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Who: Phoenix Suns (1-1) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (3-0)
When: 5:00pm Arizona Time
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
Phoenix got in the win column Saturday night against a depleted Warriors team, behind a vintage Devin Booker 43-point, 7-rebound, 7-assist game. Most of the reaction has been in the “concerned” category, and rightly so. The Suns have started games slowly, shown a lack of cohesiveness, failed to box out rebounders, at times losing focus, and have not consistently provided the level of effort needed for this roster to succeed.
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In September, Bright Side of the Sun’s staff chimed in on the biggest questions facing the Suns in their first 10 games. I said, “My main question is in the intangibles category. Last year, the Suns were gritty more often than not. They dove for loose balls, scrapped on defense, and crashed the offensive glass. With new parts added and several high-effort players signing new contracts, will the effort dip?”
This remains the overriding thing to monitor, transcending individual player performances. Will the players self-correct and reach the required level? Jordan Ott was rated in the GM survey as having good offensive and defensive schemes. Can he show the coaching “goods” in the other skills like motivation, culture sustainment, and accountability?
Perhaps a game against a championship-caliber Thunder team will help Phoenix raise the bar on its play, even if it doesn’t result in a win. After a win on Sunday, OKC enters the game 3-0. They also swept the Suns in last year’s playoffs. This game is not about revenge for that series; it’s about closing a large gap in “how” the two teams play and getting this season on the right path.
Late-breaking news as I prepared this article: Uber-talented star Jalen Williams was carted off the home floor during the fourth quarter of Oklahoma City’s victory Sunday night over the Clippers. With the culture in OKC, expect the rest of their talented team to respond. Devastating news for a player who has only been stopped by injury in a promising career thus far. The…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/game-preview-suns-chance-change-200000062.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-26 20:00:00
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