Suns vs Rockets Takeaways: A hot Suns start provides just enough late separation for the win

THE Phoenix Suns resumed last night, winning their second consecutive match in a 110-105 victory against the Houston Rockets. There were plenty of extracurricular activities in the more competitive parts of it, but cooler heads would prevail.

Phoenix would see its 11-point halftime lead completely dragged into the mud in the second half, but would eventually surface in the win column by staying focused this time.

Here are some of my takeaways from this one.

1.) Shades of déjà vu

Much like their game last week, the Suns got off to a blazing start. They would win the race until the first timeout, then continue to dictate terms. They would establish a 15-point lead behind a hot start from Devi Booker. Unlike last time, they would maintain a solid percentage of that cushion, going into halftime, with a lead of 11, 64-53.

Phoenix would dominate advanced metrics early on, which is indicative of what we saw in the first half. A first half offensive rating of 116.4 (102.4 in half court) and a defensive rating of 98.1 (83.7 in half court). High-level scores that correlate well with the eye test.

The second half, however, turned into a mud fight. Both teams would shoot 31% from the field and record double-digit foul totals.

The Suns would turn it over 14 times, which speaks to Houston’s increased pressure, both in terms of overtime but also the volume of double teams, and the Suns’ lack of determination in their offensive process.

Suboptimal spacing and pace of play early on, especially late, crippled their offense and left them with off-rhythm, late, and lower-quality shots on goal – repeatedly.

The second half played much more on the Rockets’ terms, but their somewhat juvenile errors would pose a hindrance on top of the difficulties they saw putting the ball in the hoop.

The comeback was as important as last week’s initial disappointment, and the approach to this one aligned with that method of thinking.

2.) Booker “Modest” is best for this interpretation.

It was a 20-point outburst from Devin Booker that led the offense in this one.

The shooting demonstration he put on at the start of this one was extremely impressive; a welcome addition to the intrigue that was non-existent during last week’s reunion. This ultimately helped make the difference in the game.

In 19 games this season where Booker has scored 30+, the Suns are 12-7. Zoom in a little further, and in the 13 games (the lion’s share of the aforementioned 19-game series) where he’s scored by a 30-39 point margin, the Suns are 10-3 — the sweet spot.

That 77.0 winning percentage, on a season-long scale, is the equivalent of second-best in the NBA – a pace north of 60 wins.

That proverbial sweet spot I mentioned is important in the overall shot distribution dynamic for the Suns, they don’t need supernova Booker (or Durant, or Beal) most nights, unless he there is a significant (two of the Big Three missing) or serious injury adversity. cold shot which requires a spark.

Finding the balance in harmony regarding the necessary scoring outcome of each of these entities, then adding the potential pyrotechnics as we saw in the O’Neale/Allen realm (Gordon (although he was OUT) on Sunday – given the quality of shots they’re going to see often – that’s where the balance is best

Plus, by paying the inevitable extra attention and trusting the even faster one-time pass, you’ll achieve a rotational destruction rate that will overwhelm defenses.

Concrete example here:

Or even more, here:

As here:

This will be important to evaluate over the final third of the upcoming season.

3.) Is the rhythm good? The rhythm is good!

According to Cleaning the Glass, this is the second least time – by percentage – the Suns have spent in the half court this season. The Suns spent just 73.1 percent of their possessions in the halfcourt, which ranks in the 92nd percentile. However, a large part of the flow generated can be attributed to the compilation of failures of the Houston Rocketsthat the Suns held to 35.4% on 48 attempts in the first half.

However, the Rockets didn’t try on a big scale all the time. The Suns were doing a solid job with their 1-4 switch. Nurkić struggled to get to his positions defensively, relative to whoever was handling the ball, and Sengun was again forced into glacial shooting numbers, at low volume.

Nurkić was – to a lesser extent than on Sunday against Davis and the Lakers – dictating with timely physicality to own the paint in stages, as well as initiating a little more offense, allowing more balance and unpredictability to their offense.

Finding ways to reduce the volume at which they often play against a stopped defense in the half court – ranked 5th worst in percentage of time spent against a stopped defense this season – allows them to play in the open field and flow, at worst, take action if you don’t achieve a traditional transitional look.

The pace was much better both in parts of this one, as well as against the Lakers on Sunday, with a lot of it having to do with multiple offensive initiators.

More Nurkic, also Allen, O’Neale and Lee, in addition to Booker and Durant.

The diversity of initiations breaks up the sometimes mundane and predictable actions they engage in, while also giving a defense different off-ball dynamics and decision-making in their switching process.

Their high-volume nature in the half-court, in theory, should best equip them for upcoming challenges in the playoffs. However, it is fruitful for them to consistently find the lineups and pockets in games where they can improve their game and relieve themselves of the pressure they will increasingly experience.

In a series-type format, the Suns will host the Houston Rockets again on Saturday. Phoenix currently leads 2-1 in the seasonal series.