Vinnie’ View: Roller coaster loss to Hawks a learning moment for Suns
Nov 17, 2025, 9:25 AM | Updated: 12:04 pm
Weird one Sunday night at Mortgage Matchup Center.
The 48-minute rollercoaster included feelings of frustration, relief, dominance, disbelief and ultimately disappointment for the Phoenix Suns in a 124-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
The frustration stemmed from a first quarter in which the Suns were ice cold from the floor, missing 11 of 12 three-point attempts and shooting 28% overall. The relief at halftime that after a lackluster first two quarters, the Suns actually led by a point at the break.
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Dominance came from watching the Suns play their best basketball in the third quarter, closing the frame on a 24-4 run. And disbelief that the Suns allowed Atlanta to answer with a 20-0 run of their own in a 47-point fourth quarter to steal the game.
The Suns led by as many as 22 in the fourth quarter.
With under seven minutes to go, Atlanta’s Zaccharie Risacher picked the pocket of Suns guard Collin Gillespie and raced down court for a dunk that cut the Suns’ lead to 13. Risacher’s momentum nullified his attempt to hang on the rim and he took a nasty spill, coaxing gasps from the sellout crowd.
But play continued. Until it didn’t.
The Hawks didn’t foul. They couldn’t call a timeout because they didn’t have the ball. Head coach Quin Snyder ran on the court to stop play and the officials obliged. As Snyder ran to check on his injured player, Suns personnel wondered how play was halted after the Suns were well into their possession.
Dillon Brooks protested so much that he drew a technical foul. Nickeil Alexander-Walker made the free throw to continue the Hawks’ run. The Suns never pulled out of their funk, going four minutes and 11 seconds without a point. Alexander-Walker’s layup with 54 seconds left gave the Hawks the lead and they’d slink out of town with an improbable win.
There was a lot of good by the Suns on the night, but this was a reminder for a young team that the NBA is a four-quarter affair and giving up 47 points in 12 minutes is not a recipe for success.
