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Phoenix Suns supporters were left reeling with shock and humiliation after the team's season opener in Portland ended in a lopsided loss. The players and coaching staff shared those feelings.
Now, the Suns are eager to move past the 124-83 drubbing as they welcome the Golden State Warriors to Mortgage Matchup Center on Saturday for their home opener, a chance to correct course.
"Today we addressed it head on. That's not us. We have a higher standard than that. It's up to us to hold each other accountable and then to move on to the next play," Suns coach Jordan Ott said, via Duane Rankin.
Ott elaborated on how the game unraveled: "It snowballed. (The Blazers) for sure. Our missed shots led to transition. They were in our paint. Calls that could've gone either way whether it was out of bounds or a foul called. We were in the penalty early and then we'd have opportunities and we didn't capitalize. Transition. Good looks and then before you know, it's 21-0."
The Suns have long taken pride in a culture built on hustle and effort for all 48 minutes. Yet against Portland, it was the Trail Blazers who appeared inspired and ready to take another step forward in the 2026-27 season, while Phoenix looked like a bystander.
It was just one of 82 games, and there's no time for the Suns to unravel before the season truly gets underway. Still, as Devin Booker suggested earlier this week, Phoenix received a much-needed wake-up call, and Dillon Brooks echoed that sentiment when speaking with reporters on Friday.
"Communication. Energy. Togetherness. Feel like we got spread out away from each other, we weren't talking as much," Brooks said post-practice, per Rankin. "We weren't stopping the bleeding. It's not good that it's the first game, but overall, you know, it's not like Game 50 or we're in a predicament with (playoff) seeding or whatever it is. It's good for us to get slapped in the mouth like that from that team and we're going to learn from it."
The Suns will aim to rebound—both literally and figuratively—against a Warriors team that will be playing the second night of a back-to-back after facing the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Golden State dropped its season opener to the Los Angeles Lakers, 127-105, on Wednesday.
Suns-Warriors is scheduled for a 7:00 PM tip, and the home crowd in Phoenix will not hesitate to voice its displeasure if another poor performance follows the team to Mortgage Matchup Center.