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 Rivers. Returning to his hometown on the second night of a back-to-back to close out a four-game road trip, Bridges’ time in the City of Brotherly Love was limited on Tuesday. But he certainly made the most of it, dropping 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting in an impressive win over the Philadelphia 76ers. “It’s a blessing, man, just to be able to come back here, have my family watching,” he said. “I was happy we got the win, it makes…

Over the last few seasons, Devin Booker has done everything but complete the paperwork for his part-ownership stake of the Philadelphia 76ers. During his seven years in the league, Booker’s career average of 29.3 points per game against the Sixers is higher than his scoring mark against any other NBA franchise. He’s shot 48.5 percent from the field in those 13 meetings, nailed 45.1 percent of his triples and chipped in 4.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game for good measure. Tuesday’s impressive win in Philly moved Booker to 7-6 all-time against the 76ers, including 5-0 over the last three seasons. For all intents and purposes, Devin Booker lives up to his trademark billing as a baby-faced assassin whenever he…

Despite getting their current four-game road trip off to a disappointing start, the Phoenix Suns earned a convincing win over the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with Monday’s 127-124 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Despite what the final score indicated, it really wasn’t that close. DeMar DeRozan (38 points on 16-of-28 shooting) and Zach LaVine (32-8-6) got theirs...

After Thursday’s 124-115 defeat against the Atlanta Hawks, the Phoenix Suns have finally joined the rest of the NBA in suffering their 10th loss of the season. It was one of the rare occasions where the Suns simply got beat by a team that was playing better basketball. The Hawks knocked down 20 triples, Trae Young dropped 43 and Phoenix’s...

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 to 52 percent) and from 3-point range (42.5 percent to 37.6 percent). But in a Suns offense that can slice...

On the season, Ish Wainright holds averages of 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game. He’s shot 38.5 percent from the field, has only appeared in 23 games for the Phoenix Suns and is playing on a two-way contract that would make him ineligible for the playoffs. But against the San Antonio Spurs Sunday night, and sparingly...

To this point, the Phoenix Suns are the best team in the NBA by virtually any measure. Win percentage? Check, by virtue of a 38-9 record that has them sitting 3.5 games ahead of the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference and a full 7.5 games ahead of any team in the East. Point differential? Check again, thanks to a +8.0 point differential that was tops in the NBA until the Warriors blew out the Dallas Mavericks by 38 points on Tuesday. Two-way prowess? Checkmate, with the Suns being the only team in the top five for both offensive and defensive rating. https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1486574070552354818?s=20 Throw in the fact that Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton have only played in…

Bismack Biyombo and the Phoenix Suns found each other at the perfect time. For the Suns, they were dealing with a rash of injuries and COVID-related absences that saw Jalen Smith starting at center. For Biyombo, after turning down multiple offers and taking some time away from basketball to process the death of his father, the Suns represented a triumphant...

After Jalen Smith spent most of his rookie season on the bench, the Phoenix Suns declined his third-year player option. Just a few months later, with the NBA ravaged by COVID-19, Smith found himself starting at center for a title contender. Stix sat down with Espo, Saul Bookman and Gerald Bourguet of PHNX to talk playing the 4 versus the...