game of his career in the young season — 18.6. That includes a career-high 4.2 three-pointers made on 9.4 attempts per game.
Allen’s started all 11 games for Phoenix, and appears to be playing his best basketball this season. The Suns have certainly been able to use Allen’s sharpshooter abilities over their recent hot streak — they’ve won five of their last six games to climb back over .500 at 6-5.
It was all love from the Mortgage Matchup Center home fans Monday night. Allen said he felt the energy of the Suns home crowd, with “MVP” chants echoing as he drained shot after shot.
“I don’t know how many times that’s going to happen. That was pretty cool,” Allen said.
“I never take for granted the amount of support and appreciation I have here from the fans. It’s awesome, it’s surreal and it makes it a lot of fun to go out there and play home games when this fan base has been so supportive of me over the last three years.
“The first year here, this was the place where I’d never seen so many of my own jerseys out of all the other places I’ve been in the league, so it’s been really, really cool to see, and also I just love the fans that we have here.”
Allen’s teammates and head coach had nothing but praise for the heroic effort.
“It’s tough to guard and you’ve seen a glimpse of it tonight,” said Suns star Devin Booker. “You try to close out to him and he (Grayson) can drive at the next action and finish at the rim and still make plays. He’s definitely not a one-dimensional player but everything opens up.”
“It was awesome, awesome to see, awesome to see how his teammates pushed for him,” said head coach Jordan Ott. “Such an unassuming, quiet, well-mannered, organized [player]. He’s always another adult in the room, it’s great to see.”
The Suns are looking more and more like a team with a vision — a team with chemistry, camaraderie and a joy for the sport. That’s been a missing element in recent regimes, but Ott’s team appears to have each other’s backs.
But Phoenix is going to need more of that kind of effort, with the latest (unfortunate) Jalen Green news…
Jalen Green to Miss More Time with Hamstring Injury
Yesterday, it was confirmed. Suns guard Jalen Green will miss at least 4-6 weeks after suffering a right hamstring strain in just his second game of the season. He’ll undergo further tests and will be “re-evaluated” after that period.
That could mean a December return, or a lengthier chunk of missed time. I’m still not a doctor, so all we can do is wait for more information
But it is a tough blow for a Suns team that seems to be finding its rhythm. It felt as if the team had gotten back its missing piece when Green finally made his dominant return to the court. Alas…
Phoenix is playing well though. 2025-26 may not be the prettiest season in terms of results, but majority consensus says the team simply feels more fun and exciting. That’s the point of sports after all, right? … right…?
In the meantime, hopefully Allen has more threes left in the tank.
Quick Hits
Marte Mill: GM Mike Hazen addressed the Ketel Marte trade rumors yesterday, saying teams have been inquiring on the All-Star for some time. Hazen insisted that it’s his responsibility to listen to those rumors, but he did confirm the team is not necessarily actively shopping Marte at the moment. We’ll see.
AZCentral’s Nick Piecoro, meanwhile, reported that Arizona is “likely” to move one of either Jake McCarthy or Alek Thomas this offseason. The stove is getting hot.
Also, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo received one third-place vote in the National League Manager of the Year voting (Pat Murphy won it – forks up). But it’s nice to be recognized, I guess. I wonder who that lone voter was…
Lumber-Jacked: Lumber-Jacked: The Wildcats are off to a 3-0 start after dominating the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 84-49 at home. Freshman Dwayne Aristode led the charge with 18 points, going 6-for-9 from deep. Arizona will have a tough matchup with UCLA waiting on Friday at 8:00 p.m. in Los Angeles.
Tip of the Hat by Branded Bills
This meme made me laugh — Hopefully you do too.
