January 22: The Big Three of the Phoenix Suns are setting the bar high as the team begins to click.
When Phoenix hosts the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, it hopes to win six straight games. Phoenix is currently on a roll.
Apart from a winning run of seven games in November, the Suns have been a patchy team that has fallen short of expectations. But now that Bradley Beal is healthy, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Beal are playing well together, and the victories come.
On Sunday night, the threesome scored 91 points together for the second consecutive game as Phoenix defeated the Indiana Pacers 117-110 at home. With 40 points, Durant took the lead, followed by Booker with 26 and Beal with 25.
Durant made 4 of 7 3-pointers to go to 40 on an excellent 18 of 25 shooting performance.
“All night long, I felt great. My teammates were coming across me. Happy we won,” Durant remarked following the game. “Being accessible is the first step in creating consistency and chemistry every day. We must continue to form positive habits and work hard as a team.
Booker was the star of Friday night’s 123-109 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at home, scoring a season-high 52 points.
Booker remarked, “It’s the definition of pick your poison,” following the victory over Indiana. We’re all entering with an aggressive mindset, so it will be difficult to stop us. In particular, the spacing out there in the late game.”
Due to back and ankle problems, Beal, who was acquired from the Washington Wizards in the offseason, appeared in just six of Phoenix’s first thirty games.
But in seven of the last twelve games since his ankle ailment came back on December 29, Beal has scored more than 20 points. Against the Pacers, he made 11 of 16 shots for 25 points.
The group now aims to assist Phoenix in defeating the Bulls for the seventh time in a row. Since defeating the Suns 116-101 away in Phoenix on March 18, 2019, Chicago has not triumphed over them.
As they start a three-game tour across the West, the Bulls have won their last two games and six of their last eight.
Despite Zach LaVine’s absence, Chicago defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 125-96 at home on Saturday. The star guard hurt his right ankle on Thursday while the team defeated the Toronto Raptors 116-110 on the road.
Despite reports that the two-time All-Star may miss one to two weeks, Bulls coach Billy Donovan declined to estimate LaVine’s recovery time.
“It will depend on his reaction,” Donovan stated on LaVine. “His ankle is definitely swollen. That much is evident. I just don’t know how long it takes for ankle sprains to recover, so I don’t want to give him a deadline.
I regret it for him. He struggled with his foot for a few weeks, overcame it, and returned (Jan. 5). However, this incident has occurred, and he will be sidelined for a short while. I am aware that he is constantly frustrated at not being able to play.”
With LaVine missing for 17 games due to a foot ailment, Chicago finished 10-7.
The Bulls led the Bulls against Memphis with 20 points from Ayo Dosunmu, and DeMar DeRozan added another 18. Seven Bulls scored ten points or more overall.
“Played with a lot of joy,” DeRozan stated following the game. “We enjoy one other’s achievements and seeing each other flourish. Especially with Zach missing, it was significant. Every single individual stood up and made a tremendous impression.”Their victory was good.
