Phoenix Suns goalie Devin Booker (1) leads between Orlando Magic striker Dwayne Bacon (8) and center Nikola Vucevic (9) in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Sunday, February 14, 2021, in Phoenix. (Photo by AP / Rick Scuteri)
Is that how you are on the other side?
The Phoenix Suns’ 109-90 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday was elementary, with the Suns having to move to second or third gear for just a few stretches during a fairly easy route.
This was mainly due to the fact that Magic had only eight players available. Their star, Nikola Vucevic, was inside, but outside of that, only Michael Carter-Williams and Terrence Ross remained in terms of the role of reliable rotation players.
The terrible start for Orlando certainly did not help the problems.
Magic (10-18) took just one of his first 13 photos. A handful of them looked decent, but they simply looked like a team that has already come out mentally, blowing defensive rotations, a Steve Clifford team would not dare to handle.
Meanwhile, Devin’s Devin Booker scored 17 points in the first quarter.
At the end of the first quarter, it was Booker 17, Magic 16.
There is a certain level of urgency that a professional sports team must have. We’ve all seen what it looks like when it’s missing.
It’s not like the Suns were 100%, never, but it was enough to do the job and take a cruise.
In the second quarter, there was an 8-0 Magic run, which reduced Phoenix’s lead to 15. But after a timeout by head coach Monty Williams, the Suns never lost the stability there.
At the break, Magic had four points in the paint and zero quick points.
Phoenix (17-9) kept the lead over 15 throughout. Booker finished with 27 points, Mikal Bridges added 21 and Chris Paul had 12 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Orlando took 37.1% from the field.
Although there should have been no doubt that the Suns could take care of Sunday’s business, there was some concern on the part of the fans, given the team’s losses. These include an explosive defeat in Washington, a no-show at home to Oklahoma City and a tough performance in Detroit.
Entering Sunday, the Suns were 9-6 against teams under .500 and 7-3 against the others. They had 79 minutes of the clutch, most in the NBA, so another decisive victory or two that had not yet been recorded was slightly abnormal, given their success. This is not a concern and no complaint about a team that has now won nine of its last 10 games. Just a fact of how it’s progressing this season.
Not every win can be like Saturday’s against the Philadelphia 76ers, the victory of the season so far.
Winning as they won against Magic is something that great teams do, and Suns fans should know that by now how many have done it in Phoenix in the last two years. In the second back-to-back game, the execution was pleasant to watch.
“More than anything, we did what we had to do to win the game,” Williams said. “We had some really emotional games in this building. And to win the way we won the last few games – we didn’t even want to talk about a downfall, because we’re not the kind of team that can look at anyone other than in (to) respect them.
“So the entry and management of our business is huge for us.”