Goodwin’s Return Turns a Bench Surge Into Phoenix’s Best Answer

Jordan Goodwin used 14 minutes to score 18 points. Every one came from beyond the arc. A return from injury rarely looks quite that tidy, and Phoenix had plenty of room to enjoy his six makes in seven attempts during Tuesday’s 133-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Suns had lost Goodwin for three games with a calf injury. Getting him back was welcome. Getting that shooting line was a bonus nobody should enter into the budget for the next game. What made the night more encouraging was the company he kept. Phoenix’s reserves supplied 81 points, making this a win that reached well past the loudest individual performance.

Luke Kennard scored 14, and Collin Gillespie paired 12 points with eight assists. Khaman Maluach added 11 points while collecting seven rebounds. Ryan Dunn contributed 10 points and eight boards. Those four joined Goodwin among the five reserves who reached double figures. Booker and Jalen Green supplied the other two double-digit scorers, giving Phoenix seven in all.

That distribution deserves attention because it gives the Suns several ways to receive a contribution. Gillespie’s passing and Maluach’s rebounding added something beyond made jumpers. Dunn also helped on the glass. A bench can have a productive evening without every player doing the same job, and Phoenix received enough different contributions to make Goodwin’s shooting the centerpiece rather than the whole exhibition.

Gillespie provided the most extravagant punctuation before halftime. His basket from 39 feet sent Phoenix into the break ahead 64-47. The Suns had made 11 of 22 threes in the first half.

They finished with 22 makes in 43 attempts, meaning the early success from distance was followed by another productive half. By the time Phoenix led 91-59 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the game had become a substantial climb for Los Angeles.

The final margin was 23 points. Phoenix’s perimeter accuracy explains a great deal of that separation, and it should place a sensible limit on the celebration. Goodwin’s six threes alone were an unusual return on seven attempts.

Kennard made three of five from outside, Gillespie four of nine and Green three of four. Expecting all those lines to recur together would turn a good night into a rather unreasonable employment requirement.

Booker finished with 17 points and five assists in 29 minutes, the highest minute total on Phoenix’s side of the box score. There is no need to invent a reduced workload to appreciate the help around him. His points were part of an attack that also received 13 from Green and contributions throughout the reserve group.

The argument for depth is strong enough without pretending Booker had the evening off.

Phoenix also gave itself reasons to keep the review honest. The Suns committed 19 turnovers, which the Clippers converted into 25 points. Los Angeles arrived with little recent success and left having lost eight of its past nine games.

A struggling opponent and an excellent shooting night make a comfortable margin easier to construct. They do not make every possession clean or prove that Phoenix has settled its offense.

Still, the bench’s contribution was larger than one scorer returning with a hot hand. Phoenix finished with 32 assists and a 48-37 rebounding advantage. Goodwin supplied a burst, Gillespie supplied passing, and Maluach and Dunn helped collect the ball. Those contributions can be valued separately from a prediction that the team will keep making roughly half its threes.

The next time Goodwin misses a few shots, the Suns will still need the rest of that work. Tuesday offered a picture of a bench with enough contributors to avoid making one player’s accuracy responsible for everything. The six threes made the return memorable. The players around Goodwin made it more than a curiosity.

Sources

ESPN: final game record and play-by-play

Associated Press via ESPN: game reporting