- Gabriel Lundberg‘s NBA debut will be a memorable way to cap off a chaotic month, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Lundberg was playing in Moscow when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. He opted to leave to protect himself and his family, taking them back to his native Denmark before signing a two-way deal with the Suns on March 12. “It’s been a pretty hectic couple of weeks, to say the least,” Lundberg said. “Moving around. A lot of elements we needed to get a hold of. From getting my visa to getting out of the situation in Russia, waiting on my visa coming here. Getting acclimated to the system. Getting to know everyone. Waiting and joining the guys, but overall, I think it’s been a pretty good process.”
- The Suns are hoping to host the All-Star Game soon, according to Evan Sidery of Basketball News. The team will submit a bid to host the game in 2025 and plans to try again for 2026 if that’s unsuccessful.
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, while Suns guard Devin Booker has earned Player of the Week honors in the Western Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
Tatum won the award for a second consecutive week and a third time in March. It’s his fourth total Player of the Week award in 2021/22, which leads all NBA players. Booker is right behind him — this is the third time in ’21/22 that he has been named a Player of the Week.
In three games during the week of March 21-27, Tatum averaged 32.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 5.0 APG with a scorching-hot .582/.500/1.000 shooting line in 33.7 minutes per contest. The Celtics won all three games to extend their winning streak to six.
Booker and the Suns also had a perfect week, with victories over Minnesota, Denver, and Philadelphia. Buoyed by a 49-point outburst against the Nuggets, Booker averaged 37.3 PPG and 6.3 APG in those three games (36.4 MPG), with a shooting line of .581/.429/.829.
The other Eastern Conference nominees this week were LaMelo Ball, RJ Barrett, Joel Embiid, Darius Garland, and Trae Young. Deandre Ayton, Desmond Bane, Luka Doncic, and Nikola Jokic were nominated in the West (Twitter link).
When asked at a recent Suns press conference if he should be considered in the 2022 MVP debate, Phoenix All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker had a pretty concise response, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
“Yes,” Booker said simply. And for good reason.
After All-Star Suns point guard Chris Paul recently sat out Phoenix’s first 15 games following the All-Star break due to a thumb injury, Booker emerged as the team’s leader and the Suns barely missed a beat. Booker has an argument to be a fringe MVP contender, as potentially the best player on the best team in the NBA.
The 6’5″ wing averaged 30.3 PPG across his 11 contests played during Paul’s absence, and the Suns went 8-3 in those games. For the year, the three-time All-Star is averaging 26.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 5.0 APG, on .462/.375/.870 shooting. The 25-year-old is the leading scorer for the team that has already clinched the best record in the NBA (60-14 and counting) and will retain its home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
There’s more out of Phoenix:
- Chris Paul expressed his excitement upon returning to the Suns following his 15 games spent on the sideline as he rehabilitated from his right thumb fracture, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “I’ve been playing pickup like 3-on-3, 2-on-2, (but) 5-on-5 is totally different, especially when your first game back in Denver,” Paul said. The 12-time All-Star scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and logged a game-most 13 dimes in a 140-130 Suns win over the Nuggets on Thursday. “I still have a little ways to go, but it was good to get out there and play,” Paul said. “We missed him,” Booker added.
- Cameron Johnson‘s right quad contusion will sideline him for a 12th consecutive game today, but he’s nearing a return to the floor for Phoenix, writes Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Phoenix head coach Monty Williams revealed that Johnson had no limitations in the club’s most recent practice. “He did everything today. He looked pretty good as far as getting up and down the floor,” Williams said. “He’s not in a situation or a in a position to say he’s playing in the next couple of days. Still got to wait and see how his body responds to days like today.”
- The Suns believe head coach Williams deserves 2022 Coach of the Year honors, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “It shouldn’t even be close,” Chris Paul opined. “No disrespect to all those other coaches and what they’re doing, but what are you watching if this man doesn’t get Coach of the Year?” Phoenix has weathered its fair share of extended injuries absences to key players like Paul and Deandre Ayton, and has remained head-and-shoulders the best team in the league by record. Williams, of course, guided the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993 during his second season with the team last year. “He should’ve had it last year,” small forward Mikal Bridges said. “We won’t go there, but we’re the best team by far right now, record-wise. Yeah, it should be a no-brainer.”
- Elfrid Payton‘s 10.9 minutes per game this season are easily a career low, falling far short of the 28.5 MPG he had averaged in his previous seven seasons. However, he has been willing to embrace a reduced role for the NBA-best Suns, per Dana Scott of The Arizona Republic. “I’m just trying to do my job and stay ready, try to keep this thing going in the right direction,” said Payton, who likely won’t see much action going forward with Chris Paul back in the lineup.
6:40pm: Paul is playing on Thursday, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets.
2:09pm: Suns point guard Chris Paul is listed as probable to return for Thursday’s game at Denver, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Paul has missed the past 15 games with a fractured right thumb; the team went 11-4 in his absence. At 59-14, the Suns hold the best record in the NBA.
They lead the No. 2 seed Grizzlies by nine games with only nine games to play, so one more victory by Phoenix will clinch the No. 1 seed and home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Paul, 36, was named an All-Star for the 12th time this season. Through 58 games (33 MPG), he’s averaging 14.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 10.7 APG, and 1.9 SPG on .487/.330/.843 shooting. His 10.7 assists per game leads the league, and if it holds up it will be his fifth assists title.
It was reported on Monday that Paul was nearing a return to action. He was given a six-to-eight week recovery timetable when he initially suffered the fracture on February 20, but it seems he will return in less than five weeks, which is pretty remarkable given his advanced age (by sports standards).
Cameron Payne has been starting in Paul’s stead and is likely to head back to the bench. He’s played well of late since returning from a right wrist injury, averaging 14.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 9.5 APG on .421/.339/.783 shooting in March (11 games, 30.5 MPG).
- Suns point guard Chris Paul has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game, but is doing “more and more” in recent days and is getting closer to returning from his thumb injury, says Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
Centers have dominated the NBA’s list of Defensive Player of the Year winners over the years, but Suns head coach Monty Williams and star guard Devin Booker believe forward Mikal Bridges has been the best defensive player in the league this season, as Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports relays (Twitter links).
“He should be the Defensive Player of the Year, number one,” Williams said, noting that Bridges has taken on the toughest defensive assignments for the Suns while playing heavy minutes (35.3 MPG without missing a game).
Rudy Gobert is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but voter fatigue could work against the Jazz center, who has won the award in three of the last four seasons. Currently, Heat big man Bam Adebayo is considered the betting favorite by BetOnline.ag and Bovada.lv, with Bridges lurking among the top challengers.
Here are a few more notes from around the Pacific:
- Reports have indicated that the Warriors are optimistic Stephen Curry will return from his foot injury by the time the playoffs begin next month, and Curry confirmed on Sunday that’s the plan. “Yeah, we’ve got enough time for that … but I’m an optimist,” Curry told reporters, including Joe Stiglich of The Associated Press. Curry added that he didn’t view the Marcus Smart dive that caused his injury as “malicious or dirty.”
- Warriors guard Gary Payton II, who initially hoped to return on Sunday from a left knee injury, remained sidelined for that game, but is no longer listed on the injury report and will play on Tuesday in Orlando, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Payton has missed the team’s last eight games.
- Although it has been a disappointing season overall for the Lakers, LeBron James was in good spirits after leading the club to a 131-120 over his old team in Cleveland on Monday night, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I’m literally having the time of my life right now,” James said after the game. “… Because I couldn’t care less what the narrative about our team is. At my point in my career, I don’t get involved in that stuff. I don’t read about it, I don’t hear it too much. … None of that stuff matters to me, I’m having a blast playing the game of basketball.”
- The Lakers, who won in Toronto on Friday and Cleveland on Monday, appear to finally be gaining some confidence, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic, who explores whether fans should have any faith in L.A. to make some noise in the play-in tournament and the playoffs.
When word first broke on February 20 that Suns point guard Chris Paul had fractured his right thumb, the timeline provided for his potential return was six-to-eight weeks. The six-week mark from that date would be April 3, but Paul appears likely to be back even sooner than that, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic.
According to Amick, some sources close to the situation wouldn’t even rule out the possibility that Paul could play as soon as this Wednesday in Minnesota. Amick cautions that the exact timing for Paul’s return will be determined in the coming days.
The Suns guard has recently ramped up his activity and was seen taking part in a “rigorous” workout prior to Sunday’s game vs. Sacramento, according to Amick, who suggests that getting Paul’s conditioning back up to speed and deciding on a reintegration plan appear to be the last steps in his comeback process.
Of course, while a Wednesday return is apparently still in play, the Suns should be in no rush to get the 36-year-old back on the court. The team is 10-4 since Paul went down and holds a nine-game lead on the No. 2 Grizzlies in the Western Conference standings with just 10 games left to play.
In other words, Phoenix won’t need any help from CP3 to officially secure the West’s No. 1 seed. His return will be more about getting him enough regular season reps to ensure he’s ready to roll when the playoffs begin next month.
After visiting the Timberwolves on Wednesday, the Suns will play in Denver on Thursday and will host the Sixers on Sunday before traveling to Golden State to face the Warriors next Wednesday.
- Suns wing Torrey Craig stepped up in the absences of Jae Crowder (groin) and Cameron Johnson (quad) against the Bulls on Friday, as relayed by the Arizona Republic. Craig finished with 14 points and nine rebounds as a starter, shooting 5-of-5 from the floor in 31 minutes of action.
The Suns are surging despite missing star point guard Chris Paul (thumb fracture), going 9-4 in the games they’ve played without him, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Phoenix owns the league’s best record at 57-14, leading the second-place Grizzlies by 8.5 games.
“We know how talented this team is and we always pride ourselves on that,” Devin Booker said. “I always say nobody can replace what Chris does out there. We know how much we’re going to need him when it comes into this playoff run, but in the meantime, we’re just trying to hold it down.”
Phoenix is coming off its first NBA Finals appearance since 1993. The team lost to Milwaukee in six games, but it kept most of its core for this season. It has the chemistry, motivation and talent to make a title run — though it’ll be important to have a fully healthy team.
Here are some other notes from the Pacific:
- Michael Scotto of HoopsHype hosted a Q&A with Suns center Bismack Biyombo, who discussed how and why he’s donating his salary, why he fits in well with the team, and several other topics. Biyombo signed a 10-day hardship deal with Phoenix in January, impressing the club enough to earn a rest-of-season commitment. The 11-year veteran has averaged 6.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game.
- The Lakers embraced Russell Westbrook‘s feel-good moment in Toronto, rallying behind him after he helped the team earn an overtime win on Friday with a game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register writes. “One of the highlights of our season – and it’s been a tough season for us, and specifically for him,” head coach Frank Vogel said. Contrary to public perception, Westbrook’s shooting percentages have only dipped slightly from last season, but his 15.7 shot attempts per game represent his lowest mark since 2009/10.
- Warriors guard Jordan Poole is proving he’s ready for the NBA spotlight, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. Poole is averaging a career-best 17.1 points on 46% shooting this season, establishing himself as a valuable scoring threat in his third season.