Okogie makes a big impact in Suns’ win
Devin Booker’s 58 points to lead the Suns’ remarkable 24-point comeback home win over New Orleans on Saturday adds another talking point for him in this season’s MVP conversation. It was his second 50-point game this season since their home victory over Chicago on Nov. 30, and the most ever scored at the Footprint Center.
But much of the focus in the postgame by Booker, Suns coach Monty Williams, Chris Paul, and the media was on Phoenix’s backup wing Josh Okogie (seven points, six rebounds, one assist, one block in 24 minutes).
He played his first game as a Sun staying on the floor in the closing minutes. Okogie made several clutch plays, mainly his offensive rebounding and free throws made in the fourth quarter to help secure the win.
That evened the Suns’ four-game regular season series against their rival Pelicans after they lost two consecutive games in New Orleans last weekend.
“For me it was, I am trying to win. That was all that was going through my mind,” Okogie said. “We won the first one of the season, lost two at their spot. Put a bad taste in our mouth, and I still didn’t forget that. Whatever it took. Book is hard to crash at first because Book wasn’t missing. I still just kept going and going. The ones that came my way I just tried to grab them. Do what I could do to help my team win.”
Booker praised the Suns’ second unit contributions, even though their bench was outscored 29-18 by the Pelicans’ bench. He acknowledged Jock Landale (four points, two rebounds in 17 minutes) and Deandre Ayton’s replacement starting center Bismack Biyombo (11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, six rebounds, one block), but particularly gave Okogie a glowing review with one sentence.
“We don’t win this game tonight without J.O., Josh,” Booker said. “And that’s just the name of the game, man. Just being a leader and letting them know it’s the NBA. We’ve seen bigger comebacks less than that, and it’s just the nature of the game.”
The Suns started the game a hot 8of-11 shooting and 4-of-6 from deep. They went ice cold thereafter missing 13 straight from the perimeter, and finished the first half on 16-of-44 shooting and 6-of-23 from the 3, and were down by 17 after CJ McCollum scored 24 of his total 27.
Phoenix lacked a strong inside presence during the first half from the loss of Ayton (averaging 17 points, 9.5 rebounds, NBA’s eighth-best 61.9% FG), who missed his second straight game due to his left ankle sprain.
“CJ (McCollum) got hot quick, Zion (Williamson) was putting a lot of pressure on our bigs and paint,” Okogie said. “As a team at halftime, we came together and said enough is enough. We went out there and executed defensively.”
Although Okogie was Booker’s opposite by not scoring any of his three shot attempts, Okogie scored all seven of his points from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, including five their 18-8 run between 8:16 to 3:20 minute in the final period. Okogie also grabbed three offensive rebounds in the fourth to extend the Suns’ possessions (they had 17 second-chance points to the Pelicans’ five) and milk the clock after they regained the lead for the first time since the first quarter.
Okogie tied the score 99-99 at 7:04 from his two made at the line. Then Okogie got his first offensive rebound during that run, and hit one of two free throws after Pelicans big Jonas Valanciunas was called for a shooting foul on him at 4:43 to put the Suns ahead, 107105.
Okogie’s next two crucial offensive boards occurred when he soared to snatch Booker’s two straight misses as they were up 109-107, and the Pelicans All-Star Williamson fouled Okogie on his putback attempt following the second rebounds on that Suns possession at 3:20. Okogie made the two foul shots, and Williamson (30 points, 12-of-15 FG, nine assists) scored a layup in the Pelicans’ next possession to cut the Suns lead back to two.
Four Suns possessions later at 1:02, Paul (18 points, eight assists, five rebounds, one steal) hit his fifth and final 3 of the game off Okogie’s assist to push their lead to five. Okogie’s final two free throws at 19.2 left to play put Phoenix ahead 116-109.
“He just plays the right way. He plays hard,” Paul said to The Republic. “We keep talking about how contagious it is, so we just gonna keep it going.”
Since Phoenix’s 38-point win at San Antonio on Dec. 4, and their five-game losing streak from Dec. 5-13, Okogie has blossomed as one of their most reliable bench players at the three spot. His
physicality and athleticism, rebounding, steals, transitional and halfcourt set scoring plays including impressive dunks in their team’s scoring runs have caused Williams to say multiple times that he needs to find him more playing time.
“I thought the offensive rebounds he got were just about as impressive as any play that happened tonight,” Williams said about Okogie’s Saturday performance. “He just kept going, and you could see him spring off the ground. Go above everybody to get it, like I said, I have to figure out ways to get him on the floor because he helps us on both ends.”
Williams began saying that about Okogie’s playing time when he scored game-highs 28 points and seven rebounds in the Suns’ 27-point blowout home loss to Boston. This month, Okogie has averaged 10.3 points on 45.6% shooting, 5.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and a steal in 20.5 minutes. That includes his career-high 11 rebounds with his 11 points in their win over the Los Angeles
Clippers on Thursday, and 11 boards at San Antonio.
In the previous two months, Okogie struggled to find his rhythm adjusting to his new team after coming from Minnesota on a one-year deal in the offseason. He averaged scoring 1.4 in 5.7 minutes, and barely so more action than just endof-game routs but starting to get more time as their injuries piled up.
Williams also said during Saturday’s pregame media session that Williamson “is the toughest cover in the league for everybody” because of his mammoth 285-pound frame, Hulk-like strength and explosiveness. But Williams was happy with Okogie help contain him, switching off with Booker to guard Williamson down the stretch.
“He has the ability to stay in your way. I don’t know if anyone can stay in Zion’s (Williamson) way. I mean he still
got to the basket and scored a number of shots going left,” Williams said. “Josh is just one of those guys who has a huge impact on the game on both ends.”