Koby Brea for 3: 5 takeaways from Suns NBA Summer League win over Wizards
Second-round pick Koby Brea scored a team-high 19 points, hitting 4-of-5 from 3, to lead five Suns in double figures.
Advertisement
Ryan Dunn finished with 17 points and Boogie Ellis went for 16 points off the bench, going 4-of-6 from 3.
First-round selection Khaman Maluach posted 14 points and Oso Ighodaro posted a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds, with six coming on the offensive boards.
Phoenix led by as many as 26 points.
Here are five takeaways from the victory as the Suns continue Summer League action Sunday, July 13, against the Atlanta Hawks at Cox Pavilion.
'Trying to be cautious' with Fleming
Second-round pick Rasheer Fleming sat out the opening game with right knee soreness.
This is after getting up shots following practice and participating in the game-day shootaround.
Advertisement
Suns Summer League head coach DeMarre Carroll said the team is just 'trying to be cautious' with Fleming, saying it's partly a product of how hard the Suns have been practicing.
Carroll didn't commit to Fleming playing Sunday, July 13, saying he needed to talk with the medical team. What Fleming can or can't do in practice a day before the Atlanta game will factor into his availability.
Brea for 3
Brian Gregory was right.
He said Brea has been the nation's top 3-point shooter the last two years.
The numbers show it. Brea led the nation in 3-point shooting in the 2023-24 season at 49.8% in his final year at Dayton. Brea followed that up by making 43.5% of his 3s last season at Kentucky as a fifth-year player.
Advertisement
The numbers don't lie, but Brea displayed an effortless, smooth form to validate how well he shot the ball in college. He was a little loose with the ball, committing four turnovers, but lived up to his elite reputation as a 3-point shooter.
And yes, he is named after the late, great Kobe Bryant.
Ball pressure, physicality
The Suns started the game with Dunn, their top defender last season, pressuring the ball to set a tone.
Playing with physicality and aggressiveness, the Suns scored 27 points off 17 Washington turnovers displaying active hands, feet and diving on the floor for the ball as Dunn did in the first half.
Advertisement
Ighodaro was imposing that 12 pounds of muscle he's gained to control the boards.
The bigger point to all this is the Suns came into the game with a game plan and executed it. This is part of the culture shift the Suns are trying to establish.
Huntley running the floor, finishing
He's a two-way signee, but rookie CJ Huntley showed why the Suns brought him back for a second workout before the 2025 draft.
The 6-11 big ran the floor extremely well and attacked the rim. He finished with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and five rebounds.
The Suns played nine players as Huntley and Ellis saw the most minutes off the bench with 19. If Ighodaro plays just two games since he's in his second NBA season, Huntley may see even more action to show his ability.
Maluach for 3
The form is there. He has touch, but Maluach missed his first five 3s before nailing the final one from the top of the key in the closing seconds of the game.
Advertisement
Wait. The 7-1 big with the 7-6 wingspan took six 3s.
In his one-and-done season at Duke, Maluach attempted only 16 in 39 games, making four.
He finished 5-of-18 from the field, but Carroll said the Suns want him to keep hoisting 3s, saying Maluach can shoot.
Could this be a sign they want to play him and Mark Williams together?
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What we learned after Suns' dominate win over Wizards
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
a minute ago
- Forbes
UFC 319 Results: Sights, Sounds, Highlights And Bonuses
The UFC put on a stellar show in Chicago on Saturday night and there's a new king at 185 pounds. Khamzat Chimaev is the new UFC Middleweight champion, and he did it in the most dominating way possible. For five rounds, Chimaev rag-dolled a massive and sturdy champion in Dricus Du Plessis en route to a decisive victory (50-44 x3). It was a grappling clinic. The crowd booed loudly during rounds 3–5 and after the fight, but those were boos of ignorance—fans who couldn't appreciate the artistry from the new champion. No matter, Chimaev is no less champion because of it. Du Plessis kept fighting and never gave up, but it was clear he had never faced a grappler on this level. Fans should have been booing DDP's inability to stop the takedown. In any case, there's a new champion, and this was a stellar card. Main Card Bouts Oh my. That's all many of us in the media section could say after Murphy completely destroyed Pico in the latter's highly anticipated UFC debut. Take a look at the finish. Murphy appears to have secured a title shot with his epic win and an instant bonus—which seems to be a thing now. Both of the bonuses given on the spot were deserving, and Murphy's performance was the standout of the night—especially considering he did this in a fight he took on three weeks' notice. The Fighting Nerds continue to be arguably the best gym in the sport, and Prates is one of the prized pupils. He walked through Neal and finished him with a devastating spinning elbow at the buzzer. It was the second of the night and even more savage than the first. Here's the finish: Prates was also awarded a Performance Bonus on the spot. MVP put on a show without a stoppage. He easily won the first two rounds before poor footing cost him the third. He got the decision, and fans were fired up. The United Center was so loud for him you would have thought he was from Chicago. Asakura is exciting and fearless, but he has a massive gap in skill when it comes to grappling. It was apparent in his loss to Alexandre Pantoja and again on Saturday when Elliott was too much for him with a combination of footwork and grappling. While the UFC may want Asakura to be a bigger deal, talented flyweights are going to keep taking him down and neutralizing his striking. Prelims Susurkaev might be special. He shook off a hard charge from the game American and finished the deal in the second round. The loudest moments of the night through the prelims came after the first round. The pop for the first-round flurry that saw Susurkaev wobbled—after he secured a series of takedowns and mat returns—was deafening. Susurkaev is a potential superstar. He now has two wins in the same week after earning a contract on Dana White's Contender Series on Tuesday and winning his main roster debut. He already has a huge following thanks to his affiliation with Chimaev. He's also building an aura that will have him fighting on the main card sometime soon. This was a massacre. Oleksiejczuk looked strong, but Meerschaert looked so bad in this fight it stood out more than anything else. He was even slower than normal, and his takedown attempts were telegraphed and sloppy. It was clear from the beginning it was only a matter of time before Oleksiejczuk got the finish. Oleksiejczuk's move to train with the Fighting Nerds has rendered stellar results. That continued on Saturday in Chicago against a seemingly uninspired opponent. This was a brawl from the start. I thought the judges got it exactly right. Godinez pieced Andrade up for three rounds. If she had more power, she might have gotten the stoppage. Andrade soldiered on, landing some hard shots of her own—especially to the body. I gave the third round to Andrade, as she seemed to be wearing on Godinez a bit with the pressure. If this were a five-rounder, things might have been different. It was three rounds and a candidate for Fight of the Night. Hernandez stomped on Hooper's Cinderella slipper. Just as MMA fans were beginning to buy into Hooper's chances of becoming a potential title player in the lightweight division, an underachieving 155-pounder sent him crashing to the canvas in the very first frame. It was a buzzer-beater finish. The Brazilian legend set things on fire with a WWE-like entrance fueled by aura and Oficina G3's 'Meus Próprios Meios.' That song should come with pyro. That said, Barboza looks so far past his prime that you have to wonder how much longer this will be worth it for him. His hand speed and head movement looked nearly non-existent after the first round, and he ate some huge shots. He's a warrior and kept firing. The crowd noise was definitely back up for this one, but prime Barboza would not eat those same shots from Klose. The unanimous decision in Klose's favor was the right call, as he landed the harder shots. The ladies mostly drained the air out of a crowd that was seemingly prepped and ready to explode with every huge moment. Unfortunately, neither Silva nor Barbosa delivered the moments the crowd was thirsty to see. As it was, the judges' decision drew a bigger response than the fight. The UC crowd booed loudly after Bruce Buffer read the scorecards, which was the loudest moment associated with the fight. It looked like Barbosa did enough to win, but it was a close, mostly uneventful fight—especially the passive first round. Morales and Idiris got the evening off on a strong note. The two flyweights went to war in an effort to capture this season's Ultimate Fighter crown. Morales' ground game and pressure proved too much, and he got the win by submission. Just before the sub, Morales hurt Idiris with a body shot that pressed the fight out of his opponent.
CBS News
a minute ago
- CBS News
Morales, Rooker lead Athletics to 7-2 win over Angels
Luis Morales struck out five in his second career start, Brent Rooker and Colby Thomas hit home runs, and the Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-2 on Saturday night. Morales (1-0) threw five innings and allowed one run, walking two, in his third career appearance. He has allowed two runs in 9 2/3 innings since his Aug. 1 callup. Thomas' two-run homer, his third of the year, put the A's on the board in the first inning. Darell Hernaiz drove in two on a third-inning single, and Rooker padded the A's lead with his solo homer in the fifth. Brett Harris and Rooker added insurance in the eighth with RBI singles. Sean Newcomb threw 1 2/3 innings and struck out three to earn his first save of the year. Nolan Schanuel had three hits, and Angels' starter Tyler Anderson (2-8) allowed four earned runs, three hits, and issued five walks in the loss. The A's have won 6 of their last 10 games, while the Angels have lost 6 of their last 10. Morales walked the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the first, but worked his way out of the jam with no runs scored. He only allowed one more runner to reach scoring position for the rest of his outing. The A's have scored 90 total runs in the first inning, the best in MLB and five clear of second place (Boston with 85). Angels RHP José Soriano (8-9, 3.84 ERA) faces Athletics LHP Jeffrey Springs (10-8, 4.08) in the final game of the three-game series.
Washington Post
25 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Jim Harbaugh refuses to comment after NCAA levies heavy penalties on Michigan for sign-stealing
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Jim Harbaugh is refusing to comment on the NCAA's decision to fine the University of Michigan tens of millions of dollars and to suspend head coach Sherrone Moore for a third game due to the sign-stealing scandal that occurred during Harbaugh's tenure at his alma mater. Harbaugh stayed mum on the Wolverines when he stepped to the podium at SoFi Stadium on Saturday night following his Los Angeles Chargers' 23-22 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Rams for his first interaction with the media since the NCAA's rulings were announced Friday . 'Like I said to you last year, not engaging,' Harbaugh said. 'Not engaging.' The NCAA sharply criticized Harbaugh's stewardship over the winningest program in college football when it announced the sanctions, saying it had 'overwhelming' evidence of a cover-up by the Michigan staff. Harbaugh has always claimed he didn't know about the sign-stealing and scouting operation run by Connor Stalions. Michigan only avoided a multi-year postseason ban because the NCAA decided it wasn't fair to the Wolverines' current student-athletes to penalize them for the misdeeds during Harbaugh's tenure, which culminated in a national championship in January 2024. He jumped back to the NFL two weeks later with the Chargers, and the NCAA hit him in August 2024 with a four-year show-cause order for recruiting violations. Harbaugh now faces a 10-year show-cause order following the conclusion of the four-year order, which effectively serves as a 14-year ban from college football. Michigan has said it will appeal the NCAA's decision, claiming the body has made errors in interpreting its own bylaws while drawing conclusions that are contrary to evidence. Moore was Harbaugh's assistant for six years before getting the top job upon Harbaugh's departure. Moore will be suspended for two games this September and for the Wolverines' 2026 season opener in Germany. ___ AP NFL:
