Phoenix Suns

In their first test as a full starting lineup and after Ja Morant's vote of confidence, the Memphis Grizzlies sent a message to the NBA.

He noted that the Grizzlies have to find more ways to "spread the ball out and let guys be themselves." "We got a different type of swag to us." There has been a lot of talk about how the Grizzlies would look with their full starting lineup. Steven Adams dominated his matchup against Deandre Ayton and helped hold the Suns center to five rebounds, Jaren Jackson Jr. It's not uncommon for Brooks to express his desire to guard the league's best scorers, so he's already looking forward to his next matchup against Booker on Dec. Even though the Grizzlies looked like a team on a mission on Friday night, Morant will be the first to tell you that there's much more to work on. On most nights when the Grizzlies are talking, Morant and Dillon Brooks are somewhere in the midst. When Brooks and Torrey Craig traded words after a timeout in the first quarter, most players from both teams came to split Brooks and Craig up, but Morant walked over and joined in on the conversation. "Me and him know the team normally follows when we bring the energy. As Booker sat on the Suns' bench, Brooks often looked in his direction. Morant spent most of his time talking to the players on the floor, and Brooks was right there each time. "Even though we won this game, obviously they wasn't at full strength, so that's going to be the thing now.

Suns head coach Monty Williams explained, “we are not scoring the way we need to score, especially in the first quarter; that hurts you. You play in transition, ...

We got to get back to chasing something and right now I feel like the prey and I don’t like that feeling,“ said Williams. Suns head coach Monty Williams explained, “we are not scoring the way we need to score, especially in the first quarter; that hurts you. Memphis has been a team this season that likes to work in the paint and it showed against the Suns with 72 points scored down low. Williams also touched on early-game struggles that have plagued the Suns all season. The Phoenix Suns have seemingly found different ways to find new lows throughout the season, their newest coming against the Memphis Grizzlies in a 125-100 Friday night loss. We were not in any sort of hit-first mentality.

Devin Booker being out has turned the holidays blue so far. He has dealt with both hamstring issues in December and currently is mending a groin injury. The ...

Seeing what he will do also to help uproot the racism and sexism in the Suns front office would make it a very happy new year. It would be a Christmas win-win for Crowder and the Suns front office to finalize a deal and ship him off to end what has been an awkward, but very professional, time. Now it is up to Ishbia that the Suns don’t turn into the sequel trilogy. He was on pace to set a new high in career point average and is another beyond the arch threat for Phoenix. Since then it has been a terrifying site to see, and conveniently on national television like Friday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Phoenix fans want the Suns to win every game but as mentioned without Booker and Chris Paul on the floor, it can be frustrating to watch, especially against winning teams.

December is a holiday of spreading cheers, but for Phoenix Suns fans, this month has been more of a misery after going 4-8.

The season is far from over but not even putting up decent games against teams they could possibly meet in the playoffs isn’t a good sign, either. The losses are where it gets a bit disappointing. Without Devin Booker and, to a lesser extent, Cameron Johnson, this Phoenix Suns team has been passive on offense.

The Phoenix Suns failed to match the energy brought by the exuberant bunch that is the Memphis Grizzlies.

I feel like the prey, and I don't like that feeling." The Suns have allowed north of that amount in 14 of their 33 contests this season. That’s the concern, as this is a prideful group that banks on controlling the controllable. The margin of defeat in said games is -11.8. When applying the context of the game and its direct impact, the Suns held the Grizzlies to 96.5 points per 100 plays in the halfcourt. "Whether it's Boston, Memphis, these teams that are big and physical, and want to put their hands on us, we don't have the pregame edge we've had around here. This helps make up for the scoring that’s likely to take a hit. At home, they were 24-1 when leading through the first frame. [Denver Nuggets](https://www.denverstiffs.com). They failed to bring the requisite energy to the game to compete. So the half-court process defensively was solid (solid enough to win, that is), however, allowing 17 second-chance possessions, which were parlayed into 23 points, makes for a steep mountain to climb. It resulted in their second loss in a row.

Here, the Suns have Devin Booker as well as Chris Paul and Mikal Bridges in the fold and use some of their strengths as an advantage.

Nonetheless, they do a great job, again, not losing their flow and transitioning into what then becomes pick-and-roll with an emptied side of the floor. Ayton and Bridges could certainly do a much better job making this part of the play more effective, or even flipping this into a flare as Mikal is usually great at countering when defenders shoot the gap. Alright, there’s good communication from the Lakers defense off-ball. In the interest of self-care, forget about the Friday game for a few moments and think about the big picture. Let’s dive into how they get their points to kick off games. The

SportsLine's model just revealed its NBA picks today for Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns on Christmas Day.

[NBA picks](https://www.sportsline.com/nba/picks/) over the past four-plus seasons. Nuggets](https://www.sportsline.com/nba/game-forecast/NBA_20221225_PHO@DEN/), and just locked in its Christmas Day NBA picks. Here are several [NBA odds](https://www.sportsline.com/nba/odds) and betting lines for Nuggets vs. [You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks](https://www.sportsline.com/insiders/suns-vs-nuggets-line-picks-advanced-computer-nba-model-releases-selections-for-sundays-christmas-matchup/#ttag=12242021_agg_cbssports_picks_basketball_nba_model_NuggetsSunsChristmas). The Nuggets are eighth in the [NBA](/nba/) in scoring (115.6), while the Suns sit in 10th (115.2). Denver is the 4.5-point favorite in the latest Suns vs. [Phoenix Suns](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/PHO/phoenix-suns/) and the [Denver Nuggets](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/DEN/denver-nuggets/) match up in a Western Conference bout that wraps up the Christmas Day [NBA schedule](/nba/schedule/). The Miami product rebounds very well for a guard and finishes strong in the paint. [Devin Booker](/nba/players/2152529/devin-booker/) (groin) is day-to-day for Phoenix. The 12-time All-Star plays with great anticipation and has a knack for steals. In his previous matchup, Murray racked up 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists. The model enters Week 10 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 28-12 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning almost $1,400.

Desmond Bane made his return to the court, and the Memphis Grizzlies (20-11) never trailed in a 125-100 rout of the Phoenix Suns (19-14)

25, in the first Christmas Day game in franchise history and the first matchup between the teams since the 2022 Western Conference Semifinals. The Grizzlies also outrebounded the Suns 53-35 and held a 19-11 edge in offensive rebounds. The game marked the first of four matchups between the teams this season, all of which will take place by Jan. Brandon Clarke chipped in with a season-high 24 points and 10 boards off the bench. Memphis scored the first eight points as part of a 23-6 start. Deandre Ayton tallied 18 points to lead five Suns in double figures.

Coach Monty Williams updated reporters on Booker's condition before the game, saying he has started shooting again but still isn't able to move around very much ...

[Mikal Bridges](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bridgmi01.html?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.hoopsrumors.com&utm_campaign=2022-12-24_bbr)has apologized to [Deandre Ayton](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/aytonde01.html?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.hoopsrumors.com&utm_campaign=2022-12-24_bbr)for his role in Tuesday’s [argument](https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2022/12/pacific-notes-ayton-williams-suns-sale-warriors-davis.html)that was perceived as a dispute between Ayton and Williams, Rankin states in a [separate story](https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2022/12/23/mikal-bridges-apologized-to-deandre-ayton-after-blowup-in-suns-loss/69754397007/). I feel like the prey, and I don’t like that feeling. “We’ve got to get back to chasing something and right now. We got to get our edge back.” [Cameron Johnson](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnsca02.html?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.hoopsrumors.com&utm_campaign=2022-12-24_bbr)will accompany the team on its upcoming six-game road trip, Rankin notes in the same story. We miss him, but none of the basketball X’s and O’s stuff matters if we don’t pick up on that mentality, physicality. “Book’s frustrated when he’s not on the floor. Bridges and Ayton clashed on the court shortly before Ayton and his coach were seen yelling during the time out. “Our edge in these games, whether it’s Boston, Memphis, these teams who are big and physical and want to put their hands on us, we don’t have the pre-game edge that we’ve had around here,” Williams said. He should be in the MVP conversation. “Of course we do. After scoring a season-high 58 points last Saturday, Booker has sat out three straight games with groin soreness.