Suns Gaining Speed at Appropriate Momentum
The game began with the Suns out to an incredible 15-0 lead, and they never looked back.
Just two Timberwolves players scored in double figures, and in their two meetings with Phoenix, standout Anthony Edwards has shot slightly above 30%.
This paved the way for coach Frank Vogel, Kevin Durant, and Grayson Allen to speak at the news conference following the game.
Which motifs kept coming up?
The team’s defensive improvements and Jusuf Nurkic’s performance. Let’s start with defense, where all three players were in agreement. Durant emphasized the need of establishing the tone early in games and playing together defensively. Allen also emphasized how, during the past few weeks, there has been a noticeable improvement in open communication on the defensive side of the ball.
Early in the season, we got glimpses of our potential both offensively and defensively. After the victory, Durant stated, “I just think that after 77 games, we are getting more and more comfortable with each other.” “Knowing our individual roles and incorporating them into the team. The coaching staff has been highlighting the significance of these games, so we players are just working even harder to improve themselves.
The most information was provided by Coach Vogel, who described in great detail how the several hours of video, drills, and team meetings had been crucial to the noticeable defense development over the previous few weeks.
“We just keep getting better. I think it starts with trying to slow down Anthony Edwards, our big guys really being up on pick and rolls to prevent them from going downhill, and just a lot of improvement from last game,” the player stated. Bradley Beal also made a terrific start to his basketball career.
“We challenged our men to be even better because there are areas we could still be better, even if we had a fantastic performance against the Cavs. Guys responded to our desire to play strong defense; a lot of the things we practiced tonight were applied. Jusuf Nurkic has developed significantly as a rim protector this season, in my opinion. He has blocked everything that has attempted to enter the hoop, understood that drop coverage is what we want him to be in, and essentially trusted his teammates to attack, block shots, and cover his back.
“I found it most impressive that they only had nine fast break scores, despite our 18 turnovers. We are faring doing better than we were even two weeks ago in retrieving those belongings. We simply committed to running our transition defense every day and figuring out how to improve our effort, focus, attentiveness, matching up, and other strategies to preserve those possessions. This was in answer to Anthony Edwards.
Nurkic has maybe been the most underappreciated player for the Suns this season, but the team is aware of his accomplishments.
“He’s a beast,” was Grayson Allen’s succinct but moving remark.
He typically makes extremely accurate readings on the pick and roll. recognizing when to challenge the man at the rim or remain home for the big game. He does a fantastic job modifying pictures. It’s impossible to take (Jusuf) Nurkic back. He’s solid even when the men try to bump him back. He has been excellent all year and will be contesting there. He is quite cunning when it comes to obtaining blocks, meeting guys at the rim, and pinning it against the glass.
The plain fact is that Phoenix is exhibiting its most consistent basketball play of the year. The group seems to be playing as cohesively as they have in at least two months. Nobody wants to play this club in a postseason series.
A large portion of that may be ascribed to the defensive improvements, the great execution of the game plan by the supporting cast, and the leadership displayed by the star players.
The Suns’ next game is against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday afternoon; if they win, it will be extremely difficult for anyone else to catch them for the conference’s sixth seed.