The Phoenix Suns are viewed as underachievers, and a recent report suggested the club has a toxic locker room.
Somebody forget to tell Grayson Allen about the atmosphere around the club.
The Suns delivered one of their top victories of the season on Friday night and will look to follow up with another strong effort when they host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
Allen played a huge role in Friday’s 135-127 overtime win against the Utah Jazz. The Suns trailed by four points late in regulation before Allen buried two 3-pointers in the final 1.2 seconds, the latter tying the score as time expired and forcing overtime.
Then he opened the extra session with another 3-pointer as Phoenix scored the first eight points and landed an improbable victory to end a three-game skid.
So how about that ESPN report pertaining to the atmosphere in the locker room?
“It was a very happy locker room. It was not toxic at all,” said Allen, drawing laughs from the assembled media. “It was a big one for us. I felt we really connected late in that game.”
Phoenix coach Mike Budenholzer shot down the toxic report with a “not true” retort.
“Making it through a season and all the things that come with that are never easy,” Budenholzer said after Friday’s win. “So it’s not like this has been a perfect or an easy ride, but I think the guys’ commitment to each other, the guys’ willingness to learn and grow is good. So that’s what I see.”
Devin Booker stood out and scored a season-best 47 points to go with 11 assists. Allen scored 21 points on seven 3-pointers.
Booker played 49 minutes with Kevin Durant (ankle) and Bradley Beal (toe) sitting out.
Durant, who has missed the past two games, is 26 points away from becoming the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets are thriving and have won five straight games and 13 of their past 17.
Denver didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline but there was still concern.
“Now that the deadline’s over, I can take a deep breath and just focus on the task at hand, which is trying to close out these games prior to the (All-Star) break,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
Still, Malone is far from feeling satisfaction though Denver stands third in the Western Conference and still has the key cogs from the team that won the 2023 NBA Finals.
“Obviously, far from being where we want to be, but guys throughout the season, different guys have stepped up and shown what they’re capable of,” Malone said. “Our greatest challenge, moving forward with four games to go prior to the break and coming out of the break, is trying to get healthy.”
Denver will be without Russell Westbrook (hamstring) for the fifth consecutive game. Jamal Murray (knee) and Michael Porter Jr. (hamstring) are questionable and Aaron Gordon (calf) is probable.
The Nuggets surely want to see Porter on the floor as he has been sensational over the past three games by averaging 35 points and 8.7 rebounds. He also is shooting 63.9 percent (39 of 61) from the field and 58.6 percent (17 of 29) from 3-point range during the hot streak.
Porter didn’t have a 30-point outing all season until scoring 36 and 39 in back-to-back games against the New Orleans Pelicans and following up with 30 in Thursday’s 112-90 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his 24th triple-double of the season.
Denver and Phoenix split two meetings earlier this season. The Nuggets registered a 117-90 home win on Dec. 23, while the Suns recorded a 110-100 home victory on Christmas night.
–Field Level Media
