Bright Side Baller: The Suns pull off the win and give us a break from the trade chaos

Kevin Durant gets rest as suns cruise past injury-depleted Brooklyn.

The Phoenix Suns held the Brooklyn Nets to 84 points last night, the least amount of points Phoenix has surrendered this year. They themselves ground out a 108-84 victory in a game that was as sloppy as a toddler with spaghetti. Sure, the Suns didn’t light it up offensively, but they didn’t have to. Kevin Durant got to kick back after three quarters, Devin Booker casually dropped 32, and Brooklyn never stood a chance. So, what’s my big takeaway from all this?

Man, it was just nice to watch basketball again.

Chris Haynes tried to ruin the serenity by dropping his latest “Beal to Milwaukee ain’t happenin’” video. But I didn’t let it phase my peace.

We’re deep in the thick of trade season. The kind of chaos where every rumor feels like a grenade tossed into the NBA universe. The Suns? They’re at the epicenter, smack dab in the heart of the madness. Bradley Beal’s no-trade clause? A mystery wrapped in a riddle. One minute, he’s waiving it; the next, he’s not. Jimmy Butler? Jusuf Nurkic? Who knows. Beal? Hell, I don’t even know if I know anymore. I’m wrong. You’re wrong. We’re all wrong.

But for one night, none of that mattered. No trade rumors, no speculation, no Reddit-fueled panic attacks. Just basketball. Beautiful, chaotic, messy basketball.

And even nicer to snag a win while we’re at it.

We’ve got a hell of a road ahead, all the way to February 6, and in the meantime, we’ll keep pounding our heads against the wall trying to decode Phoenix’s grand vision, paired with whatever they actually decide to do. Will they surprise us? Will they break our brains? Who knows.

But maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to enjoy a little basketball in between the madness.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

Damn. You know things are bad when the guy who comes in for 8 minutes in mop-up duty gets the Bright Side Baller award. But that is just what Damion Lee did in the Suns’ loss to the Cavs, scoring 9 quick points and getting himself officially on the board.

Isn’t it downright tragic that in 35 games, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal — the crown jewels of the Phoenix Suns’ treasure chest — have scraped together a measly six Bright Side Ballers between them? Meanwhile, Mariah’s over here flexing with five! Five! Maybe it’s a snapshot of the Suns’ current chaos, where their max-contract darlings are failing to shine in the eyes of the fanbase.

Or maybe it’s something else entirely. Maybe we’ve just been blasting “Always Be My Baby” on repeat, hoping Mariah rides a nostalgia wave straight back into the spotlight to snag another vote.

Oh, and speaking of “Always Be My Baby”? The CD single was my first ever. A cultural artifact, a simpler time, when all I needed was a Walkman, a five-track CD on repeat, and zero concerns about whether my max players were underperforming in a fan poll.

Eff it. Mariah returns tonight. Do do doop, do doop, da dum…

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Devin Booker

32 points (14-of-24, 3-of-8 3PT), 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 0 turnovers, +17 +/-

Kevin Durant

24 points (8-of-15, 4-of-7 3PT), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, +17 +/-

Nick Richards

8 points (3-of-4, 0-of-0 3PT), 15 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 turnovers, 0 blocks, +15 +/-

Tyus Jones

8 points (3-of-6, 2-of-5 3PT), 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, +18 +/-

Mason Plumlee

6 points (3-of-4, 0-of-1 3PT), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, 1 turnover, +16 +/-

Grayson Allen

8 points (2-of-6, 2-of-5 3PT), 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 0 steals, 0 turnovers, +9 +/-

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Time to head to the poll and vote.