Suns’ All-Star power with Booker, Paul crushes Grizzlies in decisive win

PHOENIX — Back to business as usual, then.

After a loss for the Phoenix Suns on Saturday to the Indiana Pacers that was troubling in a few different ways, the Suns righted the ship on Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies for a decisive 122-99 win.

It is not surprising to hear the head coach of a Chris Paul-led team say the following:

“We have poor losers. That’s something that I actually like,” Monty Williams said. “When I was a kid they called you a sore loser if you couldn’t handle losing correctly. We have a bunch of guys like that.”

Williams described the mood as “tense” in the morning shootaround and that the team showed “remorse” in Sunday’s meeting after that loss.

Beyond the defensive issues against the Pacers, Phoenix (26-12) had a rare night of neither of its All-Star guards playing well. As one would expect, both of those guys bounced back.

With the Suns up eight at halftime against Memphis, Paul and Devin Booker scored or assisted 32 of Phoenix’s 36 points in the third quarter. That did not include two free throws by Mikal Bridges that Paul set up.

Out of the half, Paul ran pick-and-rolls with Ayton to get Phoenix’s first eight points. From there, Booker took over and ascended. He logged 11 of his 27 points and three of his five assists in the last nine minutes of the quarter.

“They do it within the scheme of what we do,” Williams said of Booker and Paul. “That’s the thing that gives me a level of gratification. Having two players like that that can go get their own shot but they play that way within our system and they let their talents show within everything that we teach every day.”

In a mildly contested game played decently by both sides that didn’t have many fireworks, it was enough to engulf any chance Memphis (17-19) had left in the game. The Suns entered the fourth quarter up 19 and rode that advantage to a win.

Paul contributed 18 points, three rebounds, seven assists and three steals on 9-of-11 shooting. Booker shot 10-of-19.

“We’re finding the chemistry game-by-game,” Booker said.

Deandre Ayton had an encouraging stretch in the back-half of the second quarter, getting back to the very impactful defense he showed more of last season. When Ayton checked back in with 6:11 to go in the first half, the Suns outscored the Grizzlies 16-9. A lot of that was, by default, because of Ayton, as Memphis was relentlessly going at him over that stretch through ball screens.

He showed his best defensive stretch in a while and an engaged effort allowed his team to have control of the game at the half, which Booker and Paul took in stride to seal the deal.

For Ayton, that rolled over to a confident fourth quarter.

Not sure the last time Ayton had three possessions this impressive/encouraging in one quarter. Maybe that magical 2-week stretch earlier this season? Changes everything — EVERYTHING — when he plays like this. pic.twitter.com/8BFnufS3jF

— Matt Petersen (@TheMattPetersen) March 16, 2021

Ayton finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, a constant reminder with the big fella that the box score can be quite deceiving in terms of his actual impact on a game.

“I just thought his presence in the paint was a bit more forceful and demonstrative tonight … That’s how we want him to play,” Williams said. “I told him at halftime, ‘That’s the standard I’m holding you to. When I’m getting on you and yelling and screaming at you about stuff, that’s the reason why.’ He has the ability to be a force in the paint and we need him to do it every night.”

Williams went on about the inconsistency in Ayton’s game.

“I’m always telling him, ‘You can’t go backwards. Once you show me that you can do something, that’s what I’m going to hold you to. You set a standard and it’s on me and the staff, but me to hold you to that,'” he said.

The Suns needed that surge from Ayton because Memphis’ Jonas Valanciunas dominated the first half of the game. He ended the night with 24 points and 17 rebounds on 14 shots. Not a lot of that was on Ayton, as some of Valanciunas’ buckets came on the offensive glass when Ayton’s defensive assignment had him elsewhere.

It’s a notable occurrence since that happened with Portland’s Enes Kanter two games ago, perhaps something within the Suns’ defense the opposition is capitalizing on recently. Kanter had six offensive rebounds on Thursday and Valanciunas grabbed eight Monday.

With Cam Johnson (health and safety protocols) out the last four games and Abdel Nader (right knee soreness) also sidelined, Williams had to get creative with only two wings. Looking at Memphis’ personnel as a likely influencer, that was a guard-heavy rotation with Langston Galloway getting back in the rotation.

Galloway was, shocker, able to make some plays. He provided six points, two rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes after not being in the rotation for over a month.

Williams spoke highly of how the veteran guard always stays ready.

“It’s who he is. He’s an everyday-type guy  … Has an unreal routine. He’s preparing for his opportunity every day and it’s not just the basketball. It’s his diet, it’s the way he approaches everyone in life,” Williams said. “It’s something we value. We know we can throw him in the game (and) he’s going to give us good effort, he’s gonna space the floor and he’s got experience and knowhow.”

Water is wet, the sky is blue and Dario Saric had another strong plus-minus. He was plus-20 in 20 minutes that he scored seven points and snagged six rebounds in.

The Suns shot 56.6% and had 28 assists.

Memphis point guard Ja Morant must not have enjoyed defending Paul. His final line was 15 points, three rebounds and four assists on 4-of-12 shooting.

Going back to the whole losing bit at the top, here’s some of what Paul had to say when asked about that:

“You show me someone fine with losing and I’ll show you a loser.”

Not difficult to see why his teams always win, eh?

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