Why does Dillon Brooks think it was good for Suns to get ‘slapped in the mouth’ in opener?

The Phoenix Suns’ season-opening game against the Portland Trail Blazers couldn’t have gone much worse.

Phoenix started the game down 21-0 while looking completely out of sorts on both ends of the court. They ended up losing 124-83.

Where did Phoenix miss the mark the most?

“Communication, energy and togetherness,” forward Dillon Brooks told reporters. “We got spread out, we weren’t talking as much and we weren’t stopping the bleeding.”

The Suns didn’t score their first points of the game until Devin Booker made two free throws with 5:54 left in the first quarter.

Despite losing in this fashion, Brooks said it was better “to get slapped in the mouth like that” this early in the season.

“It’s not good that it’s the first game,” Brooks said. “But it’s not like game 50 where we’re in a predicament with seeding or whatever it is … so we’re going to learn from it.”

Brooks finished the game with 10 points and four rebounds on 4-for-11 shooting.

The Suns will look to get their first win of the season in their home opener on Saturday at 7 p.m. MST when they’ll play host to Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

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