There is one month left until all 1,230 regular season games have been played. Only one team has the assurance of continuing its season beyond this milestone for the moment: Phoenix. The official qualification of the Suns was too expected to be an event but the fact that it was obtained after a shock against the leader of the other conference adds shine, especially as Devin Booker and his teammates did not do things by halves with great success (90-111).
It all happened in the second half when the two teams were still in contact at the break (55-57). The Suns, who were recovering Booker after four games away (Covid-19), took control after returning from the locker room with a 12-3 (58-69, 28th) and never let go. Faced with a Heat deprived of Jimmy Butler (cold), Phoenix succeeded “one of the best defensive performances” Phoenix coach Monty Williams has ever seen, limiting the Heat to 35 points in 24 minutes.
With this success, enabled in particular by a clear domination in the rebound (55 taken to 38), Phoenix has now beaten all of the 29 other NBA teams during this 2021-2022 season alone. It is also a revenge for the humiliation experienced at home in January against the same team (100-123). “We wanted to send a message”, confirmed Booker. Well received.
