Phoenix — The two stars of the Phoenix Suns were regularly pounded by the exhausted Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
The Suns used that gritty play against the Grizzlies on the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets. They hammered the undermanned roster with an aggressive, foul-baiting attack, winning 116-109 at Footprint Center.
Oh, and Devin Booker’s return to the team following a one-game absence due to an ankle injury was good for Phoenix (12-8).He finished the game leading the Suns with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 13 points from the free-throw line.
Due to a few minor injuries this season, the Suns are now 9-2 when Booker plays and 3-6 when he does not.
Booker reported that since his injury on Wednesday during a loss at Toronto, he has seen rapid improvement in the ankle. Although the star wanted to play, Phoenix head coach Frank Vogel added that the team held out for him on Friday night.
My life’s narrative for this year. Booker stated of the ankle, “No, once it healed after the four-hour flight back from Toronto, I knew I was in a good place.” “Not the same as the one I experienced during my first-ever Warriors game. After that game, I was hardly able to walk when we arrived in Los Angeles.
On Saturday, Memphis had yet another opportunity to make an impression. A couple of victories following Marcus Smart’s physical altercation with teammates during a timeout in a Timberwolves defeat, the injured team appeared to have a little more energy.
However, the Suns learned a valuable lesson from the Grizzlies and their excessively forceful defense.
The gameplan for Memphis’s Friday night game against the Dallas Mavericks included face-guarding and top-locking with defenders denying screen actions to stop Kyrie Irving (fellow star Luka Doncic was out due to the birth of his child).
“They won big last night; I really saw how well they were defending,” Booker remarked. “Toughening everything up, top-locking every move, driving everything into the hoop, and leaving Bismack (Biyombo) there (to block shots in the paint).”
“I believe it’s a learning experience as well, where teams will attempt that defensively. The idea is to simply have a counter for each defense that opponents throw at us. Seeing those looks during the regular season is crucial, as is taking notes so we can be ready for any test a team may throw at us.
