yeah, this is one of those "watch until they're losing by 20 at the half and then go to bed" kind of games
Power rankings: https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2020-21-week-17 1 Last Week: 2 ↑ Phoenix Suns Record: 37-15 Pace: 98.2 (24) OffRtg: 115.5 (7) DefRtg: 108.6 (5) NetRtg: +7.0 (2) In two wins over the Jazz, the Suns have allowed the league’s third-ranked offense to score just 101 points per 100 possessions. And in two losses to the Clippers, they’ve allowed the league’s top-ranked offense to score 123 per 100. The working theory in this space is that their defense is better than the sum of its parts, not great with individual matchups (they rank 29th in isolation defense), but great at helping, rotating, and defending teams that rely on ball movement. There were some really nice sequences in that win over Utah on Wednesday. The Utah matchup is also a favorable one because the Suns have two of the five guys who have shot better than 50% on at least 200 pull-up 2s. And on Wednesday, Chris Paul (9-for-16) and Devin Booker (6-for-12) were 15-for-28 on those shots against the Jazz’s drop coverage. Booker has had good numbers against the Clips, but the game in L.A. on Thursday got away from the Suns with him off the floor at the start of the third quarter. Since Jae Crowder’s move into the starting lineup in min-March, the team’s minutes with only one of Paul or Booker on the floor (-0.3 points per 100 possessions) haven’t been nearly as good as they were prior (+13.2). The Suns have won seven straight (and 17 of their last 21) games at home, with a five-game homestand having begun with a comfortable win over Washington on Saturday. Week 17: vs. HOU, vs. MIA, vs. SAC, vs. SAS
I may not have the energy or heart for this game, but I’ll still put it on. Hopefully we can keep it close enough to be interesting. Go Rockets!
