Suns @ Magic 12-26-18

[Mainstreet]

Win or lose (and thankfully we've done more winning), the energy on this team has drastically changed since those 2 left. They're really fun to watch again.

Oubre and Holmes have been flat out steals

Oubre and Holmes are indeed that. Oubre has been a steadying influence since the Suns acquired him.

 

[1tinsoldier]

Oubre and Holmes have been flat out steals

absolutely. it needs to be a priority to extend their contracts

 

[1tinsoldier]

Booker was pissed that Igor didn’t call timeout at the end of regulation to reset the defense.

yes. he didn't call timeouts when needed at the end of the 4th and OTs last week either
and showed no emotion when they won tonight,
as Ayton and Holmes were celebrating next to him

 

[SactownSunsFan]

Things to be encouraged about this game.

Winning ugly is a step in progress.
Ayton winning the game with defense in OT was fantastic.

Nevermind the OT, the fact he was engaged the entire game despite not getting many scoring opportunities is very encouraging.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

yes. he didn't call timeouts when needed at the end of the 4th and OTs last week either
and showed no emotion when they won tonight,
as Ayton and Holmes were celebrating next to him

I couldn't care less about the emotion he is showing. Sometimes a team needs an even keeled guy around them like Koko. The bottom line is he has these guys fighting hard every night now and he has done that with his consistent even keeled attitude. It's easy to say that he should have called a timeout looking back at it, but he probably wanted to have that timeout in case they made a three to tie. Thus allowing us to inbound on our end to get a game winning shot.

 

[Mainstreet]

Really? I don't think there is such a thing as a bad loss for this team. Maybe by the end of the season, games such as this will fall in the "should win" category. But AFAIC we have not solved a lot of our problems, recent win streak notwithstanding. To me, this is just a "could win" game.

There are such things as good wins.

This was a good learning experience for the Suns to go 3-2 on this road trip especially rebounding from an overtime loss to the Wizards then come back to beat the Magic in another overtime game.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

Not a fan of all the Booker iso we've seen at the end of games.

It was great at the end of regulation. Not so much in overtime.

 

[Evil Ash]

absolutely. it needs to be a priority to extend their contracts

Both are RFAs so we can match any offer and have control

 

[JCSunsfan]

There are such things as good wins.

This was a good learning experience for the Suns to go 3-2 on this road trip especially rebounding from an overtime loss to the Wizards then come back to beat the Magic in another overtime game.

a few free throws at the end of regulation in the Wizards game and this could have been a 5-0 road trip. Rampant speculation but still.

 

[Mainstreet]

Both are RFAs so we can match any offer and have control

Oubre is a RFA but Holmes is not under contract for next season.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

a few free throws at the end of regulation in the Wizards game and this could have been a 5-0 road trip. Rampant speculation but still.

Brooklyn would have been tough regardless. They have played very well in their last 10 games and we still would have been on the 2nd of a B2B.

 

[SactownSunsFan]

a few free throws at the end of regulation in the Wizards game and this could have been a 5-0 road trip. Rampant speculation but still.

All 5 winnable games for sure. Can't blame them for being dog tired after a 3OT game the night before.

 

[Evil Ash]

Oubre is a RFA but Holmes is not under contract for next season.

I stand corrected. Either way this will be an interesting and important offseason

 

[Mainstreet]

a few free throws at the end of regulation in the Wizards game and this could have been a 5-0 road trip. Rampant speculation but still.

I still like thinking about what could have happened.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

Couple of thoughts on this game. First, how long has it been since we have seen a string of exciting games involving the Suns? I mean, they have really turned a corner here. Second, there was a stretch in the second half where the Suns went from down 8 to up 4 in the space of about 90 seconds, it seemed. I haven't seen that in a long while. Defense to offense transition was fantastic in this game for more than a couple of stretches.

 

[AzStevenCal]

It was great at the end of regulation. Not so much in overtime.

Yeah, he was a force until that OT and I'd blame it on tired legs and maybe questionable judgement on a play or two. He doesn't seem to have a ball-hog mentality so hopefully he'll continue to improve on when to take over and when to use his teammates.

 

[Shaggy]

absolutely. it needs to be a priority to extend their contracts

They better do it before the end of the season.

 

[SirStefan32]

Oubre is really important as he gives Phoenix another player who can create his own shot. He is not nearly as good as Booker and Warren, but he can do it. He also defends well, and can score in a variety of ways. He is really a strange combination of Jackson and Bridges. Ayton was invisible offensively, but Oubre gave them that third scorer to give them a chance to win the game.

Oubre's and Homes' extensions should be at the top of the Suns priority list next summer.

 

[SirStefan32]

yes. he didn't call timeouts when needed at the end of the 4th and OTs last week either
and showed no emotion when they won tonight,
as Ayton and Holmes were celebrating next to him

Huh? Are you serious/ Who cares? You know that not screaming and not acting like a fool does not make someone a bad coach, right?

 

[95pro]

I like OKo and Melton but what’s the point of them playing if booker is dribbling all the time?

Also Augustine abused both of them, wished Jackson was in there for defensive purposes in the 4th if booker is the primary ball handler.

Booker needs to quit with the stupid fouls throughout games.

Ayton was soft all game except for OT. Great blocks and that one deflection was huge.

Not talked about much as usual but Warren was big in OT with some runners to keep them in the game.

Wish Oubre would finish plays instead of obviously baiting the officials.

 

[1Sun]

Glad for the win, but once again Igor Kokoskov did everything he could to give the game away...over and over again. He just isn't capable from a strategic and game management standpoint, as evidenced by the incredibly slow starts in first and third quarters and meltdowns at the very ends of games.

 

[Proximo]

yes. he didn't call timeouts when needed at the end of the 4th and OTs last week either
and showed no emotion when they won tonight,
as Ayton and Holmes were celebrating next to him

Did you ever think he is not satisfied to barely beat a bad team?

I think he is a perfectionist and he is not happy with the way they played. I know as a fan I’m not.

Does belichek show emotion? Does that make him a bad coach?

 

[SactownSunsFan]

Love Warren to death, but he needs to improve on his ability to dump the ball off on a drive when it's obvious the degree of difficulty he's about to attempt is beyond even his ability to score it. Even on 2-or-3-on-1's he'll try a tough shot instead of passing it off to a trailer with an easy dunk or lay-up.

 

[SactownSunsFan]

Glad for the win, but once again Igor Kokoskov did everything he could to give the game away...over and over again. He just isn't capable from a strategic and game management standpoint, as evidenced by the incredibly slow starts in first and third quarters and meltdowns at the very ends of games.

Would you give him a break? This is a stupid young team. They are just now learning how to win (5 of 7 with a 3-2 road trip). What do you expect out of a Head Coach just 35 games into his first year as an NBA Head Coach? You know he's got learning and growing to do too, right?

 

[ColdPickleNachos]

Love Warren to death, but he needs to improve on his ability to dump the ball off on a drive when it's obvious the degree of difficulty he's about to attempt is beyond even his ability to score it. Even on 2-or-3-on-1's he'll try a tough shot instead of passing it off to a trailer with an easy dunk or lay-up.

Definitely agreed. His passing is a clear weakness. On the plus side, he has shown the ability to turn a weakness into a strength. If his passing is anything like his 3-point shooting, he'll be reminding people of Magic Johnson by next season!