Scoring flurries from Booker, Warren, James propel Suns to win in Brooklyn
Oct 31, 2017, 8:25 PM | Updated: Nov 1, 2017, 11:22 am
Brooklyn Nets guard D'Angelo Russell (1) scoops the ball away from Phoenix Suns guard Mike James (55) as Suns center Tyson Chandler (4) watches in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, in New York. The Suns defeated the Nets 122-114. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Without Eric Bledsoe, the Phoenix Suns are going to struggle to find a second scoring option to go along with Devin Booker.
That was apparent in Tuesday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, when, in the third quarter, Brooklyn went on a 23-4 run to close the quarter once Booker got cold.
It appeared as if the Nets would run away with the game, but following scoring flurries from Mike James in the first quarter and Booker in the two middle quarters, T.J. Warren had a monster fourth quarter to propel the Suns to a 122-114 win in Brooklyn.
Booker looked to be well on his way to another big scoring night, putting his total at 30 points midway through the third quarter. Once he slowed down, though, the Suns needed offense from someone else.
That would be Warren late, who scored all 20 of his points in the second half and 14 of them in the fourth. Of those 14, four of them would come on critical offensive rebounds where Warren would get the putback with under four minutes to go, a mini 4-0 run to give the Suns a 111-108 lead. He also snagged seven of his 11 rebounds in the quarter.
From there, a crucial isolation midrange jumper from James and a three-pointer by Dragan Bender assisted by James brought the lead to eight points and was enough of a cushion for the Suns to hold on.
Speaking of Bender, the Croatian continues his run of solid play off the bench. He had 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and his high-level defense showed through his plus-minus of 20 and two blocks.
Bender, along with Tyson Chandler and Alex Len, will be the unsung heroes of the game. Chandler and Len combined for 28 rebounds, playing the largest part in a plus-22 advantage on the boards over Brooklyn.
James scored 12 of his 24 points in the first quarter and added three rebounds, five assists and four steals to his final stat line.
Booker finished with 32 points, shooting 11-of-22 from the field. This included some difficult shots and a highlight-reel behind-the-back dribble to a floater surrounded by four defenders.
Devin Booker makes them think one thing while he’s thinking another. Mind control? #SunsAtNets pic.twitter.com/feuvtcVLNh
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 1, 2017
He would only score two points in the final 17 minutes, though, which seemed to doom Phoenix. Big-time contributions from Warren, James and others, however, were the difference in the Suns coming away with a win and improving their record to 3-4 on the season.
