The Phoenix Suns return home after losing three games in a row on their initial road trip, but they may have found a viable option at point guard to pair with franchise face Devin Booker.
Collin Gillespie, a third-year free agent out of Villanova, enters the Suns’ game against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday after collecting 34 points and 19 assists in 74 minutes off the bench in recent losses at the Clippers, Nuggets and Jazz.
Gillespie had the best game of his career in a 138-134 overtime loss at Utah on Monday with 15 points, 13 assists, three steals, three rebounds and three turnovers.
The Suns have started Booker and Grayson Allen at guard while Jalen Green recovers from a right hamstring injury that has kept him off the floor this season, but none of the three are a true initiator.
Phoenix continued a season-long trend of falling behind on Monday when the Jazz jumped out to a 19-2 lead that grew to 20. The Clippers led by as many as 32 in their 129-102 win, and the Nuggets led by 25 in a 133-111 win.
“We’ve got to figure out ways to start the game so we’re not exerting all our energy to get back into it,” said Booker, who hit two 3-pointers and a free throw in the final 20 seconds against Utah to help the Suns force overtime.
Even in their only victory, 120-116 over Sacramento in the season opener, the Suns trailed by 20.
Phoenix played without No. 2 scorer Dillon Brooks (right groin soreness) against Utah but got center Mark Williams back after he sat out the Saturday loss to Denver while managing the recovery of a right knee injury. The early plan is for Williams to sit out the second of back-to-back games.
Williams had a season-best 25 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes, and his tip-in with 1.9 seconds remaining forced overtime.
“He’s all over the place,” Booker said.
Memphis has split its four games this season despite playing short-handed. Rotation members Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke, Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippin Jr. have not played because of injuries.
Starting center Edey is expected to be the first one back in early to mid-November. The Grizzlies signed big man Charles Bassey to a 10-day hardship exception contract Monday, and he is expected to play against the Suns.
The Grizzlies opened the short two-game trip with a 131-118 loss at Golden State on Monday. The Warriors turned a four-point halftime lead into a 99-78 edge with an 11-0 run.
“The bigger challenge for us is to extend the good moments,” first-year coach Tuomas Iisalo said. “We have good moments within the game, but then when there is a run by the other team, it extends too long. That’s the whole process, getting the good stretches longer and getting the not-so-good stretches shorter.”
Ja Morant had 23 points while shooting 8-of-23 from the floor.
“We got to get the offensive flow a little better,” Morant said. “That’s on me. They pretty much had us stagnant a lot. We were playing late shot-clock stuff.”
The Grizzlies won all four games in the season series a year ago by a total of 17 points. The Suns have lost the last three at home to Memphis.
