Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams (R) talks to Jae Crowder # 99, Abdel Nader # 11, Chris Paul # 3, Cameron Payne # 15 and Mikal Bridges # 25 during extra time in the NBA game against the Denver Nuggets at the Phoenix Suns Arena on January 23, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
PHOENIX – Relatively healthy, in a groove, and with the NBA’s second-best record, the Phoenix Suns enter the NBA All-Star break with serious juice.
As if it had seen the start of 11/24 with 16 wins in their last 19 games, the Suns did it with a full team effort.
They closed the first half of the 2020-21 schedule with a 120-98 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns Arena on Thursday, with 61 of their points coming off the bench.
“Sheesh,” said Reserve Wing Abdel Nader when asked about that ostentatious number.
Nader scored 14 points to go with nine boards, and backup point guard Cam Payne added 17 points with 10 assists. It was Payne’s first double-double since a March 2018 game while playing with the Chicago Bulls.
“It’s been crazy,” said Payne of the past 12 months, who saw him hook up with Phoenix in the bubble and return this season. “It’s been a really scary roller coaster … I feel like I’ve found a home.”
Payne’s hot and cold past weeks, and the Suns’ success through it, is no exception this season.
Remember, All-Star Devin Booker’s own injury and return in mid-January triggered this sudden shock of success. The same goes for the man who might be their sixth husband, Dario Saric.
The suns survived their absence and then blossomed.
On Thursday, Phoenix’s contributions to the bench allowed Suns head coach Monty Williams to rest his starters for the entire fourth quarter on a night when Warriors Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kelly Oubre Jr.
The Suns starters weren’t exactly crunchy on Thursday.
They came together for 10 sales and got off to a rocky start.
Phoenix led 24-23 with 1:41 left in the first quarter, but behind the bench the players closed the period with a 10-0 sprint. Three minutes into the second quarter, it turned into a 21-2 run, and Golden State never threatened again from there.
It has been a theme throughout the year for the bank to change the tone, change the pace or just apply new bodies to get the suns out of trouble. That happened on Thursday when Nader, Payne and Saric ended the game with plus-minuses over 20 each.
Despite the second unit’s big night, its success in one game sparked concern for the second half of the year. That introspective focus amid success is the reason Suns players credit Williams. He never stops nitpicking.
The head coach named the nine back-to-backs in the second half of the schedule as something he would study during the break.
He added that he is still looking for a solidified spin.
“Yeah, because I haven’t (found an answer yet) so far,” Williams said, laughing. “Just trying to get used to who becomes the backup point guard is something I have not been comfortable with.
“Cam played well tonight, but I’m still looking for a solid player in a few moments. … That will be a huge decision in the second half of the season. “
Payne and E’Twaun Moore have been on that conversation, and after a few tough matches a week ago, the time off helped with the previous reset. A reduction in minutes last week against Chicago and Minnesota also allowed Payne to recover from a persistent foot / ankle injury.
He admitted that he must do his best to be a “plague” to the defense. His health could also improve more during the recess.
But his success in sprints has helped the Suns out of trouble.
The same is true of Nader, who told Williams he’s been forced into the lineup in the past several games because he feels the athletic slasher and active defender is bringing something that no one else on the team can.
Saric, Nader, Moore, Frank Kaminsky and Langston Galloway have provided their own unique pop all year round.
They’ve legitimately won matches for the Suns, but they’ve also saved the legs from Booker, who scored 16 points on 6-of-20 shots against Golden State.
“We saw it on the last trip, the second half in Chicago, I felt like they came in and won that game for us, it gave us a lot of momentum,” Williams said of his second unit. Laker’s game (Tuesday) when Book goes out turned out to be valuable to the bank at a great time.
“It is quite gratifying to be able to put those guys in the game and to let some of our starters rest on a different level. If we can be more consistent with that group … it will be important in the second half with all the back-to-backs we will be dealing with. “
Booker got hit on his quad to the Warriors and didn’t look good from then on, but Williams said it would be fine.
Again, the coach was grateful to have the luxury of letting his All-Star shooting guard and the rest of the starters rest for an entire quarter while taking the win.
Now comes the All-Star break.
With the suns able to rest.
And with them trailing only the Utah Jazz (27-9) in the overall league standings.