Suns miss out on late opportunities vs. Bucks as skid reaches 5 games

PHOENIX — Despite several chances to pull ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks late, the Phoenix Suns fell 108-105, extending their losing streak to a season-worst five games.

Phoenix led 82-81 entering the fourth quarter of a very back-and-forth affair and opened the frame with a 9-3 spurt to get some breathing room, but the Bucks did not roll over and were helped by the Suns missing their next four shots.

After Milwaukee’s bucket with 6:40 remaining made it a two-point game, neither team led by more than one possession until Ousmane Dieng made a running jumper with 2:21 left. Devin Booker responded emphatically, hitting a 3 through the contact by Myles Turner for a four-point play.

Booker missed a shot that could’ve given Phoenix the lead after a stop. He ran back on defense to knock the ball away in transition, which was initially ruled a foul before the guard lobbied for a review.

Booker missed a total of three shots that would’ve given the Suns the lead in the final 1:44, and he turned the ball over with 37.7 seconds as well.

“He’ll play through anything,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said of Booker postgame. “Obviously, we saw the last play in San Antonio, everyone could see what that looked like. It’s that time of year, he’s willing to do whatever it takes … knows how important these games are.

“So he goes out there and spills it. That’s where you feel in the fourth quarter how can we help him more? We’ll take a look, but it’s just that time of year and sure, everyone is definitely hurting, fatigued, a little banged up but no one’s coming to save us.”

“We should be able to kill them anytime a double is sent.”

Jalen Green was frustrated by the Suns’ inability to capitalize on double-teams. pic.twitter.com/rbFixkJ0nu

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) March 22, 2026

The Suns came out looking eager to put the skid behind them, scoring the game’s first nine points. Phoenix had four players log an assist before Milwaukee scored.

Booker missed all six shots in his first nine-minute stint, but there was a direct correlation between his exit and Milwaukee getting back in it. He defended Cam Thomas well during that stretch, forcing a trigger-happy scoring guard into more passes than he’d like.

Phoenix led 19-9 when Booker exited with 2:54 left in the first quarter and clung to a 34-31 lead upon his return with 7:31 left in the half. He cashed in a 3 on his second possession back in to get on the board.

However, consecutive possessions where Jalen Green was blocked and Booker turned it over gave Milwaukee the runway to tie the game at 37. Another Booker turnover about a minute later led to a Kyle Kuzma 3 that gave him 17 points in the first half.

Milwaukee led by five at the end of a second quarter it won 42-26.

“Too many times, we had a chance to extend there early, and then you get into the second half and it was just back and forth the entire second half,” Ott said.

Bucks point guard Ryan Rollins opened the half with a 3 to go up eight before Phoenix rattled off an 11-2 run to take the lead. The Bucks soon offered a 9-2 response to pull back ahead.

Milwaukee was without Giannis Antetokounmpo and the league’s second-leading 3-point shooter in Bobby Portis (45.9%), but it still has enough length and athleticism to cause problems with players like Kuzma, Dieng and Jericho Sims (all eight of Milwaukee’s offensive rebounds).

Rollins is also coming into his own this season, averaging 16.8 points (41.3% from 3) and 5.6 assists per game entering the contest. He finished Saturday’s win with 26 points and 10 boards.

It was Phoenix’s 200th consecutive sellout at Mortgage Matchup Center.

The Suns will try again to snap the skid in Sunday’s second game of a back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors.

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