The Suns have been in pretty poor form of late, suffering a three-game losing streak before facing the Rockets. For the Suns, they need a win. The Rockets, on their side, are playing Game 2 of a back-to-back, and considering the team's injuries and players' fitness issues, this game is very stretched. The final result was seen by everyone, and the Suns completed a big victory and ended their losing streak. So what are the points worth analyzing in this game?
If you want to say that the Suns won the game, there are 5 in total. The first is Durant. In this game, Durant changed his approach and played a little frustrated before, but in this game Durant incarnated James and became the team's passer. At the end of the game, Durant handed out 16 assists, and Durant did not forget to score, scoring a triple-double of 27 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds. In fact, when Durant plays like this, the game is very interesting.
The second is Booker. Booker was quite focused in this game, and he must have wanted to win the game. Booker made 9 of 19 shots and finished with 20 points and seven assists. Booker may not score much, but he's around for more than just scoring. Booker came out of the previous haze, and he also knew what to do. But what's weird is that Booker only made 1 free throw, and didn't make too many free throws, which is also very rare this season.
The third hero is Gordon. Gordon was heavily used by Vogel in this game, and he also got a lot of shots, which gave Vogel a great reward. Gordon made 10 of 15 shots and 7-of-11 three-pointers to finish with 27 points. Gordon only does one thing, and that's scoring. When Gordon plays like this, both Durant and Booker will have an easy time. In a way, this was originally what Bill did, and now it's a little hard for Gordon Sr. to do it.
The fourth hero is Aaron. Allen was silent in this game, and he also got 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. The value of Allen's existence, scoring is only one aspect, and more important is defense. Allen also showed great concentration in this game, and the team benefited from the shooting in the game. For Durant, as long as Allen plays like this every game, then Durant can also deliver a lot of assists, after all, someone digests the ball.
The fifth hero is Azubuk. In the case of this player, it was Nurkic who unearthed the treasure during his injury. Vogel still reused Azubuke in this game, and the guy also contributed 11 points and 5 rebounds, with a plus/minus of +15 on the court. In fact, in Vogel's system, a meat shield center is needed. Nurkic is right at center, but Nurkic is a bit soft. Now that Azubuuk is playing, Vogel has one more option.
Overall, the Suns had a lot of bright spots in the game, scoring 50 points inside and dispelling out 28 assists in the game. However, we also need to note that the Suns are fundamentally lacking a guard, and without a good point guard, the game will be difficult, and Durant will not be able to deliver 16 assists per game. The Suns need to make roster adjustments, otherwise they won't go far this season.
The Suns have stopped their decline for the time being, but they can't relax. The next Suns schedule is not easy, and there are strong teams such as the Clippers and Heat in the later stage, and the game will be very tense.