Discuss all you want about whether the Phoenix Suns’ dreadful fourth quarter Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets was bad offense (stale possessions and poor execution) or bad shooting (luck).
Overall, over the last two games, the Phoenix offense has moved the ball well. Better than before.
For all the talk about the Suns’ offensive breakdowns, poor fourth quarters and their need to acquire a true point guard, this is an important thing to note. Devin Booker remains sidelined and Bradley Beal takes over the lead guard position for the first significant stretch. This is a time in the season to see how this thing works with point shooting guards, Kevin Durant commanding the ball in streaks and Jusuf Nurkic completing the half-court play.
Grayson Allen was the main beneficiary of all this.
He made 16 threes during a two-game winning streak against Denver and Toronto, although he didn’t score a single point in the second half Thursday in a win over the Raptors. It changed every game that Allen made eight threes in a row without missing twice in a row.
“Shooters go through slumps where you miss a few in a row…it’s nice to be able to get that going quickly,” Allen said. Bickley and Marotta of Arizona Sports about a tough three-game stretch heading into this week. “It was only two or three games. I always have this mentality that I’m going to shoot a good percentage, so if I miss a lot in a row, I’m also going to win a lot in a row.
“During those times, actually, there’s not much going through my mind, but it can kind of feel like it’s slowing down a little bit,” he added. “You’re really locked in. I can really feel the energy of the crowd.”
But when it comes to the evolution of the team’s offense, Allen has been open over the past two games for a reason.
The Suns are 18th on the season with an average of 279 passes per game, which is influenced by their relatively slow pace.
But in their last three games with Booker out with an ankle injury, they rank second in the NBA in each team’s most recent three games with 329 assists per game. Once again: this represents 50 more passes per game than their season average!
Over its last three games, Phoenix is also seventh in assists per game average (29) and third in hockey assists (6.3). per second Spectrum tracking data.
Ball movement improves.
Twelve of Allen’s 15 field goal attempts were classified as uncontested against Denver, while all 14 of his shots against Toronto were clear from within 3.5 feet, according to Second Spectrum.
“If you look at some of our problems this season, it’s fourth-down games and turnovers,” Allen said, even saying he saw some good things against the Nuggets in a fourth quarter. time of 12 points. “I felt like our ball movement was great and we weren’t able to put away shots.”
Phoenix has only turned the ball over 23 times total over the past two games, a cleanup that has been a priority.
As Allen warmed up at the start of each game, defenses were forced to adjust. He only made two shot attempts in the entire second half against the Raptors. But it helped Durant take control, scoring 24 points in the second half on 8-of-14 shooting to close out Toronto.
The signs are that progress is being made if the Suns can change these trends beyond a three-game stretch.
“A lot of turnovers come from those dead possessions where we move the ball slowly up the court and don’t move much,” Allen said Friday. “I don’t think it comes from a traditional point guard. I think it’s the five guys who listen to each possession and help each other.
