‘Tremendous ugly’: What we discovered and Phoenix Suns stated after fall to twelfth in West with loss to Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS – The defeat continues for the Phoenix Suns.

With Suns staff proprietor Mat Ishbia in attendance, the short-handed Suns misplaced their fourth straight sport, 126-108, Saturday to the Indiana Pacers in entrance of a packed home of 17,274 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Suns (15-18) performed their final three video games under .500 within the 2022-23 season after they fell to 21-24 after a Jan. 16 loss at Memphis, 136-106. Monty Williams was the pinnacle coach.

A month later, Ishbia was formally launched because the staff’s proprietor and accomplished a blockbuster deal for Kevin Durant that despatched Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and a number of draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets.

The Suns grew to become on the spot title contenders with the two-time Finals MVP, however they seem removed from that degree in the intervening time. Phoenix is ​​twelfth within the West after Saturday’s 18-point loss.

The Suns have been with out Tyus Jones, Oso Ighodaro, Royce O’Neale and Jusuf Nurkic. Jones and Ighodaro have been scratched late as a consequence of sickness and O’Neale is again in Phoenix with a sprained left ankle that might be re-evaluated subsequent week. Nurkic served the third of his three-game suspension with out pay for his involvement in an “on-court” altercation with Dallas Mavericks forwards Naji Marshall and PJ Washington throughout a Dec. 27 dwelling loss.

Phoenix used his 17^th totally different beginning lineup with Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Ryan Dunn, Mason Plumlee and Durant. Jones had began the earlier 32 video games.

Durant posted a team-high 25 factors, seven rebounds and 7 assists to go along with 5 turnovers whereas Devin Booker added 20 factors, 9 assists and eight rebounds. Phoenix had three days between Tuesday’s loss to Memphis and Saturday’s sport towards the Pacers (18-18) and nonetheless led by 20 factors.

Listed here are a number of takeaways because the Suns proceed their three-game street journey Monday towards the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Pacers with 40 factors within the third quarter condemn the Suns

The Pacers scored 40 factors within the third quarter to interrupt a 56-56 halftime rating and full the Suns’ dwelling sweep.

The Suns proceed to both begin the sport slowly or begin the second half slowly. One would possibly assume they don’t seem to be as ready or do not make halftime changes nicely sufficient.

No matter it’s, it’s recurring and continues to sentence them.

Haliburton and the Pacers discover their rhythm

The Pacers are a .500 staff, however they’ve gained eight of their final 11 video games.

Did not reside as much as preseason expectations as Tyrese Haliburton obtained off to a gradual begin, however as his play improved, so did the Pacers. The star level guard had 27 factors, hitting 5 of 12 from 3 with eight assists to zero turnovers.

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They caught to the technique of trapping the ball handler on the excessive pick-and-roll to pressure the ball out of Durant’s palms, leaving Josh Okogie or Plumlee to make a 4-on-4 resolution.

The Suns didn’t make the Pacers pay sufficient in these sequences.

Dunn works contained in the 3-point line

Suns rookie Ryan Dunn working contained in the 3-point line, whether or not it is a screen-and-roll, rebounding, or offensive rebounds, can work for the Suns.

Scoring 13 factors on 6 of 11 capturing (1 of 4 of three), Dunn has the dimensions to get his shot off defenders, is lively and performs with vitality.

The Suns might use extra.

The Suns usually are not taking part in quick sufficient

The Suns aren’t taking part in with the tempo that coach Mike Budenholzer expects of them.

They have an inclination to carry the ball up even after a miss, which implies they face a set protection more often than not, whereas the opposing staff turns the ball over to them, particularly a staff like Indiana, who performs quick.

The Suns missed Jones pushing the ball or hitting the ball in entrance to create offense, however taking part in quicker will result in faster, extra open appears to be like.

Bol Bol performs double-digit minutes

Bol Bol gave them stable minutes in his first motion since Dec. 8 in Orlando. It is the primary time he is performed in double figures since Dec. 5 in New Orleans.

Taking part in 12 minutes, Bol can rating from all three ranges, however his protection and defensive rebounding are liabilities that maintain him from staying on the court docket. With Nurkic and Ighodaro absent, Budenholzer turned to Bol.

He might have earned extra taking part in time sooner or later.

What the Suns stated after the loss

Booker on the staff’s temper in the intervening time: “S—, the vibes are low, man. We simply gotta maintain preventing. It is even a blessing to be on this place, however our result’s tremendous awful proper now. We maintain constructing. Hopefully that later within the season, these moments listed below are previous, we’re previous them, however proper now we’re within the thick of it.

Beal on 4 losses: “We’re undoubtedly pissed. We’re not completely happy about it. It is a good factor, although. You do not (see) guys smiling and completely happy and shit after 4 losses.”

Durant on his 4-for-3 benefit after the Pacers trapped the ball handler on a pick-and-roll: “Plenty of groups are going to double up on the ball, entice, double, however I feel our staff missed some beauty tonight. We did not make some, however I really feel like we’re doing belief the blokes on this brief movie.

Suns coach Mike Budenholzer on giving up a 40-point third quarter: “We’ve to be higher on that facet of the ground, give ourselves an opportunity to exit and play, play quicker, play random. That is once we’re at our greatest offensively. We’ve to make stops to make It occurs. We did not make sufficient stops within the third quarter.

Grayson Allen on producing simply 30 pictures from 3 (12) within the loss to the Pacers whereas the Suns are averaging 37.8 makes an attempt per sport: “They’re doing very well. I feel among the 5-out lineups we had there, we anticipated to get a great variety of 3s and we did not get there. Plenty of our 3s got here when We selected to choose up the tempo a little bit.”

Do you’ve gotten any ideas on the present state of the Suns? Contact Suns insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Observe him on X, previously Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This text was initially revealed on Arizona Republic: “Tremendous ugly proper now”: the Phoenix Suns twelfth within the West after their defeat towards the Pacers