It’s hard to know exactly how to feel after the Phoenix Suns’ 125-116 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Every victory is a gift. You take it, appreciate it, and move forward. We’ve seen enough heartbreak to understand the alternative. But context matters. This was a team the Suns are chasing in the standings, a team so depleted by injuries that comparing them to the French front in World War I might be generous.

And yet, the Suns didn’t impose their will; they merely outlasted a skeleton crew.

The final score suggests a comfortable win, but if you watched, you saw the same careless mistakes, the same porous perimeter defense, the same maddening lack of urgency that has haunted them all season. This wasn’t dominance. It was survival. Not a testament to their ability, but to their availability. And that, more than anything, is why this victory feels so hollow.

Or maybe I am the hollow one.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

It’s been a minute since Kevin Durant snagged a Bright Side Baller award. Maybe that overtime-forcing dagger against Denver left a lasting impression, because the community finally handed KD his 7th BSB of the season.

Honestly? He hasn’t won as many as you’d expect. He’s been the Suns’ most consistent offensive weapon, yet the votes haven’t always gone his way.

Maybe there’s lingering resentment from the trade that broke up a Finals core. Maybe his standard of greatness is so absurdly high that any slight dip pushes votes elsewhere. Or maybe it’s because I didn’t start the polling until 11 games in, and Durant had already dominated those first 10. If the BSB race started on day one, he might be leading Booker right now.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Devin Booker

24 points (10-of-21, 0-of-6 3PT), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, +8 +/-

Kevin Durant

21 points (8-of-15, 1-of-3 3PT), 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 block, 6 turnovers, +11 +/-

Bradley Beal

19 points (7-of-10, 3-of-5 3PT), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, +7 +/-

Grayson Allen

17 points (6-of-10, 3-of-6 3PT), 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 turnover, 2 blocks, +4 +/-

Nick Richards

14 points (6-of-7) 9 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 block, -3 +/-

Mason Plumlee

13 points (5-of-6), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 turnovers, 0 blocks, +11 +/-

Who gets it for today’s game in Dallas?

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