PHOENIX – The Indiana Pacers earned a 120-111 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night time on the Footprint Middle to finish Phoenix’s two-game profitable streak.
Though the Suns (14-12) finally entered the sport at full power with Bradley Beal getting back from a two-game absence resulting from harm, the Pacers (13-15) managed to achieve momentum at halfway by the primary quarter and by no means actually appeared again till Kevin Durant (37 factors, 16 in fourth) tried to convey Phoenix again within the fourth, nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient.
The loss was much more painful on condition that Devin Booker left the sport with simply over 5 minutes remaining within the third quarter resulting from left groin tightness.
Phoenix has now misplaced its final two video games whereas its 5 starters are lively, with the earlier loss coming again on November 27 towards the Brooklyn Nets. You’ll be able to learn a full recap of the sport right here.
Listed below are the three major areas the place the Suns struggled within the loss:
The Pacers are identified for his or her quick tempo, and Phoenix has labored of their favor with the turnover numbers.
Phoenix coughed up the ball 16 occasions and the Pacers turned that into 29 factors. As compared, the Suns pressured 9 Indiana turnovers resulting in 10 factors, that means they had been minus 19 factors from turnovers.
After recording simply two mixed turnovers within the earlier two video games, Durant had a game-high 5, with the Pacers making him uncomfortable on a number of possessions.
“I feel (the turnovers had been) the massive distinction within the sport. I feel typically their lively arms, their exercise created deflections, created steals,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer mentioned after the sport.
“They’re flying in all places, placing two on the ball. Our selections, our sharpness wasn’t there. So, credit score to them. Their protection and their exercise to create turnovers.”
Merely put, it wasn’t the identical good Phoenix offense as early within the season when everybody was wholesome, and it confirmed the Suns desperately wanted to search out time to develop their rhythm, however they are going to now face one other impediment with Booker’s harm.
Budenholzer emphasised that he needed to make extra 3-pointers, however Phoenix tied his lowest 3-pointers made (9) and made his second-fewest 3-point makes an attempt (30) in a sport all season. season.
In the meantime, Indiana shot 16 of 41 (39%) from deep for the sport, with all of its starters conceding not less than two.
To their credit score, the Pacers are within the prime 10 in not letting groups rating three, permitting the sixth-fewest 3-point makes an attempt per sport (36.2) and the ninth-fewest 3-point makes an attempt per sport (13 .3), however Phoenix could not discover any type of consistency behind the arc all night time.
Tyus Jones, who entered tonight taking pictures 58.7% (27 of 46) from deep over the Suns’ final eight video games, went 1 of 6 from downtown. Booker and Grayson Allen had been every 0 of three.
Phoenix missed some simple seems, but additionally missed many open pictures. The Pacers then managed to pressure the Suns offense into a number of troublesome makes an attempt when the ball stagnated.
Conversely, the Pacers had a number of huge open seems all through the sport resulting from missed defensive rotations by Phoenix.
“It’s a group that modifications traces loads. We thought if we simply performed our sport shifting with out the ball, we stayed in motion. By taking part in quick, we had been in a position to get what we needed offensively,” Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton (13 factors, 12 assists) mentioned after the sport.
“It was simply the concentrate on the sport and we did a great job.”
Phoenix might want to tighten up their defensive communication going ahead and never be too unselfish offensively to let their attractiveness slip by.
The Suns appeared to achieve some momentum simply earlier than halftime when Royce O’Neale scored a 3-pointer on the buzzer to chop Indiana’s result in 60-59 earlier than halftime.
As a number of groups have achieved towards Phoenix recently, the Pacers then exploded within the third quarter to the tune of a 37-24 benefit and took a 97-83 lead into the fourth.
Phoenix has now been outscored by 43 third-quarter factors in its final 9 video games, though it appeared to have downplayed the issue within the earlier three video games.
The Suns confirmed loads of battle within the fourth quarter, however had been in too deep a gap popping out of the third, which particularly added to Booker’s harm.
As soon as once more, Phoenix mentioned turnovers are sometimes guilty for the massive runs he allowed his opponents night time after night time.
“Often it is turnovers after which transition D is hard. It is powerful to get again on protection once we flip the ball over,” Durant mentioned of the opposing group’s runs after the sport.
“Once we normally hold the ball in our arms, we get poor turnovers, we play a few of our greatest balls. So once more, I’ve to be higher at that. I feel it is contagious.
“Even when I had 5 turnovers, I feel my group might determine it out. Like I mentioned, they feed off the best way I play on the market. So, I’ve to be higher.”
It was a really winnable sport that the Suns wanted to construct some momentum, nevertheless it went within the flawed path with a loss, and they’ll now have to regulate to seemingly taking part in with out Booker, who had been lively in the course of the 26 matches to date. point out.
The Suns will then start a stretch of 5 video games in eight days beginning with the Detroit Pistons (11-17) on Saturday.
