Suns’ improved ball movement leads to 32 assists, win over Bulls

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns have been the NBA’s worst team in assist-to-turnover ratio the past two seasons and entered their game Sunday against the Chicago Bulls in that same dead-last spot, posting a 1.17 number.

The team is trying to change that trend lately, posting at least a 2.00 assist-to-turnover ratio in its last three games, including Sunday’s 113-105 win over the Bulls at home.

Phoenix (7-11) had 32 assists, 18 of them in the first half, and 11 total turnovers, good for a 2.91 assist-to-turnover ratio.

“It’s like when you come down and you shoot it and nobody else touches it — that’s contagious as well,” interim head coach Jay Triano said. “When you get a touch, you want to get one and we have to keep playing that way.”

The Suns were efficient offensively, shooting 50.6 percent from the field. T.J. Warren scored a game-high 27 and five other Suns reached double figures, including 14 off the bench from Troy Daniels and 10 for Greg Monroe, who had an additional six rebounds and four assists.

The Suns also had every player who played record an assist, five of whom had at least four, and the team overall had 50 bench points.

“I think we’re starting to figure it out, the starters and the bench,” guard Mike James said after the game. “They’re both starting to get that chemistry.”

That allowed the Suns to pick up a very rare win on a Devin Booker off-night. He had 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting and finished minus-3 in plus-minus.

James, in particular, had one of his better games of the season. After struggling for most of November, James had a bounce-back game in Friday’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers and continued that form Sunday.

Asked about the ball movement, James said it comes down to one simple thing.

“I think it’s (that) we’re trusting each other a lot more,” James said. “I think once you build trust that’s when you become a good team.”

He had 15 points and five assists.

“He’s becoming more familiar with the guys he’s on the floor with and he’s able to turn the corner,” Triano said of James’ recent success off the bench. “He’s been very solid defensively too.”

Like Phoenix, the Bulls (3-11) lack enough offensive firepower to blow teams out, but they have shooters. Justin Holiday, Lauri Markkanen and Denzel Valentine are a few of the bodies the Suns had to track on the perimeter, but each had at least one 3-point field goal aided by poor defense from the Suns.

Those types of possessions are what kept the Bulls in the game, a game in which the Suns led for a majority of but never pulled away from until the end. Triano said it comes down to awareness.

“I think our guys sometimes get caught in trying to protect the lane and being in and don’t see the flare or the weak-side exchange so your head has to constantly be on a swivel so you can see both your man and be there for help, but also be there to also close out,” he said.

Markkanen, the former University of Arizona standout, continued his run of good play in his debut season with a career-high 26 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago.

Phoenix had 28 assists in each of the last two games against the Houston Rockets and Lakers earlier in the week, making it the first time since April of 2013 they had 28-plus assists in three straight.

“I don’t know if it’s practice time as much as it is guys just being willing to give it up knowing they’ll get it back,” Triano said before the game of the newfound ball movement. “Passing becomes contagious. You give up the ball and somebody holds it, you don’t want to give it up anymore, so everybody becomes one-on-one and I think we have done a better job at passing the ball, moving, and as a result, we are starting to make more shots.”

The ball movement benefits players even more than usual like Warren, who thrives off his instincts and touch around the rim, and Daniels, who gets more open looks as a shooter.

“It compliments me well,” Warren said. “I kind of have a good sense of feel for seeing where the ball is going so guys are finding me in open spots and I’m just being effective out there.”

Even if the run of games is only less than a week, it’s still an impressive feat for such an inexperienced team that’s current most-experienced player in the rotation is the recently acquired Monroe.

That includes James and Tyler Ulis, who are running the show at point guard despite having 96 combined games of NBA experience after Sunday’s win.

The ball movement, in general, is an encouraging development for a team that lacks any real expectations this season, now suddenly back to near-.500 ball under Triano.

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