Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams (R) talks to Jae Crowder # 99, Abdel Nader # 11, Chris Paul # 3, Cameron Payne # 15 and Mikal Bridges # 25 for a time out of overtime 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: The relatively healthy Phoenix Suns, in a groove and with the second-best record in the NBA, head to the NBA All-Star with a major juice.
As if it had been the start of 24-11 that included 16 wins in their last 19 outings, the Suns did so with a full team effort.
They closed out the first half of the 2020-21 calendar on Thursday with a 120-98 victory over the Golden State Warriors at the Phoenix Suns Arena and 61 of their points came off the bench.
“Sheesh,” reserve wing Abdel Nader said when asked about that much-seen number.
Nader added 14 points with nine boards, and safety backup Cam Payne added 17 points with 10 assists. It was Payne’s first double-double since a March 2018 game when he was with the Chicago Bulls.
“It’s been crazy,” Payne said of the past twelve months that saw him catch up with Phoenix in the bubble and return this season. “It’s been a real scary roller coaster … I think I’ve found a home.”
The heat and cold of Payne in recent weeks and the success of the Suns through her are not an anomaly this season.
Remember, All-Star’s own injury and return of Devin Booker in mid-January caused this sudden jolt of success. The same goes for the boy who is undoubtedly her sixth husband, Dario Saric.
The Suns survived their absences and prospered afterwards.
On Thursday, contributions to the Phoenix bench allowed Suns head coach Monty Williams to rest his headlines for the entire fourth quarter on a night when the Warriors were Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kelly Oubre Jr.
The Suns headlines weren’t exactly clear Thursday.
They combined for ten business figures and started at a slow pace.
Phoenix led 24-23 with 1:41 left in the first quarter, but behind their bench the players finished the period with a 10-0 jump. It extended to become a 21-2 run three minutes into the second quarter, and Golden State never threatened from there.
It’s been a year-round issue for the bench to change pitch, change pace, or just apply cool bodies to get the Suns out of trouble. This happened on Thursday with Nader, Payne and Saric finishing the game with more or less over 20 each.
Despite the big night of the second unit, success in a match caused worries towards the second half of the year. This introspective approach in the midst of success is why the Suns players credit Williams. It never stops biting.
The head coach mentioned the nine back-to-back of the second half of the calendar as something he would study during the break.
He added that he is still looking for a solidified rotation.
“Yeah, because I haven’t found (I’ve found an answer) so far,” Williams said laughing. “Just trying to settle for who the security support point will be is something I haven’t been able to have a level of comfort with.
“Cam has played well tonight, but I’m still looking for him to be stronger at times. … This will be a huge decision in the second half of the season. “
Payne and E’Twaun Moore have been in this conversation and after a couple of rough games a week, free time helped restore the former. The minute reduction last week against Chicago and Minnesota also allowed Payne to stay healthy due to a persistent foot / ankle injury.
He admitted he has to do a better job being a “plague” on defense. Your health could also improve during rest.
But his success in the shoots has gotten the Suns out of trouble.
The same goes for Nader, who Williams said was forced to be part of the squad in recent games, feeling the athletic slasher and active defender bring something that no one else on the team can do.
Saric, Nader, Moore, Frank Kaminsky and Langston Galloway have provided their own unique pop throughout the year.
They have legitimately won games for the Suns, but they have also saved the legs of people like Booker, who scored 16 points on a 6-of-20 shot against Golden State.
“We saw it on the last trip, second half to Chicago, I felt like they came in and won that game for us, they gave us a lot of momentum,” Williams said of his second drive. “Laker’s game (Tuesday) when Book comes out, the bench was valuable at an important time.
“It’s very gratifying to be able to put these guys in the game and, on a different level, to be able to rest some of our starters. If we can be more consistent with this group … it will be important in the second half with all the backs we will face. “
Booker hit his quad against the Warriors and from then on didn’t look good, but Williams said he should be fine.
Again, the coach was grateful to have the luxury of resting his All-Star shooting guard and the rest of the starters for a full quarter as he won.
Now comes the All-Star break.
With the Suns able to rest.
And with them, only the Utah Jazz (27-9) in the league-wide standings.