Booker’s late heroics can’t bring Suns win in Bledsoe’s return to Phoenix

PHOENIX — In what was the expected outcome, Phoenix Suns fans heavily booed Eric Bledsoe for his first time being announced as a Milwaukee Buck at Talking Stick Resort Arena Wednesday night.

What was not the expected outcome was an absolutely thrilling game between the two teams, a game in which both teams went back and forth through the fourth quarter and overtime.

Devin Booker’s heroics nearly got the Suns a win in what was a roller coaster of a fourth quarter. Down three with no timeouts and four seconds left, Booker chucked up a 28-footer with DeAndre Liggins all over him and drained it.

DEVIN BOOKER pic.twitter.com/Ax6z4yWCvu

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) November 23, 2017

The Suns would crumble in OT, however, falling 113-107.

Bledsoe received loud boos on his first couple of possessions he touched the ball and would continue to receive them throughout.

Loud boos for Eric Bledsoe pic.twitter.com/0fZXDqnNYA

— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) November 23, 2017

“You know, it is what it is,” Bledsoe said of the boos. “We got the win tonight. My team did a hell of a job tonight. They’re just cheering for their team, doing what they’re supposed to do. You can’t blame them for that.”

He finished with 30 points, six rebounds, seven assists and seven turnovers on 26 field goal attempts.

“As much as I wanted to win this game, they had my back,” Bledsoe said of his teammates. “They all had my back tonight.”

The one who had his back the most was Khris Middleton.

The 26-year-old forward, averaging 18.7 points a game this season, added 40 points on 26 shots along with nine rebounds, three assists and four steals. His night made up for the Bucks being without their star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo due to right knee soreness.

“We needed it for (Bledsoe) and we needed it for us in the worst way,” Middleton said of the win.

After the story of Phoenix’s win Sunday over the Bulls was their ball movement and high assist numbers, those numbers reverted back to the poor averages they have posted this season.

A total of 15 assists and 29 turnovers doomed them after posting 88 combined assists in the past three games.

“Yup, that’s it right there,” interim head coach Jay Triano said of the turnovers swinging the game.

“I’ll take 29 bad shots over 29 turnovers, so shoot the ball. You have a better chance of the ball going in then if you try and throw it across-court to somebody or into somebody else’s hands. Bad shots can be rebounded or sometimes they go in. We have two of those — different story.”

The other revenge game was for Phoenix. Greg Monroe continued his impressive play, contributing 22 points and 15 rebounds against his former team. A healthy Tyson Chandler replaced him in the starting lineup, leaving Alex Len with a DNP-CD.

With a lack of offensive firepower for both teams, the game came down to the Milwaukee duo outscoring Phoenix’s scoring combo of Booker and T.J. Warren.

Both players had off-nights, with the Bucks’ variety of lengthy, quick defenders giving them trouble. Booker had 23 points on 24 field goal attempts while Warren finished with 20 points on 21 shots.

It was a wild ride to get to the end result.

At three different portions of the second half in which the Suns took the lead, Dragan Bender was involved.

Bender’s 3-pointer with 4:02 left in the third quarter made it 70-69 Suns, and after a Bucks response to get the advantage back, he scored five straight with 9:57 to go to tie the game at 84.

A Warren and-one floater had the Suns reclaim the lead 87-84 two possessions later.

That lead would last longer than the first, over six minutes, but Bledsoe’s free throw gave Milwaukee back the edge 97-96 with 2:51 to go.

Another play by Bender, this time a sweet drive to find Booker on a backdoor cut, put the Suns back in front 98-97 at 2:07 remaining.

From there, both teams would virtually match each other in both points and turnovers.

One free throw from Warren had the scoreboard at 99-97 with under 1:30 to go.

Milwaukee’s Thon Maker answered back with a deep midrange jumper to tie it up, and a turnover by Tyler Ulis on the other end was followed by a drive-and-kick attack to the rim by Bledsoe. The defense sunk in, leading to one more pass from the corner finding Middleton on the wing for the game’s biggest three points at that point and a 102-99 Suns deficit with 42.3 seconds left.

In a crazy sequence, three straight turnovers occurred. Ulis’ pass to Booker wound up deflecting out of bounds, Ulis stole the ball off Bledsoe the next possession, but then the ensuing transition play had Ulis turn it over again after 29 seconds of madness.

Bledsoe would take what was thought of as the game-sealing free throws, making one of two to a chorus of boos from fans to make it a four-point game, 103-99, with eight seconds left.

Milwaukee did the big no-no up two possessions late, though, fouling a 3-point shooter. Ulis drew the foul and made all three free throws to have it 103-102 Bucks with 5.5 seconds left.

Bledsoe was fouled after a close review was ruled in favor of Milwaukee and he would hit both free throws to make it 105-102 with 4.3 seconds left.

Then came Booker’s basket on an off-the-charts degree of difficulty to send the game to overtime.

From there, the Suns showed their inexperience, turning the ball over four times. Two of those would come via Bender.

In another chance to tie the game late, Booker missed a baseline fadeaway down two with under 10 seconds to go. Middleton would make the next two free throws, sealing a Bucks win.

Booker didn’t score in the overtime period, shooting 0-for-5.

UP NEXT

The Suns play at home Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans at 7 p.m. Pregame coverage starts 30 minutes prior on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

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