Good & bad: Surprising starts in the NBA’s West
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City’s 1-4 start is far more surprising than Phoenix’s 1-5 start.
The Suns’ expectations went prematurely through the roof in the Phoenix area after that 21-point home win over Dallas in the season opener.
How they won, with Devin Booker going for 35 with 19 coming in the fourth quarter on ESPN in his return from the injury to his right shooting hand, put the Suns in the spotlight, a rarity for a team that had the league’s worst record last season.
The Suns (1-5) have since lost five straight with the latest coming Sunday against the Thunder, 117-110, before a sellout crowd of 18,203 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
They’ve been without Booker, who missed his second consecutive game with a strained left hamstring. Phoenix will return home to begin a five-game homestand with Booker likely to be back in action as early as Wednesday night against San Antonio.
“It’s too many things we have to polish up,” Suns rookie Deandre Ayton said. “I’m glad we’re staying home for quite awhile to bounce back on our feet before we get back on the road. Once we get a win under our belt, I think we’ll be alright.”
Ayton then asked how many losses was that in a row?
Five, big fella.
“I’m not used to that, but it’s on to the next one,” Ayton said. “It’s a lot of games, but I get tired of hearing it’s a lot of games. I play every game like it’s my last. We’ve just got to keep getting better.”
As for the Thunder (1-4), they were supposed to have at least one victory by the time they played the Suns.
Russell Westbrook missed the first two games recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, but Oklahoma City still has fellow all-star Paul George.
The Thunder gave Golden State a tussle in the opener before losing by only eight, but the Los Angeles Clippers drummed them by 18.
Westbrook returned, but Oklahoma City gave up 131 points at home to Sacramento and blew a 16-point halftime lead to Boston before handing Phoenix a fifth straight loss.
George and Westbrook each scored 23 while Nerlens Noel added 20 and 15 boards in place of Steven Adams, who sat with calf tightness.
“For the most part, I thought our guys came out and played with good energy,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “We defended very well.”
Taking a deeper dive in the Western Conference, here are the most surprising starts – good and bad.
Good: Denver. The Nuggets (4-1) started 4-0 with their biggest being over defending NBA champion Golden State on the second of the back-toback after beating Phoenix by 28.
They came into the season as a playoff contender after just missing out on making it last season, but have one of the league’s best starting units led by center Nikola Jokic.
Bad: Houston. The Rockets (1-4) were a win from making it to the NBA finals and being a favorite to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers. They’ve lost three in a row since fisticuffs were exchanged during their lone win against the Los Angeles Lakers.
James Harden is one of the game’s best. Chris Paul is the floor general, but Mike D’Antoni’s offense hasn’t been able to overcome its defensive woes (allowing 118.8 points).