Coming off a one-game absence due to a right ankle sprain, Jusuf Nurkić helped snap the Suns two-game losing streak in dominant fashion, posting 18 points, 22 rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes, as the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-113.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Suns were looking to rebound off a disappointing 114-110 loss to the Houston Rockets Friday. Luckily for them, they returned home to Footprint Center, where they have now won eight in a row.
“Every time we step on the floor at home, we want to protect the home(court),” Nurkić said. “(I) obviously didn’t play last game. It felt like the whole group was pissed.”
Nurkić is only the second Suns’ player in franchise history to reach these total points, rebounds and assists, joining Neal Walk who did it in 1973.
Nurkic today:
18 PTS
22 REB
7 ASTFirst Sun to reach those numbers in a game since Neal Walk in 1973. https://t.co/xxYaCRq1C1
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 25, 2024
His 22 rebounds tied a season high and one shy of his career high. Nurkić did all of this while guarding Anthony Davis, who finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
“I (was) just trying to be as aggressive as possible with (Bradley) Beal out,” Nurkić said. “Knowing that I’m just trying to be out there aggressive and take a chance when I have a chance. (I) kind of play a little better role then than I used to and coaches give me a thumbs up, so I was happy with that.”
Coach Frank Vogel was extremely pleased with his big man.
“Nurk with 22 (rebounds), seven (assists) and 18 points, hell of a night, and guarding Anthony Davis all night,” Vogel said. “That’s just a big-time performance by Nurk.”
Nurkić’s 37 minutes were the most he’s played this season outside of overtime games. In fact, he has only played over 30 minutes one other time this month, as the Suns experiment with small-ball lineups.
Nurkić joked after the game about what he told Vogel.
“I didn’t play a lot of four quarters these (last) couple of weeks,” Nurkić said after the game. “I said, ‘Frank, I’m gonna keep it simple, I’m not gonna give you a reason to sub me out.’ But give him credit, he trusted me even with some sloppy turnovers.”
Nurkić scored the least amount of points of the Suns’ starters, as everyone else had 20-plus points. With Nurkić finishing with 18, it was the first time all of the Suns starters have scored 18 or more since 2009.
Suns starters scoring today:
24 — Allen
22 — KD
21 — Book
20 — O’Neale
18 — Nurkic1st time since 2009 the Suns had each starter score at least 18 points. pic.twitter.com/Gp6RDViKUM
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 25, 2024
All season long Nurkić’s teammates have been impressed with his all-around game.
“(Nurkić) did great guarding one-on-one on the block,” said Suns’ guard Grayson Allen, who finished with a team-high 24 points. “AD (Anthony Davis) is another guy, who is one of the best offensive rebounders in the league and a tough cover, and Nurk coming up with that many defensive rebounds is huge for us. Also, offensively, seven offensive rebounds is big, and Nurk’s really good for offense when he’s at the top as a passer and we got Kev(in Durant0 going backdoor, kind of playing the two-man game with (Devin Booker). Then once we get into our action, he’s rolling. He’s a guy we trust up there to make decisions, and he did a great job finishing at the rim today too.”
The Suns now have three full days off and next play the Rockets (25-31) at home Thursday night.
Jusuf Nurkić snatches double-double, Suns beat Lakers 123-113
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
