The 151-148 loss the Phoenix Suns endured at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies in February was not for the faint of heart. Days earlier, Bradley Beal was vocal about the Suns’ ugly loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Fast forward two weeks, and he’s remaining as vocal as he has been all season. Following Sunday’s 125-116 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Beal was once again the leader.
He explained to AZCentral’s Duane Rankin what the team’s mentality heading into Memphis looks like.
“We’re ready to go now,” Beal said. “All systems go. We’re locked in, and we know it’s going to be another dogfight. We should’ve walked out of there with a dub last time. We’ve got to actually do it.”
Despite the Suns putting up 148 points, it didn’t matter. Not to mention, there wasn’t one player on the Grizzlies who had an amazing game. Everyone played cohesively, which the Suns also showed on their respective side.
As Beal mentioned, it was a dogfight. Plenty of back-and-forth scoring opportunities, as well as trash talk throughout the game. One person who observed everything from the sidelines was Mike Budenholzer.
The first-year Phoenix head coach echoed much of what Beal said. While he’s normally more explanatory with his answers, Budenholzer was straight to the point about playing the Grizzlies.
“It’s pretty fresh in our mind,” Budenholzer said. “The guys are ready to get to Memphis.”
Following the Suns’ much-needed win against the Mavericks, they have a tough task ahead of them on Monday. Luckily for them, the Grizzlies are without Jaren Jackson Jr, who might be in Defensive Player of the Year contention.
Bradley Beal wants Suns’ retribution vs Grizzlies
Although this is a back-to-back set, Phoenix has no reason to fold now. They have the toughest remaining schedule in the league, according to Tankathon, and it doesn’t get any friendlier.
For instance, they will play the Boston Celtics twice, the Milwaukee Bucks twice, and the New York Knicks one more time to finish out the season.
Playing the Grizzlies four times in a season is a bit strange. Although they are both a part of the Western Conference, they aren’t in the same division. Still, this could be the ideal time to knock off a top dog in the West.
However, the team will be without their star guard, as he will be out. This calf injury took Beal out of the Suns’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
Still, the show must go on, regardless of who is, or isn’t available. The rosters will matchup nicely on Monday, and a win must happen for Phoenix to take advantage.
As of writing this, they own the tiebreaker over the Mavericks if both teams finish with the same record. As a result, there’s an increased sense of urgency within the organization.
A Monday win over the Grizzlies would inch them closer and closer to the play-in spot and a shot at the playoffs.
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