With less than 25 games remaining, the Phoenix Suns are going to have little time to waste. After reshaping most of the roster, the Suns will have to put the pieces together on the fly.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Oklahoma City Thunder will test the Suns for four of those games, one of which started Friday. Phoenix is still without Kevin Durant, a central piece to the title pursuit.
Even so, the Suns showed their prominence once more, beating the Thunder 124-115.
Return of the Payne
The Suns have been in need of high-level reserve, and Cameron Payne looked like a new player on Friday. Having their bench ball-handler was severely missed.
Payne erupted for 14 points, with his most impressive showing coming in the fourth quarter to help extend the lead. He shot 5-of-9 from the field, going 3-for-5 from three-point range.
He also had four boards during his performance. The Suns at one point were sharing heavy bench minutes between Saben Lee and Duane Washington, Jr.
Now, with Payne back, and Terrance Ross joining the reserves, the bench unit is shaping up to be one of the more explosive in the league.
Devin Booker Makes History
Booker is still finding his rhythm as he works his way back from a groin injury. Friday was evident of that, with the star guard going 9-of-21 from the field.
Booker was able to find some success, going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. As such, he was able to end the night with 25 points.
His most important shot came from the three-point range in the fourth quarter, hitting his 1,052nd three-pointer. As such Booker was able break the record for the most three-pointers made in Suns’ history.
Where the 6’5″ guard didn’t excel shooting-wise, he made up for in playmaking. Booker was able to dish out assists, leading the team.
Phoenix will now travel to face the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. The Bucks will open up a four-game road trip for the Suns, one of which will include the return of Durant.
