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What did we learn from Suns’ gutsy 109-105 comeback victory over Lakers?

Oct 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns persevered through early adversity in the first quarter and were able to hand the Los Angeles Lakers their first loss of the season with a 109-105 win on Monday.

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Devin Booker scored 33 points, Kevin Durant had 30 and Bradley Beal reached 15 in his return from injury. As a collective, the Suns’ defense combined for 11 blocks and seven steals after a slow start. Phoenix was trailing by as much as 18 early on, took a two-point lead into halftime, but was able to pull off a miraculous comeback in dramatic fashion.

What did we learn from the Suns after they avenged their 123-116 loss on Friday to the Lakers with a remarkable victory?

Find out what the answers are below:

1. Devin Booker is still Devin Booker

Since the start of the season, Booker didn’t score above 23 points through three games. While it could be due to the system that Mike Budenholzer wants to instill throughout the team, it was only a matter of time until Booker finally broke out and reached the 30-point plateau.

He did just that to Los Angeles, leading the Suns with 33 points from 11-of-23 shooting and going 3-for-8 from three. Booker was aggressive when driving into the paint, and shot the ball when he saw an opportunity to let it fly from behind the arch. The Kentucky product did pass it around the perimeter so a teammate could get a better look than he could on multiple occasions, but this game proves that Booker can still produce at a high rate with a new coach and new tactics.

2. Ryan Dunn is the real deal

One of the players who has been impressive since entering the NBA this season is rookie Ryan Dunn, and he backed it up yet again.

Known primarily for his defense, Dunn blocked a shot, was a pass disruptor and mounted immense pressure on whichever Laker he was assigned to guard. He left a couple of Lakers looking up in the sky because of how he limited or negated them from scoring.

Having the difficult task of starting and defending Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić on Saturday, Dunn did the most that he could against a perennial superstar. No matter who Budenholzer has him up against, the 21-year-old gives it his best effort and that is all that his team can ask for.

“I think he carries himself more mature, he lives a mature lifestyle and his body is developed. He’s strong, his athleticism is already at a top NBA level and he is using it. He’s going to learn some things along the way that are going to make it easier on that, but having that competitive fight to fight over screens and compete is Step 1 and he has that,” Booker said on Dunn.

In four NBA games, the Virginia product is averaging 7.8 points and 1.8 assists per game.

For a late first-round pick who was praised for his defense but criticized for his scoring ability coming out of college, Dunn is proving the doubters wrong and his teammates are embracing everything that he has brought to the table.

3. Suns’ have serious knack for defense, blocks

With Anthony Davis, the Western Conference Player of the Week, on a tear so far this year, the Suns had to pay attention to other players like LeBron James because if someone like him gets hot too, it could be a rough night.

Davis scored 29 points after starting the season with three-straight, 31-plus-point games, reckoning even more havoc on the Suns. He finished with a season-high 35 points last Friday.

Austin Reaves notched 23 points, Rui Hachimura had 20, but, most importantly, James was held to just 11. James struggled so much that his gigantic streak of scoring 10 or more points in 1,226 games straight games was in jeopardy until he kept it alive in the fourth quarter.

Phoenix ended up with 11 blocks and seven steals, a defensive performance that the team will look to build off of going forward. The Suns are tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for fifth in most blocks in the NBA with 7.0 per game.

4. Phoenix has competitive fire no matter what score says

This game could have gotten ugly for the Suns who were down by almost 20 points in the early goings of it, but they hunkered down and made the proper adjustments to give themselves a chance to win.

Even though they let a 22-point lead slip away in Los Angeles against the Lakers on Friday and were pushed all the way to overtime in a nail-biting 116-113 win over the Clippers on Wednesday last week, Phoenix has been resilient during difficult stretches of games and haven’t let the scoreboard faze them.

The Suns never gave up despite trailing, shrinking the deficit more and more as time went on before they took the lead into halftime. The Lakers regained the lead in the third quarter, but the Suns stayed locked in and found a way to come out victorious.

“I think it is just us staying together, keeping our composure. They got to a lead early on in the game and we stuck through the whole game, grinding it out. We got stops when we needed and important rebounds to finish on the other end,” Suns forward Royce O’Neale said.

5. Plumlee proving to be huge upgrade over Drew Eubanks

Signed to a one-year deal in the offseason, Mason Plumlee was added to provide veteran experience and be a reliable depth piece behind Jusuf Nurkić.

In the opportunities that he has had off of the bench, Plumlee has made the most out of every second on the court. While Nurkić was a dismal minus-20 against the Lakers, Plumlee was on the opposite side of the spectrum, a plus-23. Being in the right place at the right time for rebounds, his strong presence in the paint provided a spark the other way.

While Plumlee isn’t going to produce heavily in offense, his defensive versatility and IQ have made him a welcomed addition to Budenholzer’s rotation. He didn’t score or have a shot attempt vs. the Lakers but came away with 10 rebounds and a block in 23 minutes on Monday night.

“It’s early for Mason, but I thought he was fantastic tonight. Sometimes you get different versions of going to the hot hand and defensively, energy and all those things. I thought Mason really had a big, positive impact on the game, so we kinda rolled with him,” Budenholzer said about Plumlee.

Last year, Drew Eubanks was the backup behind Nurkić and wasn’t nearly as effective as Plumlee has been thus far. Eubanks was a minus-106 on the floor for the Suns last year and Phoenix had a major dropoff when going from Nurkić to him.

Though it is early in the season and things can change, Plumlee’s play is not going unnoticed and is quickly making his case as one of the more underrated signings this past free agency.

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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini

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