Suns went toe-to-toe with Utah’s size and didn’t blink

And that’s all she wrote on the 2026 Phoenix Suns preseason.

The dress rehearsal that took place Friday night against the Utah Jazz was one you walk away from feeling pretty good about. The starters played three quarters, and Phoenix held a 95–90 lead heading into the fourth. That’s an encouraging sign, especially considering how many people around the league believe the Jazz are poised to leapfrog the Suns in the standings this season, with years of tanking and accumulating young prospects finally putting Utah in a position to make some noise.

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Against a Jazz team that possesses an unbelievably large front line, the Suns did a spectacular job attacking the glass, forcing the issue on the interior, and executing in the manner we’ve come to expect from this version of Phoenix Suns basketball. It certainly didn’t hurt that they shot 13-of-28 from beyond the arc through three quarters, good for 46.4%. If Phoenix can shoot anywhere near that effectively on a consistent basis, this team is going to be dangerous.

But what stood out was the collective effort across the board. Dillon Brooks finished with 18 points, as did Jalen Green, while Devin Booker added 16. Khaman Maluach earned the start and contributed seven points and 12 rebounds, while also getting Jaren Jackson Jr., who scored 17 points, into foul trouble.

Is there still plenty of work to do? Absolutely. There’s work to be done every day, especially for a team like the Phoenix Suns, one that will have to fight for everything it earns throughout the upcoming season. But if Friday night showed us anything, it’s that this is a team willing to fight.

Bright Side Baller Standings

Ryan Dunn won in a landslide for his performance against the Spurs.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Preseason Game 5 against the Jazz. Here are your nominees:

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Dillon Brooks
18 points (6-of-13, 2-of-5 3PT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 turnovers, +10 +/-

Jalen Green
18 points (6-of-13, 3-of-5 3PT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 4 turnovers, +10 +/-

Devin Booker
16 points (6-of-16, 1-of-4 3PT), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, -3 +/-

Khaman Maluach
7 points (2-of-4,…

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Publish date : 2026-10-17 12:00:00

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