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 19-15 on the season. The loss was twofold, as Devin Booker’s return from a groin injury only lasted about four minutes before he had to be pulled for the rest of the night. Nikola Jokic slapped up a 41-point, 15-rebound, 15-assist stat line against Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul missed half his free throws, and once again, the Suns wasted a career night from Landry Shamet. It’s not all bad news, but in a high-profile game where so much happened, here…

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 25 points in the final 5:35 of game time and have ranked 24th in defensive rating in the month of December. There were conversations to be had about Landry Shamet’s career-high 31 points, Chris Paul’s injury scare, or how Deandre Ayton has looked in the last two games as more of an offensive hub while Devin Booker remains sidelined. But instead, all anyone wanted to talk about was yet another heated exchange between Ayton and coach Monty Williams in the…

Missing your two best players will force any team to rely on depth, but not all teams are capable of delivering when their roster is stretched thin. For the Phoenix Suns, the recent absences of Chris Paul and Devin Booker (not to mention Cam Johnson) have given Landry Shamet a golden opportunity to begin his redemption tour. So far, he’s...

The Phoenix Suns’ second NBA Finals rematch of the 2021-22 season lost a bit of its luster without Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Cam Johnson on the court, but their absence didn’t stop it from being a phenomenal game. While the Suns came up short against the Milwaukee Bucks on the road, 132-122, the game was far closer than the...

It’s a good thing the Phoenix Suns have built a comfy cushion for themselves atop the NBA standings, because the injury hits just keep on coming. According to the team, Suns star Devin Booker has entered COVID health and safety protocols as of Wednesday, ruling him out for their home game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Phoenix is already missing Chris Paul for the next 6-8 weeks due to an avulsion fracture in his right thumb, as well as Frank Kaminsky (right knee stress reaction) and Dario Saric (right knee rehab from ACL tear). “We’ll figure it out, man,” JaVale McGee said at Wednesday’s shootaround. “We knew this season was gonna be crazy just ’cause of COVID alone, and injuries…

In a late January game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Landry Shamet submitted his finest performance in a Phoenix Suns uniform. Tying a season high with 17 points, Shamet went 5-for-10 from the floor, 4-for-8 from 3-point range and chipped in 5 assists and 4 rebounds for good measure. It wasn’t empty production in another Suns blowout either; in his 21...

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 for the Phoenix Suns, the results have been somewhat mixed ever since Devin Booker and then Deandre Ayton went down...

Landry Shamet has oddly become a scapegoat for Phoenix Suns fans. It could be due to his arrival forcing the departure of a fan favorite like Jevon Carter. Maybe it’s because of the timing of Shamet’s 4-year, $43 million extension right at the deadline, while Deandre Ayton was left hanging. Or perhaps it’s simply because, with knockdown shooters, there’s a...

Coming off an NBA Finals appearance, the Phoenix Suns were armed with continuity and home-court advantage against an opponent they’d swept in their last four meetings who was still missing its second-best player. As such, the Suns felt like heavy favorites to win their 2021-22 season opener Wednesday night. Unfortunately, they submitted the type of sloppy, dysfunctional performance that was...