EMPIRE OF THE SUNS

Suns’ defense lets them down in winnable game, good effort vs. Pels

Nov 22, 2019, 12:32 AM

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, left, is pressured by New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball (2) an...

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, left, is pressured by New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball (2) and forward Nicolo Melli during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

(AP Photo/Matt York)

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns are going to win a whole lot when they move the ball, defend and play smart.

Those have been the basic principles under Monty Williams that have led to some early success.

But when one of those three doesn’t come to fruition in a game, a shorthanded Suns team is going to have a very hard time picking up victories.

That was the case in a 124-121 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night, as their defense continued to give up easy looks. And the Pelicans continued to burn them again, and again and again.

New Orleans shot 53.4% from the field and made 16 threes, having a knack for punishing the Suns on plenty of open looks and making some tough ones too.

Ultimately, though, as the Pelicans (6-9) hit lots of shots, the Suns’ (7-7) defense had too many gaps in it throughout the night.

New Orleans had 12 points in the paint in the first 4:30 of the game, made their first 10 shots in the third quarter and went on a 10-2 run to start the fourth.

The third quarter in particular is what stood out to Williams after the game.

“Doesn’t tell the whole tale of the game but we did not have the discipline and urgency to start both halves, especially the third,” he said.

Those 10 buckets in a row were for 24 points in under six minutes.

“It’s a tough thing but we have to understand — and I know our guys do but — all of these possessions mean so much and the slippage on switches really hurt us,” Williams said.

The disorganized play defensively is part of what’s to be expected when Ricky Rubio and Aron Baynes are out injured.

That’s both because they are the two best veteran defenders on the team and that when they are out, younger guys get an opportunity, who are more prone to those types of mistakes that plagued the Suns in this game.

It’s a frustrating loss for the Suns because it’s a game they easily could have won had they been just a bit tighter defensively. The energy was there and they did enough offensively.

They shot 13-of-31 from three (41.9%), had 28 assists on 40 field goals and only turned the ball over 14 times.

The extra boost they required without the two vets offensively came from the bench, which produced 52 points and shot 58% from the field.

Elie Okobo had his second straight impressive performance, finishing with 11 points and seven assists in 20 minutes. Like in Sacramento, his plus-minus was the best of everyone at plus-16.

“When he was in the game, especially in the first half, we had burst,” Williams said of Okobo.

Cam Johnson had 14 points, Mikal Bridges added 12 and Cheick Diallo’s best minutes in a Suns jersey yet resulted in eight points.

Factor in Kelly Oubre Jr.’s 25, Devin Booker’s 19 and Frank Kaminsky’s 14, and that’s enough scoring to win, unlike the entire Boston loss and most of the Kings defeat.

But when you play poor defense, the margin for error is much tighter. So when Johnson misses an open three-pointer down four with 3:26 left and Oubre does as well down four again with 1:44 left, that was the swing when they couldn’t consistently get stops.

A fair shout to New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram, who scored 15 in the fourth and had individual moments that decided the outcome late.

Most of this, though, was about a game the Suns should have won. In the short and long term, it’s not good.

The short-term blow: They needed a win to snap a two-game losing streak, which now turns to three, and that’s bad news because they have a road back-to-back over the weekend in Minnesota (8-7) and Denver (10-3).

That can quickly turn into five losses in a row where concerns start to seriously mount after such a promising beginning of the year, potentially erased by five games in seven days.

In the long-term picture, these are games the Suns need to come out of on top. When they’re missing two of their three most important players, they are rarely going to have a chance given the way their roster is constructed.

This was one of ’em and they couldn’t capitalize against a team that was just about as sloppy defensively as they were.

It sounds like Williams had everyone reset a bit with where they were on their journey as a team this season.

“I told our guys, ‘Look, we had a nice run. We’ve gotten hit in the mouth with injuries. Let’s see what we’re made of,'” he said. “The buzz will die down a bit and now we can just focus on getting better.'”

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

Empire of the Suns

Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets is guarded by Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns during th...

Kellan Olson

Suns respond to season’s low point with thorough win over Nuggets

The guessing game of which Suns team shows up on which night persists. The best current version did on Wednesday in a win over the Nuggets.

7 hours ago

Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns argues a call with official Pat Fraser n the first half as Jere...

Kellan Olson

Suns stumble through latest inexcusable effort, lose to shorthanded Spurs

The Phoenix Suns followed up Saturday's win over the San Antonio Spurs with Monday's offering being more of what we've come to expect.

2 days ago

Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns drives in front of Keldon Johnson #3 of the San Antonio Spurs i...

Kellan Olson

Phoenix Suns find better energy for clinical win over Spurs

The Phoenix Suns were overdue for a win like Saturday's 131-106 final over the San Antonio Spurs, taking care of business early.

4 days ago

Jusuf Nurkic #20 of the Phoenix Suns passes over Kyle Lowry #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the...

Kellan Olson

Suns work through typical turnover problems to defeat 76ers

The Phoenix Suns dealt with some of their usual issues while managing a comfortable win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

7 days ago

Isaiah Thomas #4 of the Charlotte Hornets looks on prior to the game against the Miami Heat at FTX ...

Kellan Olson

Isaiah Thomas returns to NBA, Suns after injuries derailed his career in its prime

Isaiah Thomas' NBA journey is a unique one. Here's how he thinks he can help the 2023-24 Phoenix Suns in a return to the league.

8 days ago

Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel looks on during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics  ...

Kellan Olson

Suns in serious jeopardy of play-in tournament fate entering last month of season

You wouldn't have guessed it by watching them over the last two games but the Phoenix Suns are in a precarious position.

9 days ago

Suns’ defense lets them down in winnable game, good effort vs. Pels