Phoenix Suns Coach Mike Budenholzer may simply have gave a nod to Bradley Beal for his dwelling victory 111-109 towards the Los Angeles Clippers Monday.
Earlier than the match, Budenholzer didn’t reveal which might change the Ryan Dunn wounded wing (sprained left ankle) within the beginning program. He lastly rolled with Royce O’Naale as a substitute of Beal.
“He may have gone with anybody and he selected me,” O’Neale instructed the Republic of Arizona after the match. “Don’t change my way of thinking. Play as exhausting as attainable, come and have an effect on the sport and simply be me.”
Most observers would have predicted Beal the selection after scoring 20 factors in 38 minutes from the tip of the bench in the course of the House Victory of Phoenix 119-109 towards Washington on Saturday. He was additionally a starter till a couple of weeks in the past, when Budenholzer changed him by Dunn.
In the course of the tenth departure from O’Neale this season on Monday, he scored 11 factors, struck 3 out of 8 and equaled his high of the 4 interception season towards the
O’Neale is named a flexible playmaker, a tough defender, a stable 3 -point shooter (third finest 40.5% of Suns out of 5.6 makes an attempt per sport) and a penetrator. Budenholzer’s plan was to make it persist with James Harden and make him return with this activity and comprise Kawhi Leonard.
“He gave us a presence on Harden,” mentioned Budeholzer about O’Neale. “We had plenty of completely different folks we have been going to launch on Harden, however I believe Royce after which coming with Brad. I believed Brad had achieved an ideal job on Harden, did an ideal job on Kawhi.
“He may have gone with anybody however he selected me.”
Royce O’Neale on Mike Budenholzer launched him rather than Bradley Beal to interchange the Ryan Dunn injured within the House Victory 111-109 of Suns towards Clippers.
O’Neale collected 11 factors, three 3, a summit of the season 4 interceptions (2 of the James Harden guard) pic.twitter.com/44rdSCG64O
– Dana (@im_danascott) January 28, 2025
“Making an attempt to maintain these similar combos that we talked about.
In the course of the Solar Monday taking pictures, Tyus Jones mentioned that Harden had lately performed “in an excellent tempo”. He’s a high scorer and a excessive -level distributor (21.7 factors per sport, the sixth better of NBA at 8.3 assists), and left 40 and 9 in Los Angeles’ victory towards Milwaukee on Saturday.
“It’s a group effort, particularly on the protection,” mentioned O’Neale about Harden. “I believe we’re all related and that we’re speaking. We all know that he likes to hit the pocket go, or hindsight 3, or assault. So I believe that making an attempt to make issues tough for him, taking the whole lot benefit.”
The identical goes for Leonard, who performed his eighth sport of the season after being sidelined from many of the season of his recurring knee harm.
O’Neale and Beal helped restrict Harden and Leonard to solely eight and 4 factors in the course of the first half, respectively. Harden completed with 24 factors, the ten assists and 6 rebounds. His different summit, nonetheless, was six reversals. Leonard completed the match with 17 factors and 5 boards.
Two of the O’Neale flights and one in all Beal’s two interceptions have been exterior Harden. The opposite turnover of Clippers Guard was when Harden had Grayson Allen on an isolation reader, and Allen turned to assist and take up a cost on Harden.
O’Neale virtually obtained what would have been his first Harden flight, and 5 in complete, at 7:05 am within the first. Harden dribbled in the midst of the sector and O’Neale disrupted his dribbling earlier than triggering an attacking sport they usually hooked up themselves to a leap.
“When he performs this fashion, selecting up as quickly because the ball crosses the half -terrain, utilizing his fingers properly – has all the time been nice along with his fingers,” mentioned Kevin throughout.
“It’s bodily and performs exhausting. Typically you could possibly be out of place, however when you play exhausting, you get flights, you get blocks, so Royce was nice tonight,” added throughout.
O’Neale additionally set the tone to Phoenix with their 3 -point shot, during which they equaled a summit of season 22 in arc.
He spilled the primary triple of the Suns within the first minutes of the primary quarter, two others within the second. His third Trey within the final minute of the primary half prolonged his greatest lead at 13.
The Suns performed properly in January, forward of the Clippers to win eight victories from their final 10 video games.
O’Neale feels that his teammates haven’t been shaken by the Media industrial hypothesis surrounding Beal and Jimmy Butleror the frenzy Budenholzer and the previous Solar departure heart, Jusuf Nurkic, doesn’t converse for 2 months Whereas it’s on the industrial block.
“By no means too excessive, by no means too low, proceed to play and be us,” mentioned O’Neale. “The surface noise will all the time be exterior. I believe we simply targeted on one another, let’s attempt to win as many video games as attainable. That is what it’s.”
This text initially appeared on Arizona Republic: Royce O’Neale intensifies as a starter in Solar’s victory towards Harden, Clippers
