A lot of Suns’ fans were excited after last night’s 10-point overtime win over the defending champs, but perhaps no one was as hyped up for the team as coach Frank Vogel.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Phoenix went on a 23-1 run in the second quarter to take control of the game before allowing the Nuggets to come back and take the lead in the fourth quarter. Despite the Suns only scoring nine points previously in the fourth and Kevin Durant starting 0-for-5 from deep, Durant hit a huge 3 with 26 seconds left that ultimately sent the game to overtime tied at 102. Then Durant and Bradley Beal went into takeover more, scoring 13 of the Suns’ 15 overtime points on a perfect 5-for-5 from the field to give Phoenix a 117-107 victory.
This win came without Devin Booker and snapped a two-game losing streak for the Suns. Durant finished with 35 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Grayson Allen started 8-for-8 from 3 and had 28 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Beal contributed 16 points, six assists, six rebounds and two steal. The Suns as a whole shut down Nikola Jokic, forcing him into 8-of-18 shooting, seven turnovers and -13 plus/minus. The effort was highlighted by Jusuf Nurkić, who finished with seven points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals despite fouling out.
The Suns improved to 36-26 and sit at sixth in the Western Conference, while the Nuggets fell to 42-20 and are third in the Western Conference. This win snapped the Nuggets’ six-game win streak and Phoenix’s two-game losing streak.
As posted on the Suns’ social media accounts, Vogel gave a postgame locker speech that had everyone fired up.
“Block out all the damn noise,” Vogel said to his team. “We have a good a– team. We have a good a– team. We got three assassins, we got high-level role players at multiple positions. We got a defense that keeps getting stronger every game, every week, every month. We’re going to be a monster come playoff time. That’s a big time win.
“Everybody contributed. Starting with Nurk (Nurkic), man. Dominated with your passing, your playmaking, your defense and board work. Awesome. When you went out, Drew (Eubanks), you came in and stepped up big time. Grayson with your 3s. Saben (Lee) big minutes. Everybody contribute. Royce, big stop at the end of regulation, right? KD (Kevin Durant), Brad(ley Beal) got hot late when we needed it. We’re going to be a monster. Believe it. Bring it in.”
"Block out all the damn noise… We're going to be a monster come playoff time."
🗣️ Head Coach Frank Vogel following last night's OT thriller! pic.twitter.com/TWn6D00ZJQ
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 7, 2024
Vogel continued with his praise for Nurkić in his postgame press conference saying he was the “star of the game.” This is all despite Nurkić only logging 30 minutes on the night due to his foul trouble.
Rest of quote: "That's just a testament to how you can impact the game without scoring. He really dominated the boards, battled the best he could against the Jokic matchup and really facilitated for us offensively."
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) March 6, 2024
As Vogel pointed out, everyone contributed, and that is exactly what the Suns need. Phoenix had 32 assists and nine turnovers on the night. The Suns are now 12-0 when recording 32 or more assists and 5-0 when totaling less than 10 turnovers.
IT TOOK EVERYONE 📊
Durant: 35 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 2 BLK
Allen: 28 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 8 3PM
Beal: 16 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL
Eubanks: 10 PTS, 8 REB, 2 BLK
O'Neale: 8 PTS, 6 AST, 5 REB, 2 BLK
Nurkic: 7 PTS, 12 REB, 6 AST, 2 BLK
Lee: 4 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST
Gordon: 4 PTS, 2… pic.twitter.com/yYCUxk6i7e— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 6, 2024
Can the Suns keep this up with the league’s toughest remaining strength of schedule and with Booker out? We will see starting tomorrow night when they host the Toronto Raptors.
Burn City Suns Talk Podcast: Big takeaways from Suns 117-107 win over Nuggets
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
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
