Suns React to Already Crushing Last Year's Win Total

After last night's 111-99 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, the Phoenix Suns have officially surpassed last season's win total (36-46), now having a 37-27 record with 18 games remaining.

Phoenix has had a remarkable turnaround in only one season after completely reshaping the roster following the disappointing 2024-25 season.

New Suns coach Jordan Ott has made this transition of moving on from Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal look seamless despite major injuries throughout the season by helping to establish a tough, gritty identity that owner Mat Ishbia wanted to implement.

"It starts from day one, before day one. Obviously a lot of changes since then," Suns star guard Devin Booker said after the Hornets win. "We just came in with a fresh, new energy. Came in, and we worked together. Kept the main thing, the main thing, and we have a good group of guys. Everybody is on the same page. So win, lose or draw, it's fun to be a part of."

Suns' Win Over Hornets Exemplifies What This Year's Team Is All About

The win over Charlotte was a perfect example of how the Suns, despite very low preseason expectations, have gotten to the point of making a push for the sixth seed in the Western Conference, which they are now two games out of.

Down four key rotation players in Grayson Allen (knee), Dillon Brooks (hand), Mark Williams (foot) and Jordan Goodwin (calf), the Suns toughed out their fourth win in five games against a formidable opponent to close out a three-game homestand.

The Hornets (32-33) have the league's best net rating since Jan. 1 and were on a 10-game road win streak dating all the way back to Jan. 17 before the loss to the Suns.

"(The Hornets scored) 22 points (in the) first six minutes, 77 points the rest of the way and 41 in the second half, that's just who we have to be," Ott said postgame. "That's how we've found success in the games we found success. We got to start on the defensive end, our physicality, take it to the legal limit, and then just have overall intent every possession.

"I did think we got them later into the clock, something we've talked about trying to get them later in the clock, and then you just run out of options or something. But that offense is really good. I mean, they got a lot of good personnel. We talked about pregame, the shooting piece, the offensive rebounding piece. We took the challenge tonight.”

Booker (30 points, 10 assists), Collin Gillespie (24 points) and Jalen Green (24 points) led the way for the Suns, but they also continued to see other players step up when their names are called.

Rookie Rasheer Fleming scored a career-high 16 points and played well enough to stay in during crunch time, fellow rookie Khaman Maluach grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in 20 minutes and buyout addition Haywood Highsmith was a team-high plus-19 in 21 minutes in his first real action since undergoing meniscus surgery in the offseason.

"They come in every day. They work. They stay in the 'stay ready group,' even though I think they've graduated from the 'stay ready group' now," Booker said of the rookies. "They're getting recovery, getting their individuals in now.

"But we watched them from the beginning, you see the potential. You see what they can do in training camp. And I've seen that plenty of times over my years. You just wait for the real game and see if it translates. Both of them are doing it well."