PHOENIX SUNS

Williams: Suns must help Deandre Ayton avoid foul trouble

Jul 12, 2021, 1:00 PM | Updated: Aug 17, 2021, 7:22 am
(Mark J. Rebilas/Pool Photo via AP)...
(Mark J. Rebilas/Pool Photo via AP)

(Mark J. Rebilas/Pool Photo via AP)

The Phoenix Suns suffered their worst lost of the postseason on Sunday, and it wasn’t pretty.

Phoenix shot a series-low 29% from behind the arc and had 15 turnovers in the team’s 120-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

A key component to the Suns’ blowout defeat was center Deandre Ayton getting into foul trouble. He tallied his fourth foul less than two minutes into the third quarter, causing head coach Monty Williams to sit Ayton the rest of the period.

As a team, Phoenix committed 24 personal fouls, which led to the Bucks going 20-of-26 from the charity stripe.

Williams did not blame the referees for the team’s loss, but he pointed out the discrepancy of the foul calls.

“I’m not going to get into the complaining publicly about fouls. Just not going to do that. But you can look — we had 16 free throws tonight. One person had 17,” Williams said postgame.

That one person was Milwaukee’s star forward and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

He went 13-of-17 from the free throw line and finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

Three of Ayton’s five fouls occurred when he was defending a Bucks player driving to the basket.

“We got to figure out or define what is a legal guarding position because there are times where [Ayton] can move his hands out of the way, but it’s hard to tell a guy what to do when somebody is running into you,” Williams said.

“I don’t know what a legal guarding position is at times.”

Because of foul trouble, Ayton only played 24 minutes compared to the first two games of the Finals where he averaged 40 minutes.

He finished Game 3 with 18 points, nine rebounds and two steals.

Attacking Ayton and getting him to commit early fouls looks like the plan going forward for Milwaukee, but Phoenix looks to counter it.

“… We have to understand how the refs are calling the game and then adjust to that,” Williams said.

“There’s a ton of physicality in the game, for sure, but as far as teaching [Ayton], we got to look at the film and see where he can have better body position and pick up some charges when they present themselves.”

Despite the loss, the Suns still lead the series 2-1. They were the best team on the road this regular season (24-12) and hope to prove that in Game 4 in Milwaukee.

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

Phoenix Suns

General manager James Jones of the Phoenix Suns looks on after the game against the Miami Heat at F...
Tyler Drake

Jones: Suns need to ‘control what they can control’ with fouling

Worrying over what transpired in previous games does the Phoenix Suns no favors as it jostles for playoff position.
1 day ago
Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns in the second half at Crypto.com Arena on March 22, 2023 in Los...
Dan Bickley

Suns crying foul hints at problems between their ears

The Suns have been tagged as a flopping, foul-hunting, fall-down-after-every-shot kind of team. You don’t think that comes with consequences?
1 day ago
Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns takes a shot against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half ...
Kellan Olson

Suns let another winnable game slip away, lose to Lakers

The Phoenix Suns keep letting winnable games slip away in uncharacteristic ways and have now lost five of their last six.
1 day ago
Head coach Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns looks on in the first quarter during their game again...
Kellan Olson

Monty Williams says officiating vs. Suns is not fair after loss to Lakers

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams sounded off on the officiating after a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.
1 day ago
Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George, right, lies on the court after an injury during the secon...
Associated Press

Clippers’ Paul George out 2-3 weeks with sprained right knee

Paul George has a sprained right knee and the Los Angeles Clippers All-Star will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks.
2 days ago
Devin Booker #1 and Chris Paul #3 of the Phoenix Suns look on during the third quarter against the ...
Kellan Olson

What happened to the Phoenix Suns in the clutch this season?

The Phoenix Suns went from a historically good team in the clutch last season to a bad one this year. What happened?
2 days ago
Williams: Suns must help Deandre Ayton avoid foul trouble