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An ode to Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, Phoenix Suns for life
Only players — and people — of an unbelievably high caliber could leave Phoenix Suns fans feeling conflicted about acquiring one of the 15 greatest NBA players of all time. And yet, even after the dust has settled from last…
10 things to know after Kevin Durant trade to Phoenix Suns
Kevin Durant is officially a member of the Phoenix Suns. It’s not a late-night fever dream or some groggy, early-morning fantasy; on the first day under new owner Mat Ishbia, and about 14 hours away from the 2023 NBA Trade…
After a brief, injury-riddled hiatus, Chris Paul is back to Point God form
It wasn’t long ago that uttering the name Chris Paul prompted premature declarations of “washed” among the Phoenix Suns fanbase. Now, it appears as though the Point God has risen again. It took a little longer than three days, but…
Mikal Bridges’ growth as playmaker during injury-riddled stretch raises Suns’ ceiling
Whenever Mikal Bridges is asked about a high-scoring night, a career-best season or almost any other type of on-court success, his response typically starts with a go-to phrase: “Just being aggressive.” As one of the more cliche phrases in the…
5 observations from Cam Johnson’s impressive return in Suns win over Nets
Cam Johnson returned to the court Thursday night, and not so coincidentally, the Phoenix Suns felt more like the Phoenix Suns again. While Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Cam Payne were still sidelined, Johnson’s first bit of action in 37…
How the Suns are handling losing skid at their season’s make-or-break point
The Phoenix Suns have reached the potential breaking point of their season. Coming off a 2021 NBA Finals run and a 64-win campaign that ended far sooner than anyone expected, the next few weeks could determine whether this group’s immediate…
What should the Phoenix Suns realistically expect from Mikal Bridges?
Expectations are the damndest thing. In relation to draft position, Mikal Bridges was never expected to live up to the production of Deandre Ayton, his fellow 2018 NBA draftee who was selected nine spots earlier as the No. 1 overall…
3 highlight plays embody how Josh Okogie has become legitimate X-factor for Suns
December hasn’t been kind to the Phoenix Suns, but amidst their 5-9 record and mounting injury woes, Josh Okogie sure has been. In fact, he’s been nothing short of an X-factor handily exceeding his contract value during one of the…
5 observations from Suns’ brutal Christmas Day loss to Nuggets
Christmas Day provided Arizona sports fans with not one, but two overtime losses, as the Phoenix Suns followed in the Cardinals’ footsteps during the NBA’s late-night game. In Sunday’s 128-125 road loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Suns fell to…
Monty Williams, Deandre Ayton explain heated exchange near end of Suns-Wizards
There were a number of basketball-related takeaways that could be found in the Phoenix Suns’ 113-110 loss to the Washington Wizards Tuesday night. The main focus could’ve been Phoenix’s continued slippage on the defensive end, since the Suns gave up…
What to take from the Phoenix Suns’ 5-game losing streak
As currently constructed, the Phoenix Suns don’t feel like title contenders. “Feel” can be a tricky thing to get a proper handle on when so many key pieces have been in and out of the lineup. This is not an…
3 tough love lessons and 3 positives from Suns’ recent skid
Thanks to Monday night’s 113-112 defeat, the Phoenix Suns have now lost three of their last four games and four of their last six. Technically speaking, they’re currently in a skid. Injuries (and one non-injury absence) have undoubtedly played a…
An aggressive Mikal Bridges is the second option the Suns need
The last few years have provided endless discussion about which player should be the first, second and third options on the Phoenix Suns. Devin Booker put the debate over first option to bed last year, establishing himself as the alpha.…
Facing injuries, Suns need more from Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges
Week by week, the Phoenix Suns have suffered blow after blow to their depth. What was once a strongest suit thanks to general manager James Jones’ 3×5 “index card” approach to team-building has become a glaring weakness, due to calculated…
Cam Johnson is turning Suns into something dangerous as starter
It was never going to happen overnight, but even before Jae Crowder’s trade request, Cam Johnson was meant for the starting job. He was always poised to thrive in that role on the offensive end, and although it’s taken him…
5 tidbits from JaVale McGee’s Juglife charity softball event
Wednesday marked JaVale McGee’s sixth annual Water For Life Charity Softball Game, but it also gave several Phoenix Suns the opportunity to be out in public together for the first time since their season ended. The night before the 2022…
The midrange maestro Suns need to modernize their shot profile
There are many hallmarks by which to judge an NBA head coach. Championships are the most basic, followed by the win-loss column. But one thing typically holds true: Great coaches are known for having an effective system, while elite coaches…
5 things Suns need to carry over from Game 5 rout into Game 6 vs. Mavericks
When the Phoenix Suns play like they did Tuesday night, they reach a peak that no other team in the NBA can match. They just haven’t done it consistently enough during these 2022 NBA Playoffs. For the second straight series,…
5 adjustments for Suns in Game 5 after underwhelming Dallas trip
DALLAS — For the second time in these 2022 NBA Playoffs, the Phoenix Suns find themselves in a 2-2 dogfight. But after a second straight underwhelming performance on the road, they need to rediscover their identity on both ends of…
2022 NBA Playoffs preview: 5 keys for Suns in second round vs. Mavericks
Despite being the NBA’s top seed and winning a league-leading 64 games, the Phoenix Suns looked less like themselves during their first-round playoff matchup. Devin Booker’s absence for three games had a lot to do with it, but the New…
5 observations from Suns’ Game 6 closeout win over Pelicans in Chris Paul masterclass
NEW ORLEANS — It was far more competitive than anyone expected, but the top-seeded Phoenix Suns closed out the New Orleans Pelicans with a 115-109 win in Game 6 on Thursday. Despite trailing by 10 points at halftime and playing…
Mikal Bridges’ stellar Game 5 serves up reminder of Suns’ championship ceiling
First things first: The Phoenix Suns aren’t winning a championship this year without a healthy Devin Booker. That much has become clear during their hard-fought first-round playoff series with the New Orleans Pelicans, which isn’t over yet by any means.…
5 observations from Suns’ dominant Game 1 and Chris Paul takeover vs. Pelicans
It’s one down, 15 to go for the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix took care of business in Game 1 of their first-round series against the 8-seeded New Orleans Pelicans, dismantling their opponent 110-99 at home. In a game where the Suns…
Mikal Bridges’ unconventional case for Defensive Player of the Year
Now that the regular season is over, NBA awards voting closes on Monday. Perhaps it’s too little, too late, but Mikal Bridges’ unconventional case for Defensive Player of the Year deserves to see the light of day nonetheless. This year’s…
5 observations from the Chris Paul return that turned into a Devin Booker statement game
For the second night in a row, a pesky opponent in the middle of the Western Conference pack stormed out to a high-scoring, smack-talking first half. And for the second night in a row, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns…
How the Suns have done more than just survive without Chris Paul, Part 1
Chris Paul’s absence for 6-8 weeks represented a pivotal moment in the season for the league-leading Phoenix Suns, but also a potential blessing in disguise. While that right thumb avulsion fracture put the Point God’s timeline for a return right…
Suns face struggles and silver linings of preparing for stretch without Chris Paul
There’s never a good time to be injured, but Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns will try their hardest to prove themselves as the exception to the rule. On Sunday evening, TNT sideline reporter Allie LaForce dropped the bomb that…
Suns’ crunch-time dominance extends well beyond Devin Booker and Chris Paul
The Phoenix Suns are the most clutch team in the NBA, full stop. They also might be the greatest regular-season clutch team in NBA history, and it goes far beyond having two elite closers like Chris Paul and Devin Booker.…
Mikal Bridges’ Philadelphia homecoming has come full-circle since fateful draft-night trade
Mikal Bridges’ homecomings to Philadelphia look a lot different than they did just a few years ago. Philly is still home, but things have changed — for the Phoenix Suns, for the former Villanova star and for his mother, Tyneeha…
Bourguet Breakdown: Mikal Bridges is not the 3rd option yet, but he is the straw that breaks camels’ backs
Mikal Bridges is not ready to be the Phoenix Suns’ third option that was promised yet. His scoring average is down compared to last year (13.5 points per game to 12.7), as is his efficiency from the field (54.3 percent…
Shorthanded Suns learning hard lessons that could pay dividends down the road
Take away two of an NBA team’s best players and you’ll learn a lot about the other guys. Take away two of their best players and several other rotation players, and suddenly things get interesting in a hurry. So far…
5 observations from clash of titans between Suns and Warriors
In case you hadn’t heard, the Phoenix Suns played the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night in a battle between the NBA’s two-best records. It wasn’t just Phoenix’s franchise-record streak on the line though, since the early title of “league’s best…
4 key areas that will decide Suns’ highly-anticipated matchup with Warriors
Tuesday’s primetime matchup between the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors is a battle between the NBA’s two best teams so far, a possible playoff preview, and a potential passing of the torch moment all at once. Grounded by a…
Defenses are going to have to start accounting for Mikal Bridges
During the Phoenix Suns’ 115-105 throttling of the Los Angeles Lakers that was nowhere near as close as the final score indicated, it was easy to get caught up in the various storylines. The Suns had bounced back from an…
Grade the deal: Mikal Bridges gets 4-year, $90 million extension from Suns
With the deadline for NBA rookie contract extensions closing in, the Phoenix Suns had two young cornerstones to take care of between Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges. One down, one to go. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday, the…
Phoenix Suns 2021-22 player previews: Mikal Bridges poised to become third option
For the Phoenix Suns to make the leap into the contender category, first and foremost, they needed Deandre Ayton to become a reliable defensive anchor. That happened last year, and the Suns made it to the NBA Finals. But no…
Suns are playing with fire not paying up for Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges
Two of the three essential pieces of the Phoenix Suns’ young core are eligible for extensions, but the clock is ticking. Coming off an unexpected NBA Finals run, both Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges have earned big paydays. The Western…
The best Phoenix Suns futures bets for 2021-22
The 2021-22 NBA season is just around the corner, which means bettors will soon have plenty to consider. Sports betting became legal in the state of Arizona on Sept. 9, so Phoenix Suns fans who want to put some money…
