Good morning — We’ve dealt with the disappointment of missing Diamondbacks playoff baseball. ASU football has been a letdown. The Arizona Cardinals are doing Arizona Cardinals things, as usual.
Basketball season was supposed to be a respite, however small from the frustration. But what the Phoenix Suns did Wednesday night wasn’t exactly basketball.
Let’s get into it.
— Alex D’Agostino, PHNX WKLY Editor
Suns suffer stunning season-opening blowout
Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
The Suns’ preseason slate wasn’t exactly auspicious. Granted, those games do not count, but going 1-4 in those contests isn’t ideal.
And that carried over into the regular season. On Wednesday night, the Suns faced off against the Portland Trail Blazers on the road to kick off their 2026-27 regular season. Suffice to say, it did not go well.
The Suns lost, 124-83. They were down an astounding 43-12 at the conclusion of the first quarter and 72-39 at halftime. They did not score a point until the Trail Blazers had totaled 21.
To be honest, a 41-point loss felt almost mild compared to how poor the play looked from Phoenix. They simply did not look ready for the regular season.
Devin Booker, unsurprisingly, led the Suns’ scoring, picking up 23 on 7-for-13 shooting. Booker also had four rebounds, two assists and made all nine of his free throws.
Beyond his contributions, Phoenix’s lineup was stagnant. Newcomer Miles Bridges had a poor Suns debut, garnering just eight points on 3-for-11 with four boards and no assists. Both Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks were held to 10 points.
As a team, the Suns shot 30-for-84, or 36%. They went 6-for-32 from (19%) from three. No one off the bench contributed more than eight points.
It was bad. Really bad.
My Take: It’s tough to find positives here, other than rookie Koa Peat’s first four NBA points. The Suns did not look like a team that has played together before and the Bridges trade, which already seemed like a rough one, isn’t off to a good start.
On the flipside, Phoenix did not start hot last year, either. They won their opener, but were blown out twice on the way to a 1-4 start to 2025. They didn’t have much of an identity for the early portion of the year, but Jordan Ott and his team turned that slow start into a 45-37 record and a playoff appearance.
Do they need to build on last year’s success and, hopefully, avoid needing as much time to develop into a contender? Sure. It’s far too early to begin evaluations of any player or coach.
But if this type of result becomes anything more than an anomalous detour in 2026, they could be in serious trouble.
Now, let’s see what else is going on in Arizona sports this week:
The Cardinals, after a brilliant defensive performance and a 18-16 victory over Sean McVay and the Rams, are expected to be without rookie RB Jeremiyah Love (ankle) for Sunday’s matchup with the Broncos’ elite defense. Arizona is 2-4 and showing some positive signs, but needs to get the offense going, and fast.
The Cards are also retiring Larry Fitzgerald’s No. 11 this week at State Farm Stadium and inducting the Hall Of Famer into the Cardinals ring of honor. If you go to any game this week, go to this one. Don’t let Broncos fans take over the ceremony.
The Sun Devils played… kind of a football game on Saturday. They were blown out 53-25 by No. 8 Texas Tech but were down 43-10 at halftime. That led to Mikey Keene replacing Cutter Boley at QB, a change that will remain for ASU’s home matchup with Kansas State at 12:45 p.m. this Saturday.
If, last week, you saw me say the Wildcats were playing Iowa State this past Saturday, no you didn’t. Because they play this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Tucson. Whoops. Arizona football climbed its way to No. 25 in the polls this week, while men’s basketball will begin with a No. 5 preseason ranking.
The Diamondbacks don’t have much going on right now, but the World Series starts this weekend, and former Arizona pitcher Jake Woodford is guaranteed a World Series ring this year, having played for both the Rays and Brewers in 2026. Jace Peterson (Brewers consultant) might get one too. Isn’t that fun?
Phoenix Rising took a 3-1 victory over Orange County SC on Saturday. Rising is now 10-9-10. With a win over Lexington SC on Saturday, they could punch their ticket to the playoffs, although a loss would be the end of that dream.
COME HANG OUT WITH PHNX CARDINALS!
Join Bo, Johnny, and the PHNX Diehards at Gila River’s Santan Mountain for a live Cardinals broadcast and game-day watch party as Arizona takes on Dallas. Enjoy the excitement of being part of the show, and watch the game with the Diehards!
COME HANG OUT WITH PHNX SUNS!
Join the PHNX Suns crew along with other Valley Diehards as we take over Mortgage Matchup Center in partnership with our friends at Chestnut Sports Club. Watch the Suns take on the Portland Trailblazers from lower level seats.
Suns 2026-27 Season Preview: Devin Booker, Jordan Ott Look To Power Phoenix Past Expectations, Again
Well, that didn’t start well…
To better days ahead.
Stay strong.
— Alex D’Agostino
