PHOENIX SUNS

Suns Strokes: Fouls, Paul George haunt Phoenix in loss to Pacers

Dec 7, 2016, 11:15 PM | Updated: Dec 8, 2016, 12:01 am

Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe, right, grimaces as he get fouled by Indiana Pacers forward Paul Ge...

Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe, right, grimaces as he get fouled by Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) as Bledsoe goes up for a shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Phoenix. The Pacers defeated the Suns 109-94. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

PHOENIX — Devin Booker asserted himself from the jump. Tyler Ulis led the most efficient stretch of basketball to close the first half.

The Suns couldn’t find either magic again as the Indiana Pacers, led by Paul George’s defense, outscored them 27-14 in the fourth quarter to turn a two-point game into a 109-94 Phoenix loss Wednesday night at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The same themes that have repeatedly doomed Phoenix throughout the 6-16 start to the year cropped up.

Fouls plagued the Suns, who committed 31 personals to just 16 on the Pacers. Defense left them when it counted as George (25 points, 13 rebounds) and Jeff Teague (19 points, 11 assists) each scored seven points in the fourth quarter. George added the defense for Indiana, shutting out Booker down the stretch. The Suns’ 20-year-old scored seven to go with two assists in the first quarter but six more then on, taking only one missed shot during the 9:36 he played in the fourth.

More importantly, the Suns couldn’t buy buckets, nor track down easier attempts. They took 33 three-pointers and hit just nine. Meanwhile, Indiana outscored them at the foul stripe 32-17.

“I don’t know how you compete in a game when the free throws, the difference is that big of a gap,” Suns coach Earl Watson said. “Maybe we have to be more aggressive, we need to attack the rim more. But I thought we did a great job of attacking the rim, kicking out for threes. Lots of open shots, too.”

Perhaps, but there’s also the inconsistency.

Booker’s hot start got shut down cold by George, who at one point toward the end of the first half sized up Booker near the halfcourt circle and nearly picked the second-year guard. He forced Booker to lose his handle and turn it over with a backcourt violation.

“He’s young. He’s really, really good,” George said of Booker. “He’s got a lot to learn playing with the physicality, but I was just being physical with him, trying to get him out of spots, trying to get him uncomfortable.”

There was, however, a promising stretch for the Suns.

Eric Bledsoe, who led Phoenix with 15 points, went to the bench with three fouls and the Suns trailing 36-34 with 5:13 left in the second quarter. Replaced by Ulis, the Suns closed on a 19-13 run for a 53-49 halftime lead. They shot 7-of-11 — including three of the nine triples on the night — to weather a flurry of eight points from Indiana’s Myles Turner, who hit three jumpers matched against Suns center Tyson Chandler.

But Phoenix could never catch that offensive magic again, shooting 33 percent in the second half and turning it over six times in the fourth quarter.

“We just got to earn respect around the league,” Booker said. “That’s from officials, that’s from other teams. If we’re being extra physical with teams, you know we keep getting those calls, hopefully later down the line we’ll earn some respect.”

QUOTABLE

“This is the NBA, man. Guys get paid, they need to play, they need to produce.” — Earl Watson on the Suns’ guards when asked if it is hard to keep Tyler Ulis off the court after such successful stretches.

THE GOOD

Phoenix looked focused on getting Booker engaged early. He hit a shot in transition, attacked the hoop for a score and got an early three playing with a few subs thanks to a nice kickout and swing pass. Booker also twice found Chandler rolling to finish with two dimes and seven points through the first quarter, which the Suns trailed 23-22.

Most notably during the strong finish to the first half, Ulis earned an assist on a drive-and-kick for a Marquese Chriss three in one corner and a hockey assist when a second drive and dump-off to Tyson Chandler led to a second Chriss triple in the opposite corner. Ulis tallied a second assist on a weaving pick-and-roll drive before finding a wide open Booker. It stood out next to the Suns’ one made three prior to Ulis entering.

THE BAD

Phoenix went 1-for-8 shooting from three before hitting three of its last four in the first half to close hitting 4-for-13 at the break. Phoenix shot 9-for-33 (27 percent) for the game.

It was a turnover-prone game for most of the first half — on both sides. The Suns coughed it up 11 times for 10 points allowed while Indiana did so 12 times leading only to six points. For the game, the Suns’ 21 turnovers led to 22 Indiana points. The Pacers turned it over 18 times, but the Suns scored just six off those miscues.

Booker picked up three fouls in the first three-plus minutes of the third quarter. He got a reach, went over the back after missing a free throw and then picked up his fourth of the game with a midcourt foul to stop the fastbreak; he said he just ran into a Pacer. Bledsoe also picked up his fourth foul 16 seconds in the third quarter, but remained in the game.

The Suns trailed 82-80 to begin the fourth quarter, but tallied six turnovers for seven points and shot 5-for-17 in the period. They only scored one basket in the final five minutes, while allowing Indiana to shoot 8-for-16 and grab three painful offensive rebounds late to keep a potential Phoenix rally in check.

Taking out the five-minute stretch to end the first half, the Suns shot 36 percent.

STAT OF THE GAME

41: The Pacers took 41 free throws and made 32.

NOTED

– Wednesday night’s contest marked Tyson Chandler’s 1000th game of his NBA career.

– The game featured 14 ties and 14 lead changes.

UP NEXT

Phoenix visits the Los Angeles Lakers (10-14) at the Staples Center in a nationally-televised ESPN game with a tip time of 8:30 p.m.

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