Phoenix Suns: Ranking the 5 best Christmas Day games in team history
By Ian Levy
The Phoenix Suns have played 20 Christmas Day games in franchise history but the holiday hasn't always been good to them. They're 12-8, all-time, on Christmas but just four of those 12 wins came in the 3-point era.
Still, they've had some incredible moments, playing in instant classics and benefitting from huge performances from stars like Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson. Here are the best Christmas Day games in Phoenix Suns history.
5. Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets, 2022
Even though this one was a loss for the Suns, we're starting here because it was an absolutely incredible game. The Nuggets came away with a 128-125 overtime win, thanks to a 41-15-15 triple-double from Nikola Jokic. But this was a chance to see the Devin Booker Suns at their best pre-Durant trade, flush with depth and shotmaking.
Booker played just four minutes before exiting with a groin injury but the rest of the supporting cast stepped up with six different players scoring in double-figures. Chris Paul put up 17 points and 16 assists, Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 16 rebounds and Landry Shamet came off the bench to drop 31, thanks to 7-of-17 from beyond the arc. He had a 3-point attempt to tie the game with nine seconds left but couldn't get it to go down.
The final result obscures just how well the Suns played without their star guard. They led for just over 32 minutes and were in control most of the way, with just six ties and six lead changes. The Suns and Nuggets would meet again in the Western Conference semifinals with the Nuggets winning 4-2 en route to their first championship.