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Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) leads between Orlando Magic forward Dwayne Bacon (8) and center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, February 14, 2021, in Phoenix . (AP Photo / Rick Scuteri)
Is that what being on the other side looks like?
The Phoenix Suns’ 109-90 victory over Orlando Magic on Sunday was elementary, with the Suns having to move up to second or third for just a few periods during a fairly easy rout.
This was mainly because the Magic only had eight players available. Their star Nikola Vucevic was in the game, but other than that, only Michael Carter-Williams and Terrence Ross were left in terms of reliable rotation players.
The terrible departure from Orlando certainly didn’t help matters.
The Magic (10-18) only made one of their first 13 shots. A handful of those were decent, but they just looked like a team that had already come out of it mentally, blowing up defensive rotations that a Steve Clifford side wouldn’t dare to spoil.
Meanwhile, the Suns’ Devin Booker scored 17 points in the first quarter.
By the end of the first quarter, it was Booker 17, Magic 16.
There is a certain degree of urgency that a professional sports team must have in order to win. We’ve all seen what it looks like when it’s missing.
It’s not like the Suns are 100% either, but it was enough to get the job done and sail.
There was a magical 8-0 run in the second quarter to reduce Phoenix’s lead to 15. But after a timeout from head coach Monty Williams, the Suns’ advantage never really lost stability. from there.
At halftime, the Magic had four points in the paint and zero quick break 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 shot 37.1% from the field.
While there shouldn’t be much doubt that the Suns could take care of business on Sunday, there was some trepidation on the part of the fans given the team’s losses. They include a resounding loss in Washington, a no-show at home against Oklahoma City and a tough performance in Detroit.
Going in on Sunday, the Suns were 9-6 against teams under .500 and 7-3 against others. They had 79 clutch minutes, the most in the NBA, so another decisive win or two not yet on the record was slightly unnatural given their success. This is not a concern or a complaint about a team that has now won nine of their last 10 games. Just a fact about how they are progressing this season.
Not all wins may be like Saturday’s against the Philadelphia 76ers, the win of the season so far.
Winning like they did against the Magic is something great teams do, and Suns fans should know by now, how many have made it to Phoenix in the past two years. In the second game in a row, the execution was nice to see.
“More than anything, we did what we had to do to win the game,” said Williams. “We had some really moving games in this building. And to win the way we’ve won the last few games – we didn’t even want to talk about disappointment because we’re not the kind of team that can look at anyone in any way other than (to) respect -the.
“So stepping in and running our affairs is huge for us.”
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