It’s awesome to see a team that nobody expects anything from start to gain a little momentum. Everybody starts to raise their eyebrows a little bit. Well, slowly, that’s what’s happening in Phoenix.

We’ve got a big three, and it’s Dillon Brooks, Collin Gillespie, and Royce O’Neale.

CLASSIC!

Two trios faced off on Monday Night. For the Lakers, we had Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. For the Suns we had the household names of Dillon Brooks, Collin Gillespie, and Royce O’Neale. Obviously you can imagine which trio outperformed the other.

The phrase “Any Given Sunday” in relation to Football is so great. It just means that no matter what, no matter how big a favorite one team may be over the other, and whatever their records are, anything can happen on any given Sunday!

This may be one of the best parts in sports, period. The Stumpset.

Now this one wasn’t a crazy Stumpset to say the least. The Suns have surprised some people with a solid 13-9 start to the year. This has them as the 7th seed right now in a loaded West.

Let’s talk about this trio of characters that lit the Lakers on fire one at a time.

First, The Villain.

During his time in Memphis, Dillon Brooks officially earned villain status after some of his antics during their season as the #2 Seed in the West (yes, the Grizzlies were a #2 seed, shockingly).

He became the guy who got under people’s skin, a la Draymond Green. He then signed an ENORMOUS 4-year, $80-million deal with the Houston Rockets, which many said was a massive reach for him. Well, after another move that has landed him in Phoenix, he is now averaging 22 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals a game. The guy is not only a pest, but a baller as well. In Monday’s win, he scored 33 points, just 4 off his career-high.

Next. The Weapon.

If you take a look at Collin Gillespie, you’ll ask yourself who this kid is on the court. When he goes on to splash three straight threes on your favorite team, you’ll realize that he’s a weapon! A 4-year player at Villanova, Gillespie was always known to play above his years. A gritty PG who weaved his way around the Big East for years. He went undrafted in 2022 and was picked up by the Nuggets, who kept him for three seasons. It would’ve been great to see him flourish in Denver, but that served as developmental years for him instead. Now in his second year with the Suns, his jump has been big. He has gone from averaging 5 points and 2 assists a year ago to 13 points and 5 assists. With the confidence he has grown in just the last week alone, I expect these numbers to go up! He put up a career-high 28 points on Monday and also a career-high 8 threes! Weapon!

And finally, the Swiss Army Knife.

When you think Swiss Army Knife, I’ll tell you who doesn’t pop into your head immediately. That would be one Royce O’Neale. This guy has been good for 2 threes a game since his days in Utah. I remember watching him in the bubble just knowing that no matter what else happened, he was going to hit an early 1st quarter three, and then a timely 4th quarter three as well. It was like clockwork. His stats won’t jump off the page, but you don’t start for 3 different teams across 6 years for nothing. On Monday, O’Neale had 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists. That matched his career high in assists. He’s tacked on a steal as well in 4 out of his last 5 games and a block in 3 of those. He does the little things.

Suns vs Lakers did not end with the ‘more popular named trio’ in front.

But the NBA isn’t a popularity contest, it’s a question of who can win…

On Any Given Monday.

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