NBA Debate: Are the Pelicans contenders? And are the Nets back?
New Orleans is atop the West. Brooklyn is quietly climbing out East. And what's wrong in Miami? Our NBA experts dive in.DECEMBER 10, 2022
PHOENIX SUNS 9-7 · 7TH IN WESTERN CONFERENCE
9-7 · 7TH IN WESTERN CONFERENCE
Next Game vs Lakers · Wed 3:00AM
PHX -2.5 TOTAL 234.5
William Guillory: End of the 3rd: Pelicans 95, Suns 82... - The Athletic End of the 3rd: Pelicans 95, Suns 82 Williamson 24 pts, 7 rebs Alvarado 16 pts McCollum 13 pts (10 in 3rd) Bench points NOP: 41 PHX: 18
DECEMBER 10, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Zion Williamson And-1 on Jock Landale | Pelicans vs. Suns Highlights 12/9/2022
DECEMBER 10, 2022 • YOUTUBE
William Guillory: End of the 1st half: Pelicans 55, Suns 52... - The Athletic End of the 1st half: Pelicans 55, Suns 52 Alvarado 16 pts (3-3 on 3s) Williamson 13 pts, 5 rebs Marshall 7 pts, 4 assts First half was just...
DECEMBER 10, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM
William Guillory: Zion and JV: 7 rebounds Suns: 7 rebounds The... - The Athletic Zion and JV: 7 rebounds Suns: 7 rebounds The size difference has jumped out early in this one. ZIon has 5 points and 3 rebounds with 6 minut...
DECEMBER 10, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM
William Guillory: End of the 1st: Suns 27, Pelicans 26... - The Athletic End of the 1st: Suns 27, Pelicans 26 Williamson 7 pts, 4 rebs Nance 6 pts Alvarado 5 pts
DECEMBER 10, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Pelicans face the Suns on 5-game win streak
New Orleans plays Phoenix looking to continue its five-game win streakDECEMBER 9, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
HYPE: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns 12/9/22 and 12/11/22
DECEMBER 9, 2022 • YOUTUBE
Booker, Phoenix set for matchup with New Orleans
Devin Booker leads Phoenix into a matchup against New Orleans averaging 27.9 points per gameDECEMBER 9, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Phoenix faces Detroit, looks for 5th straight home win Detroit Pistons (5-15, 15th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Phoenix Suns (11-6, first in the Western Conference)
DECEMBER 9, 2022 • THESTAR.COM
Torrey Craig - Gets 24 minutes in return Craig (groin) finished with 11 points (5-9 FG, 1-5 3Pt), three rebounds, one assist and one block in 24 minutes Wednesday in the Suns' 125-98 loss to the Celtics.
Impact Craig didn't face a playing-time restriction as he made his return from a three-game absence, but the Suns didn't extend him -- or any of their other four starters -- beyond 25 minutes in a game the Celtics had well in hand by halftime. Before missing time with the right groin strain, Craig had averaged 8.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 treys, 1.2 blocks and 0.8 steals in 28.7 minutes in his 13 starts this season.
DECEMBER 9, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Duane Washington Jr. - Remains out Washington (hip) will not play in Friday's game against the Pelicans, Gerald Bourguet of GoPHNX.com reports.
Impact Washington will miss a third straight contest due to a muscle strain in his left hip. His next chance to return will come Sunday in New Orleans. However, with Chris Paul back in action for Phoenix, Washington is unlikely to be a major part of the nightly rotation.
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Next 5: Phoenix Suns hit the road looking to rebound after blowout losses After embarrrasing losses to Dallas and Boston, the Suns will try to reverse course starting Friday. Here's a look at their next five games.
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM
Moore: Suns need to get right against Pelicans or pressure shifts to James Jones After lopsided losses to Dallas and Boston, things won't get easier for the Phoenix Suns on the road against the Pelicans.
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM
Jayson Tatum Absolutely Roasts Grant Williams After Celtics Blowout vs. Suns The Boston Celtics are winning games and having fun doing it. Boston extended its winning streak to three games and improved its league-best...
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
Jayson Tatum Absolutely Roasts Grant Williams After Celtics Blowout vs. Suns The Boston Celtics are winning games and having fun doing it. Boston extended its winning streak to three games and improved its league-best...
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • SACBEE.COM
How the bond Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla and Suns guard Damion Lee formed in Maine helped launch their careers - The Boston Globe After being cut from the Celtics during training camp in 2016 he was assigned to their G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. That same ye...
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • BOSTONGLOBE.COM
Quote Box: Reaction to Brittney Griner's release from Russia
Reactions after WNBA star Brittney Griner was freed from a Russian prison in a high-profile prisoner exchangeDECEMBER 8, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chris Paul - Minimal impact in return Paul (heel) contributed four points (2-6 FG, 0-2 3Pt), four rebounds, four assists and one steal across 24 minutes during Wednesday's 125-98 loss to the Celtics.
Impact Back in action after a 14-game absence due to a heel injury, Paul returned with a playing-time restriction in place, though none of the Suns' other four starters exceeded 25 minutes due to the blowout nature of the game. Fantasy managers should expect better performances moving forward, though it may take another game or two before Paul is completely free of restrictions. With Paul back in the fold, Cameron Payne moved back to the bench and is expected to see his fantasy value decline significantly moving forward.
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Mikal Bridges - Struggles in loss Bridges logged four points (2-12 FG, 0-5 3Pt), three rebounds and one steal across 28 minutes during Wednesday's 125-98 loss to the Celtics.
Impact Bridges scored in single digits for just the fourth time in 2022, and his four points were a season low. He also played the third-fewest amount of minutes due to the Suns being blown out.
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
NBA, Celtics Twitter react to Boston's 125-98 utter destruction of the Suns It is not very often one sees the sort of offensive beatdown that the Boston Celtics laid on the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • USATODAY.COM
Deandre Ayton - Has quiet night in blowout loss Ayton registered eight points (4-7 FG), seven rebounds, two assists and one steal across 24 minutes during Wednesday's 125-98 loss to the Celtics.
Impact Ayton got off to a solid start in the first half with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field to go along with seven boards before failing to record a point or rebound over just seven minutes of action in the second half. After recording seven straight double-doubles to finish out November, Ayton has just one through four games this month. He's also scored fewer than 10 points in two of those games.
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Devin Booker - Another rough night from field Booker finished Wednesday's 125-98 loss to Boston with 17 points (6-17 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds, three assists and one block across 25 minutes.
Impact Booker struggled from the field for the second game in a row Wednesday, knocking down just three of 10 shot attempts in the first half for 10 points before adding seven second-half points on 3-of-10 shooting. The Suns guard did not play in the fourth quarter with the game already out of reach, and he's now scored fewer than 20 points in two straight. It was also the third time in his last seven games that he's shot 35 percent or lower from the field.
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Josh Okogie - Erupts for career-high 28 Okogie finished with 28 points (8-14 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 8-10 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and one block across 23 minutes in Wednesday's 125-98 loss to the Celtics.
Impact Okogie appeared to be one of the top candidates to see his a role reduction Wednesday with Chris Paul (heel) and Torrey Craig (groin) making their returns from multi-game absences, but that didn't materialize. Instead, Okogie was one of the few bright spots in the blowout loss, as he surpassed his previous career-high total in scoring by five points thanks to some sharp shooting from the charity stripe and three-point line. The Celtics were able to turn the game into a blowout by halftime, which likely opened up more playing time and usage for Okogie than anticipated while none of the starters cleared 25 minutes. As such, fantasy managers should view Okogie's performance as an extreme outlier, though the 24-year-old has likely at least bought himself some security in head coach Monty Williams' rotation.
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Celtics Fans Will Love Jayson Tatum's Mentality After Blowout Win vs. Suns The Boston Celtics made a statement Wednesday night. The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics traveled to Phoenix to take on the Western Confe...
DECEMBER 8, 2022 • SACBEE.COM
