Contributing as a key factor, the Phoenix Suns rallied after trailing in the first quarter off of the back of their bench as they pulled off a 128-115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!When the second unit hit the floor, they combined for 47 points. Eric Gordon scored 21 points, Royce O’Neale grabbed 14, Drew Eubanks had seven and Bol Bol netted five.
Starting center Jusuf Nurkić left during the game after being hit in the face before returning in the fourth quarter.
In Nurkić’s place for the time being, Eubanks was the next man up and stepped up when he needed to. Eubanks blocked three shots, drove into the lane with a couple of ferocious dunks and set screens for his teammates.
After a hard-fought battle, Suns head coach Frank Vogel was extremely proud of how his bench made an impact.
“Probably the best bench performance of the season,” Vogel said. “We have had some other good ones, but can’t tip my cap to those guys enough. They get the game ball collectively… Drew [Eubanks] especially when Nurk [Jusuf Nurkić] went down, Drew played great basketball during that stretch. EG [Eric Gordon], Royce [O’Neale], Bol [Bol] making big plays on both sides of the ball separating the game, just a terrific performance by those bench guys.”
When O’Neale checked in, he made his presence felt as he had the second-most rebounds out of any Sun, five. He shot 5-for-7 overall and was 4-for-6 from three.
As for Bol, he might have not had the most flashiest of games offensively but still led all Suns with a +21 rating.
Someone who was also appreciative of the bench taking their opportunities and running away with them was star Devin Booker.
Even though he was the leading scorer (30 points) against Atlanta, Booker gave credit to the bench and how they helped the team when they needed them the most.
“Any game where you can get something off the bench is good,” Booker said. “Drew played unbelievable when Nurk got hit. EG, Royce, all the way down the line. It’s more of what we expect from our group with the talent we have from top to bottom.”
As the season is drawing closer, Vogel and the Suns’ coaching staff will conduct further evaluations of who will be a part of the rotation in the playoffs or the play-in.
“We are still looking at some things and the levels of those guys,” Vogel said. “I like Bol, Eric and Royce in there on the perimeter. We’ll see where Josh Okogie fits into it when he gets back healthy, and I like what Drew was doing right there. We still got to figure out a few more things in terms of the levels each guy is playing and the exact rotation. If we go into the playoffs, we’ll go down to eight or seven [guys] if needed but those things will play themselves out.”
The Suns will now embark on a five-game road trip, starting against the San Antonio Spurs tomorrow at 5 p.m. PT.
Suns Secure 2nd Straight Win, Led by Devin Booker’s 30 Points
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
