Suns ‘focused forward,’ look for 4th straight win, face Hawks
Suns coach Monty Williams saw the ESPN report on allegations of racism and misogyny directed at his team owner Robert Sarver and the organization during a coaches’ meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday.
A little more than 12 hours later, Williams took pride in the Suns pulling out an 123-111 victory over the one-win Houston Rockets at Footprint Center amid the chaos swirling around his team.
“That’s who we are,” Williams said. “Every team deals with stuff. The level of distractions may vary, but you’re not going to have a long career in the NBA if you can’t handle distractions. So I was proud of the way we approached this morning. The way we played tonight. To be able to win a game in the league is tough, but with everything surrounding the team, I was proud of the focus and the unity that we have in our locker room. Coaches and players. That is something that I am proud of.”
The Suns were equally proud of how Williams handled questions regarding the allegations before the game.
“Perfect person,” said All-Star Devin Booker when asked about the importance of Williams helping the team navigate through this very tense situation.
“I heard his quotes pregame. He’s the best at that at managing situations and controlling the room and keeping people focused forward. That’s what he’s done with our team. We’ve talked about it as a team and you can feel everything he says. We’re sticking behind him and we’re going to keep playing hard for him and winning basketball games.”
With the NBA planning an investigation of Sarver and the Suns, this situation will remain at the forefront for the foreseeable future, but Phoenix (4-3) looks to close out its five-game homestand with a win Saturday against Atlanta (4-5).
Winners of three straight, the Suns got Deandre Ayton back after the starting center missed Tuesday’s win against New Orleans with a right leg contusion.
Suffering the injury in last Saturday’s victory over Cleveland, Ayton posted 16 points and 11 rebounds Thursday.
“He missed some bunnies around the basket, but he looked like he hadn’t been on the floor in a few days,” Williams said. “His first workout was (Wednesday since the injury). You can just tell the sharpness wasn’t there in the first half. I thought he did a much better job in the second half of anchoring his body in there and holding his position. He’s going to get sharper as he plays more. I just thought he was a bit rusty.”
Cameron Payne may also return Saturday as he’s missed Phoenix’s last five games with a right hamstring strain suffered in an Oct. 22 win at the Lakers.