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. But as the clock wound down in Game 5, with back-to-back dunks sending the Footprint Center into a frenzy, Mikal Bridges provided a nice reminder of this team’s championship ceiling when he plays like that. https://twitter.com/akaSD/status/1519192558261260288?s=20&t=ub0tQNzPvQ4OVCDOzd97Fg To be clear, no one is expecting the type of historically dominant two-way performance Bridges submitted Tuesday on a nightly basis. Still, finishing with a game- and playoff career-high 31 points, the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up showed yet again why he’s far…

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 never trailed and led by as many as 23 points, they looked every bit the part of a title contender....

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 race feels underwhelming and wide open compared to recent years. Voter fatigue with Rudy Gobert helps, as does the Utah Jazz’s regression on that end of the floor. The Phoenix Suns’ second-ranked defense, per Cleaning the Glass, solidifies their best defender in Bridges as a legitimate DPOY candidate. Listen to his coach or his teammates talk about it, and there’s no question who they think should receive the award. https://twitter.com/Suns/status/1508568919145017347?s=20&t=GMrCWHJ7DbAaLCeUfe3Eig “He should be Defensive Player of the Year, number one,”…

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 responded to a rowdy playoff environment and pulled out a gritty win on the road. Only this time, Thursday’s win...

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 up against the start of the playoffs, the Suns had a comfy, 6.5-game lead over the rest of the pack...

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 had been hanging overhead since Phoenix’s final game entering the All-Star break: Chris Paul had suffered an avulsion fracture in...

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. After Tuesday’s 103-96 win over the LA Clippers, the Suns improved to a league-best 23-3 record in games involving crunch-time,...

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…

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...