The Suns’ season feels like watching a bad movie on repeat.

For three quarters, the Phoenix Suns played with a rare swagger against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night. A mix of hustle, grit, and occasional flashes of defense were displayed on the hardwood. It was enough to fool you into thinking a win against the second-worst team in the Western Conference was on the horizon. But we know better. We’ve been here before.

This team? They’re just a rerun of those Suns squads from the dark ages of missing the playoffs. You know the ones. Brief bursts of brilliance followed by the inevitable collapse. In the past, we chalked it up to youth, to the growing pains of a team learning how to win. Back then, we held onto the hope that one day, it’d all click.

But now? This is a team with a payroll full of veterans, and they should be beyond these same mistakes. They should not be letting a Pelicans team with just 15 wins dictate the tempo the way they did. And yet, in the fourth quarter, that’s exactly what happened. Another collapse. Another loss. And another round of head-scratching moments trying to piece together the mess of how and why it went wrong.

This is the Suns’ story in a nutshell, and honestly, I’m ready for the credits to roll. It’s like sitting through Horizon with Kevin Costner. You seen that shit? Scene after pointless scene dragging on, making you wish you could just fast-forward to the end. I pity those who paid money and sat in a theater to watch it. Just as I pity those who pay to see this team in person.

I’m literally writing the same damn thing after every game. It’s getting old. Fast. I love basketball. I love the beauty of it, the rhythm, the chemistry. But when you’re watching the same painful mistakes night after night, losing in ways that make zero sense, it makes you want to throw in the towel. I came into this season hoping for Field of Dreams. What I got was Horizon. And man, that’s gross.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

Five Phoenix Suns players scored over 20 points in the loss to the Grizzlies, but only one could win Bright Side Baller. Who was it? Garnering 53% of the vote was Bol Bol, who now has 2 on the year.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Devin Booker

36 points (13-of-29, 6-of-16 3PT), 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, -6 +/-

Kevin Durant

28 points (12-of-23, 4-of-13 3PT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers, -2 +/-

Tyus Jones

15 points (5-of-7, 5-of-6 3PT), 5 rebounds, 12 assists, +15 +/-

Nick Richards

10 points (5-of-6, 0-of-0 3PT), 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, +15 +/-

Bol Bol

15 points (6-of-10, 3-of-6 3PT), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover, +2 +/-

Royce O’Neale

6 points (2-of-3, 2-of-2 3PT), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, -8 +/-

How do you see it? Who earned it? Vote below.

Poll

Bright Side Baller: Suns vs. Pelicans

• Devin Booker
• Kevin Durant
• Tyus Jones
• Nick Richards
• Bol Bol
• Royce O’Neale
• Other (comment below)