The The sun had to complete Friday’s loss from Nuggets without Dylan Brookswho was ejected midway through the third quarter after being kicked Jamal Murray in the inguinal region when taking a jumper, writes Dwayne Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Brooks received a flagrant 2, which carries an automatic ejection, but his teammates and coach Jordan Ott I don’t believe it was justified.
“I know the players’ legs are shaky all the time,” said Ott. “Before that, I was trying to tell the officials that they were teammates. They were going back and forth. Nothing malicious. They played together. Probably played together forever. We’ll see if we can find another flagrant 2 in this league game. I hope reputation doesn’t affect it, but these were just competitive guys and they’ve probably been playing for 10 years. Just it’s a shame we get the short end of the stick on some of them.”
Murray admitted he and Brooks talked silly to each other throughout the game, which he said is normal when they fight. He also doubts that his Canadian compatriot intended to do anything harmful.
“I don’t think he was really trying to push me (expletive),” Murray said. “That’s what he did.”
More from Phoenix:
- Jalen Green remained in the Suns’ starting lineup on Friday, but he’s looked increasingly out of place on offense, scoring two points on six shots in 25 minutes, according to Rankin in a separate story. Colin Gillespiewho started last season when Green was injured, came off the bench with 16 points and 10 assists in 33 minutes. However, Ott indicated that the team would stick with Green, and Gillespie agreed, saying they “roll with JG 100 times out of 100.”
- Very Igadara made an impact after missing two games with an oblique strain, with nine rebounds and five assists in 20 minutes, Rankin adds. Still, Rankin argues the team should hold on to the 2025 lottery pick Haman Maluach in the center to continue its development.
- Ryan Dunn brought energy off the bench in 11 minutes as a small-ball center, and Igadaro believes they can combine to improve the team’s reserves, for Kellan Olson of Arizona Sports. “I can’t wait to play with his” Igadara said of Dan. “He can do all those things from four, too. … I’m excited about what that second unit has.”
