Takeaways From Suns Big Win Vs Blazers
The Phoenix Suns won Monday night's game in resounding fashion over the Portland Trail Blazers, taking the game 117-106 in front of a sellout crowd at Footprint Center.
Devin Booker once again looks to already be in regular-season form, scoring 19 points, nabbing two steals and knocking down four threes in only a half of action. Kevin Durant showed his mid-range mastery, knocking down 6 of 10 shots and also chipping in 19 points.
Our biggest takeaways (Note: Eric Gordon, Yuta Watanabe were OUT):
Suns Offense is Clicking on All Cylinders
Phoenix had an incredible offensive showing in the first half, scoring 76 points on very efficient 51-39-81 splits. Booker, Durant, and Grayson Allen lead the charge with 50 points combined from the trio.
Bradley Beal struggled from the field, going just 2-7, but got to the free throw line frequently and knocked down 7 of 9 at the charity stripe.
The offense continued the momentum into the second half, dropping 11 points behind a largely bench-lead unit. Phoenix nearly hit 100 points by the end of the third quarter, dropping 23 in the third frame.
The offense largely stalled in the fourth, but the sheer amount of shot creators, spot-up shooters and depth of the roster point to possibly the best offense in the league in the regular season.
Coach Frank Vogel alluded to the unselfishness of the team in the post-game presser, acknowledging that the goal is to run as stress-free and free-flowing of an offense as possible.
Defense Continues Steady Improvement
Phoenix clearly still has a ways to go defensively, but the constant improvement on that end is noticeable. The Suns were disruptive all night, forcing turnovers off of the Blazers. Jordan Goodwin lead the charge with six steals.
Add in three blocks from Udoka Azubuike and a strong team rebounding effort and Frank Vogel's squad appears on the right track defensively.
Bol Bol is Already a Fan Favorite
Bol received a very warm reception from Suns fans the majority of the night which escalated into a thunderous echo of "we want Bol Bol" among the crowd. When Bol went to the scorer's table early in the fourth, fans erupted in cheers and the roof was taken off when the talented big man threw down a huge one-handed dunk off of a ricocheted ball.
The season is only days away and it couldn't come quicker. Phoenix plays their last preseason game on Thursday against the Lakers at 7 PM Arizona time on NBA TV and AZ Family.
