The Phoenix Suns began their season last week with an uneven start. Their season opener (as well as home opener) was a bust. They shot a terrible 41% in a 110-98 home loss to the Nuggets. Devin Booker laid an egg, shooting 3-15, Jae Crowder heaved boulders from beyond the arc (0-5), and no one stood out for last season's Western conference champs. A couple nights later, their first road game was a big success as they humiliated the phony Lakers on TNT, leading by as many as 32 points (87-55) before showing mercy and walking out of there with a 115-105 win. The next night, however, they traveled up to Portland and got stepped on, losing 134-105. The Blazers fired fifty 3-pointers and the Suns mostly just watched as 21 of them went in. That 3 games in 4 nights scheduling to begin the season wasn't appreciated by the Suns. The Suns were one of seven NBA teams who had to kick off 2021-22 with 3 games in 4 nights. Six of those teams went 1-2. Only the wholly revamped Bulls thrived by winning all three.
Since that blowout loss in Portland last Saturday night, the Suns have been stewing for the past three days, waiting to atone for their no-show against the Blazers and also waiting to redeem themselves for a poor showing in last Wednesday's sold out home opener. If last season's results are any indication (and today I'm literally betting that they are), this is very, very bad news for tonight's unsuspecting visitors, the Sacramento Kings. Last season, about a month into the Covid-shortened schedule, the Suns began to establish that their home arena would be a place where wrongs would quickly be righted. The Suns actually lost the first 3 games of a 4-game homestand in late January, and that was the last time they'd display such ineptitude at home. One night after losing as 7-point home favorites to the Thunder, the Suns hammered the Warriors, 114-93. That began a trend of winning performances at home that followed a loss. Check it out...
January 27th - lost to the Thunder, 102-97
January 28th - laying -1.5, they defeated the Warriors, 114-93
February 3rd - lost at New Orleans, 123-101
February 5th - laying -8, they defeated the Pistons, 109-92
March 13th - lost at home to the Pacers, 122-111
March 15th - laying -7, they defeated the Grizzlies, 122-99
March 18th - lost at home to the T-Wolves, 123-119
March 19th - laying -11, they defeated the T-Wolves, 113-101
April 8th - lost at the Clippers, 113-103
April 10th - laying -11, they defeated the Wizards, 134-106
May 5th - lost at Atlanta, 135-103
May 7th - laying -7, they defeated the Knicks, 128-105
May 11th - lost at Golden State, 122-116
May 13th - laying -2, they defeated the Blazers, 118-117
7-0 and 6-1 ATS at home following a loss with six of the wins coming by an average of 20.7 points per game. Note also in those six wins the vast defensive improvement from the game before. On average the Suns allowed an average of 20 points fewer. But what happened in that last game where they barely beat the Blazers? Well, Deandre Ayton didn't play. He missed his first game of the season with a sore left knee. In addition, the Suns best player (Booker) shot a miserable 5-17 while the Blazers best player (Lillard) shot 16-23.
So that's pretty good, but the Suns were even better at home last season if their previous home game had been unsuccessful. Like the trend listed above, this stretch of excellence began after the Suns dropped their first 3 games of a 4-game homestand in late January. Check it out...
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Would you consider a small play on SAC TTU 108.5?
...great to see you around
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