Phoenix Suns fall short despite second-half comeback: By the Numbers

There has been a lot of debate in the past few days about the guards the Phoenix Suns either kept or let go after last week’s trade deadline; discussion about analytics and chemistry among the most popular topics.

But Monday’s 115-110 loss to the Boston Celtics came down to one very simple basketball principle — the simplest, in fact.

Shooting.

The Celtics did it well, and the Suns did not.

At least, that was the pattern through the entirety of the first half, in which Boston hit 10-of-16 3-point attempts and achieved a new season record for second-quarter production with 41 points.

Phoenix, on the other hand, couldn’t strike. At the end of the half, not a single Suns player was in double-digit scoring and the team trailed the Celtics by 17 points.

Simple, effective shooting settled a different game story, too.

Isaiah Thomas made his return to Phoenix after he was traded away just four days earlier. Before the game, he addressed rumors that the Suns gave him up due to “chemistry” issues.

“I was a team player. I didn’t complain to anybody,” he said Tuesday. “I went out there and did my job. The guy that complained, you seen it in the media. I didn’t say anything.”

Thomas came off the bench to score 21 points and ultimately put a cork in a surging Suns comeback with eight points in the final two minutes of the game. He lost a shoe, and possibly some demons in the process.

The Suns finally found their stroke after missing 13 third-quarter shots in a row. New guard Brandon Knight scored 15 of his 20 total points in the second quarter of his home debut with Phoenix, complementing Eric Bledsoe’s team-high 21 total.

The Suns managed to cut the lead to one, but couldn’t top the Celtics shooting — Boston hit a season-high 14 3-pointers between seven different players.

A layup by Thomas with about 40 seconds left on the clock put Boston up seven, 107-100, and the Suns just weren’t able to respond.

What’d Phoenix’s first home loss with a new roster look like, by the numbers?

17

Tuesday marked 17 days since the Suns have last won a game (which is owed partially to the All-Star break).

5

The loss was the Suns’ fifth-straight.

Each of their last five games has been decided by nine points or fewer.

3

Suns guard Archie Goodwin was again a silver lining in a loss. With his 10 points against Boston, the 20-year-old has hit double-digit scoring in three consecutive games, all of which have been Phoenix losses.

10

Bledsoe not only led the Suns in scoring, his 10 assists marked his sixth double-double of the season.

21

Thomas’ 21 points were the highest off the bench and second-highest of the game (tied with former teammate Bledsoe). He added seven assists and five turnovers to his statline.

12

Center Alex Len’s 12 rebounds mark his third double-digit rebounding game in a row after coming off an injury that sidelined him for three games.

Len posted a double-double, his second in three games, with 10 points alongside his boards. He also tied his career high in blocks with six for the fourth time this season.

0

Phoenix’s Gerald Green did not see any minutes. He has missed only one other game this season and has scored at least 10 points in his last two games.

8

The Suns have now lost eight of their last nine games.

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