Vinny’s View: Suns take solid step even if win over Magic doesn’t solve everything

OK, everyone… exhale.

I’m not suggesting that the Suns’ 117-104 win over the shorthanded Orlando Magic is the elixir this team needed to fix its myriad issues. But it sure was a solid first step.

The Suns’ struggling early-season defense improved, forcing 25 Magic turnovers that led to 36 points and they avoided the letdown quarter that had plagued them in seemingly every loss. Six different Phoenix players had at least two steals.

Devin Booker led the offense with a very efficient night as a scorer and distributor. Book had his second straight 30-point night on 50% shooting and dished out a season-high eight assists. He displayed sharp court vision, finding open 3-pointers in the corners on laser-beam diagonal passes.

Booker received a lot of heat early, and maybe deservedly so, after a couple of unrecognizable games. He’s responded very well in his last three, averaging a shade under 30 points per game while shooting 48% from the floor and 40% from 3.

Dillon Brooks shined with 24 points, Ryan Dunn continued his impressive early-season play, Luke Kennard was looking for his shots again and even second-year big man Khaman Maluach took a step. Man Man came off the bench, played 21 minutes and in the second half displayed progress. In the fourth quarter, Maluach took a pass in the paint, caught it cleanly and turned over his right shoulder, sinking a smooth, lefty hook.

While this win is not the ultimate fix, it gave the Suns some things they needed — a feeling of validation, a shot of confidence and a chance to quiet the increasing panic-fueled noise.

They’ll need it going into the rest of this homestand, with visits from a certain former Sun and the league’s resident alien coming in the next few days.

Vince Marotta has been the Phoenix Suns’ PA announcer since 2016 in addition to his duties as co-host of Bickley & Marotta. On weekdays after Suns home games, you can listen to Vinny’s View on Arizona Sports 98.7 at 7 a.m. or read what he saw from the front row at Mortgage Matchup Center here.

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