MIKAL BRIDGES

Some guys I'm matched up on as I'm their primary defender. There was a lot going into it, so we have to build that chemistry before we get on the court. Vocally, emotionally, physically, he's the one who gets guys going. I know they're just as proud now than ever. I'm going to sporadically throw them into the season."

Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics was the leading vote-getter for the All-Defensive first team, with Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns joining him as the other guard.

Devin Booker scored 28 points, Deandre Ayton added 20 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-80 night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Suns Mavericks Basketball Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges (25) and guard Chris Paul, second from right, walk off the court after Game 4 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, Sunday, May 8, 2022, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) (Tony Gutierrez)DALLAS — (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks said they are aware of an incident between a fan and the family of Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns during Sunday's Western Conference semifinal round playoff game at American Airlines Center. ESPN reported that members of Paul's family had been harassed by fans and that some in the crowd made physical contact with them. Immediately after the game, it was unclear what Paul was addressing when he sent the tweet about a player’s family being accosted by fans. On Sunday, the Mavericks beat the Suns 111-101 and evened the best-of-seven series 2-2.

Luka Doncic had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks turned up the defensive pressure to get back in their Western Conference semifinal series with Phoenix, beating the Suns 103-94.

Deandre Ayton scored 25 points, Devin Booker added 23 and the top-seeded Phoenix Suns rolled to a 121-114 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Mikal Bridges scored 31 points, Chris Paul added 22 points and 11 assists and the top-seeded Phoenix Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 112-97 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.

Brandon Ingram scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Phoenix Suns — playing without injured star Devin Booker — 118-103 in Game 4 on Sunday night to tie the first-round series.

(AP Photo/Michael DeMocker) (Michael Democker)NEW ORLEANS — (AP) — Chris Paul scored 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Suns overcame Devin Booker's absence to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 114-111 on Friday night in Game 3 of the first-round series. Deandre Ayton added 28 points and 17 rebounds to help the top-seeded Suns take a 2-1 series lead. Paul scored 15 of Phoenix’s first 23 points of the final quarter. Backup center center JaVale McGee scored 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting as the Suns hurt the Pelicans inside. That dustup sparked a 16-5 Phoenix run to close the half, and the Suns led 59-48 at intermission.

Chris Paul scored 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Suns overcame Devin Booker’s absence to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 114-111 on Friday night in Game 3 of the first-round series.

The road back to the NBA Finals has become bumpy for the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.

Brandon Ingram scored 37 points, CJ McCollum added 23 and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the top-seeded Phoenix Suns 125-114 in Game 2, evening the series in their Western Conference first-round matchup.

Boston’s Marcus Smart is the first guard in over a quarter-century to win the NBA defensive player of the year award.

Chris Paul scored 19 of his 30 points during a brilliant fourth-quarter shooting display and the Phoenix Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 110-99 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series.

Nikola Jokic is a finalist to win a second straight NBA MVP award, along with two-time winner Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.

The Phoenix Suns have many reasons to be confident they can make another deep playoff run.

Irving and the Brooklyn Nets held off the Indiana Pacers 134-126 on Sunday, and will play host to the first play-in game of this year’s tournament when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. That matchup wasn’t set until Sunday, nor was the other Eastern Conference play-in matchup: No. The winner of that game will play the Nets-Cavaliers loser on Friday to determine who’ll face No. It’ll mark the fewest number of players in NBA history to have appeared in every game for a full regular season. There were 11 players who appeared in all 72 games last season, which was shortened because of the pandemic.

It lasted 174 days, required the usage of more players than any season in history primarily because of the ongoing challenge of playing through a pandemic, and saw playoff-positioning chases go all the way down to the final moments.

Joel Embiid is about to make history.

Suns Jazz Basketball Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) shoots as Utah Jazz forward Danuel House Jr. (25) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, April 8, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) (Rick Bowmer)SALT LAKE CITY — (AP) — Devin Booker scored 33 points and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns overcame a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 111-105 on Friday night. Ayton had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Paul had 16 points and 16 assists to help the Suns extend their franchise record with their 64th victory. The Jazz didn’t score a field goal – nine straight misses — for almost seven minutes in the fourth quarter. The Suns outscored the Jazz 36-13 in the fourth quarter.

Devin Booker scored 33 points and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns overcame a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 111-105 on Friday night.

Devin Booker scored 32 points and the Phoenix Suns won their franchise-record 63rd game of the season, beating a Lakers team minus LeBron James 121-110 to eliminate Los Angeles from the playoff race.

Suns Warriors Basketball Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges (25) shoots over Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 30, 2022, in San Francisco. Poole shot 11 for 22 with seven 3s as Golden State returned home from a 123-95 loss at Memphis on Monday night. The Warriors had won the previous two matchups with the Suns, who have an eight-game road winning streak. TIP-INSSuns: Phoenix won on the Warriors’ home floor for the first time in four tries since a 121-110 victory on Oct. 30, 2019. The Suns won last season's matchups 2-1 for their first victorious season series since taking all four meetings in 2010-11.

Devin Booker’s two free throws with 34.2 seconds left put Phoenix ahead, Draymond Green traveled to turn it over before Chris Paul made a short jumper, and the NBA-best Phoenix Suns held off the Golden State Warriors 107-103 in a furious finish between Western Conference rivals.

Darius Garland had 25 points and 12 assists, leading Cleveland to a 107-101 victory over the Orlando Magic in a game in which the Cavaliers lost rookie big man Evan Mobley to a sprained left ankle.

Chris Paul returned from a broken thumb sooner than expected when the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns faced the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.

Deandre Ayton scored a career-high 35 points and had 14 rebounds, Devin Booker had 22 of his 28 points in the second half and the Phoenix Suns surged past trash-talking Minnesota 125-116 on Wednesday night.

Suns Kings Basketball Phoenix Suns guard Landry Shamet (14) shoots and scores a three point shot late in overtime of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, March 20, 2022. (AP Photo/José Luis Villegas) (José Luis Villegas)SACRAMENTO, Calif. — (AP) — Landry Shamet made a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left in overtime moments after missing an open look beyond the arc and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings 127-124 on Sunday. Following a timeout, Shamet hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game to put the Suns ahead by two. Already missing All-Star point guard Chris Paul (broken right thumb) and sixth-man Cam Johnson (right quad contusion), the Suns were with without backup point guard Cam Payne because of a non-COVID-19 illness. Davion Mitchell, starting in place of injured point guard De’Aaron Fox, had 28 points and nine assists for Sacramento.

Landry Shamet made a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left in overtime moments after missing an open look beyond the arc and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings 127-124 on Sunday.

Suns Rockets Basketball Phoenix Suns' Mikal Bridges (25) dunks the ball against the Houston Rockets during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 16, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (David J. Phillip)HOUSTON — (AP) — Devin Booker scored 36 points, including 15 in the third, Mikal Bridges added 26 and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Houston Rockets 129-112 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. He had 15 points in the third quarter. Jalen Green scored 22 points for Houston, Kevin Porter Jr. added 21 points and eight assists and Christian Wood had 18 points and nine rebounds. … The Suns swept the season series from the Rockets and have won a series-high eight games over the Rockets.

Devin Booker scored 36 points,ikal Bridges added 26 and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Houston Rockets 129-112 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.

Devin Booker scored 30 points, Deandre Ayton had 23 points and 16 rebounds and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns routed the Los Angeles Lakers 140-111 on Sunday night.

Devin Booker scored 23 points, Mikal Bridges added 21 and the Phoenix Suns shook off a slow start to beat the Miami Heat 111-90 on Wednesday night in a matchup of the NBA’s conference leaders.

DeAndre Ayton and Landry Shamet scored 21 points each and Mikal Bridges blocked a potential tying 3-pointer in the final seconds to help the Phoenix Suns hold off the Orlando Magic 102-99.

Cam Johnson banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish with a career-high 38 points and give the Phoenix Suns a wild 115-114 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.

Devin Booker had 25 points, 12 assists and a career-high six steals to help the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 124-104 on Thursday night.

Devin Booker scored 24 points, Deandre Ayton added 23 and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to seven games, rallying after Chris Paul was ejected to beat the Houston Rockets 124-121 on Wednesday night.

Deandre Ayton scored 27 points, Mikal Bridges added 18 and the Phoenix Suns beat Milwaukee 131-107 in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals won by the Bucks.

Devin Booker scored 35 points, and Chris Paul had 16 points and 12 assists to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 114-109 win over the Philadelphia on 76ers.

Devin Booker scored 38 points, and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns hung on to beat the Chicago Bulls 127-124.

Deandre Ayton had 20 points and 16 rebounds in an efficient 24 minutes and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns rebounded from a streak-ending loss to beat the short-handed Washington Wizards 95-80 on Saturday night.

Trae Young scored 43 points and led Atlanta’s flurry of 3-pointers as the surging Hawks beat Phoenix 124-115 on Thursday night to end the Suns’ 11-game winning streak.

Nets Suns Basketball Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder (99) passes around Brooklyn Nets forward Kessler Edwards (14) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Phoenix. The Suns (41-9) continued their best start to a season in franchise history and have two double-digit winning streaks this season. Booker scored 14 points after making his first six shots from the field. Among those who missed the game: F Kevin Durant (left knee MCL sprain), F LaMarcus Aldridge (left ankle sprain) and F Joe Harris (left ankle surgery). Guards Landry Shamet (right ankle sprain) and Cameron Payne (right wrist sprain) were out.

Devin Booker scored 35 points, Mikal Bridges added a season-high 27 and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to 11 games by beating the Brooklyn Nets 121-111 on Tuesday night.

Devin Booker scored 28 points, Mikal Bridges added a season-high 26 and the Phoenix Suns overcame a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win their 10th straight game, beating the San Antonio Spurs 115-110 on Sunday night.

Devin Booker scored 24 points, Jalen Smith tied a career high with 19 points and 12 rebounds and the short-handed Phoenix Suns hammered the Charlotte Hornets 133-99.

Devin Booker continued to distance himself from a hamstring injury that cost him seven games, scoring 24 points with nine rebounds and seven assists as the Phoenix Suns earned a 108-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Devin Booker had 16 points in his return to Phoenix’s lineup and the NBA-leading Suns set a season-scoring high in a 137-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night.

Deandre Ayton had 28 points and 13 rebounds in his return from a non-COVID-19 illness, and the Phoenix Suns held off the Portland Trail Blazers 111-107 in overtime.

Stephen Curry bounced back from one of the worst shooting nights of his career and scored 23 points, and the Golden State Warriors convincingly ended the Phoenix Suns’ 18-game winning streak, 118-96, on Friday night.

Devin Booker scored 30 points, Chris Paul had 22 and the Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to 16 games with a 113-107 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Devin Booker scored 35 points, Chris Paul had 12 assists and made four free throws in the final 8.8 seconds the Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to 14 games, holding off the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-1115.

The winning streak is the Suns' longest since the 2006-07 season — and the latest victory followed a familiar pattern. After the Mavericks took an 84-79 lead into the fourth quarter, the Suns used a 10-2 run to push ahead 89-86 with 8:55 left. DONCIC UPDATEDoncic (left knee and ankle sprains) missed his second straight game but has practiced some with the team during the road trip — including during pregame warmups Friday. TIP-INSMavericks: F/C Maxi Kleber (left oblique strain) missed a second straight game. Suns: F/C Frank Kaminsky (right knee soreness) missed his second straight game.

Mikal Bridges and Devin Booker each scored 19 points, Chris Paul added 18 points and 14 assists and the Phoenix Suns ran their winning streak to 11, rallying to beat the Dallas Mavericks 112-104 on Friday night.

Chris Paul scored his 20,000th career point on the way to 23 points and 14 assists, and Devin Booker added 22 points in the Phoenix Suns’ 115-105 victory over the winless Los Angeles Lakers.

After their investment into Deandre Ayton with the No. 1 pick, and a Finals run in 2021, the Suns decision not to extend him is puzzling.

Chris Paul took a risk this season deciding that a young, unproven Phoenix Suns team was worth joining in his pursuit of his first NBA championship.

Chris Paul’s feel-good story with the Phoenix Suns was denied the happy ending he craved.

The Phoenix Suns say they aren’t feeling sorry for themselves after squandering a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals and moving within one game of elimination.

When Devin Booker took his usual seat on the bench at the beginning of the second quarter, the Phoenix Suns lost their stranglehold on Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his bum left knee bulldozed through the Phoenix Suns defense for most of Game 2, once again giving the Milwaukee Bucks more than they could have dreamed in these NBA Finals.

APTOPIX Nuggets Suns Basketball Phoenix Suns forward Torrey Craig (12) shoots as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic defends during the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Monday, June 7, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York) (Matt York)PHOENIX — (AP) — Chris Paul and his rejuvenated right shoulder scored 21 points and dished 11 assists, Mikal Bridges added 23 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 122-105 on Monday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 22 points but went cold while the Suns made their second half run. Partly because of the shoulder injury, Paul averaged just 9.2 points per game against the Lakers in the first round. FLAVORTOWN IN PHOENIXCelebrity chef Guy Fieri was among the fans sitting courtside at Phoenix Suns Arena.

Suns Cavaliers Basketball Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker (1) and Deandre Ayton (22) defend against Cleveland Cavaliers' Cedi Osman (16) in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 4, 2021, in Cleveland. Mikal Bridges made two 3-pointers, dunked and had a block as Phoenix scored the first 15 points in OT to finally put away the Cavs. Cavs rookie Isaac Okoro scored a season-high 32 points and Collin Sexton 29 for Cleveland, which dropped its seventh straight. Bridges added 22 points for the Suns, who are tied with the Jazz for the West's best record. Booker, though, opened OT with a bucket and Bridges took it from there with his second 3-pointer putting the Suns ahead 129-114.