The Phoenix Suns were partying like it was Thanksgiving again at Footprint Center on Thursday night.
In a promising win over the Atlanta Hawks, the team flashed its most complete 48 minutes of basketball in a very long while. The question on everyone’s mind after watching so many brutal losses lately is... will it stick?
No one win will convince Suns fans that this team is back on track. The hole they dug for themselves is too deep.
But against Atlanta, they looked like the team that started 8-1. The Suns were aggressive and diligent on defense, forcing key turnovers and making adjustments against Hawks star Trae Young. They flipped from allowing 72 points in the first half to just 43 in the second half.
We never expected offense to be an issue for this Suns roster, but Thursday night brought relief on that end as well. The Suns’ best shooters piled up threes, and the team shared the ball en route to 33 assists.
With a win at arm’s reach late, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker orchestrated a mean two-man game that took the Suns home. They frequently burned Atlanta’s switching defense and both players scored and assisted throughout the period. Grayson Allen was the beneficiary as an open outlet when the Hawks sent helpers, with 10 points in the fourth.
This is the recipe for the Suns: Overwhelming offense and enough defense to eek out wins. It is how they won before Thanksgiving and it will be how they win in the new year.
If they remember that, the Suns can use this game as a springboard to get out of this rut and back toward a playoff push.
