Dillon

Brooks

After an inefficient Game 1 performance, Brooks has produced consecutive 30-point games. In Game 3, the veteran wing shot a little over 50 percent from the field and led the Suns in field-goal attempts. With Devin Booker struggling and being the focal point of Oklahoma City’s defensive approach, there have been more opportunities for Brooks. While some may want him to tone down the aggressiveness as far as the shot selection is concerned, he’s been effective in back-to-back games.

Brooks bounced back from a very inefficient 18-point performance in Game 1 by hitting the 30-point mark on above 50.0 percent shooting, leading to half of his scoring total. He didn’t make any big splashes in other statistical categories, but his three-point contributions and scoring were big positives nonetheless. The series will flip to Phoenix on Saturday, when Brooks and the Suns will look to avoid going down three games.

Given what he brings to the table defensively, Brooks earns a certain level of freedom on the offensive end of the floor. However, there’s no reason why he should lead the Suns in shot attempts when Devin Booker and Jalen Green are available. In Game 1, Brooks put up 22 shots, with Booker next in line with 17 attempts and Green finishing with 16. That’s something to keep an eye on moving forward, beginning with Wednesday’s Game 2. If the Thunder defense can funnel things towards Brooks consistently, this series could be a sweep.

Brooks had a positive impact in his 37 minutes on Tuesday before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. While on the floor, he was a pest defensively, as shown in his four steals, but also repeatedly made momentum-building shots while the Suns led. Despite taking only 10 shots on the evening, the veteran forward finished as one of three Suns players to tally at least 20 points. Phoenix will hope Brooks can be productive again on Friday against the winner of Wednesday’s Warriors-Clippers matchup.

While Booker, Brooks and O’Neale are sitting for injury-management reasons, Allen is out with a left hamstring injury he sustained during Friday’s loss to the Lakers. As for Saturday evening, the Suns were still listing the issue as a sore hamstring, but that’s something to keep an eye on ahead of Tuesday’s play-in game. Rasheer Fleming, Amir Coffey and Koby Brea are three wings who are in line to play rotation minutes on Sunday.

The only Suns starter to play more than 21 minutes on Friday was Ryan Dunn (one point, two rebounds, one assist and one steal), who logged 28. Brooks played 21 minutes, checking out for good during the third quarter. With the Suns locked into their seed for the postseason and Grayson Allen (hamstring) going down during the second quarter of Friday’s game, it would be unsurprising if the team rested Brooks and its other key players ahead of Tuesday’s Play-In game against the Trail Blazers or the Clippers.

Brooks bounced back from a rough outing against the Rockets to nearly reach the 30-point mark on Wednesday. In the victory, he shot the ball efficiently and used the three-point shot effectively. He was also solid on the glass, although he didn’t provide many contributions in other statistical categories. Nonetheless, the veteran wing’s production against the Mavericks should give him some positive momentum going into Friday’s matchup with the Lakers.

While this decision doesn’t change much for McClung beyond the fact that he doesn’t have to pay a fine, it has far more significant implications for Brooks. Had the technical foul been upheld, it would have been the veteran wing’s 18th of the season, triggering his second one-game suspension. Brooks will be available for Tuesday’s game against the Rockets.

Brooks picked up his 18th technical foul in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over the Bulls. If it’s not rescinded by the NBA, the 30-year-old shooting guard will be suspended for Tuesday’s game against the Rockets. Royce O’Neale would likely move into the starting lineup if Brooks is suspended.

Royce O’Neale will head back to the bench with Brooks back in the starting unit. Brooks has been sidelined since Feb. 21, which was also against Orlando. Brooks should see his typical workload, which means O’Neale will lose out on the streaming value he held.