Mykal Bridges was aggressive offensively, taking multiple shots on contact. DeAndre Ayton also followed her 28&12 show last night. Ayton collected a powerful early dunk against Utah’s lazy defense.
as a whole, Phoenix Suns We took our time getting the shots to settle into the game, especially from far away. 0-6 from 1st quarter distance. Meanwhile, Utah started 4-9 from across the frame, leading Phoenix 32-22.
In the second quarter, the Suns caught up thanks to Ayton. Ayton was a real catalyst defensively, on the grass and at the rim. But Colin Sexton was the catalyst for jazz with back-to-back and-one takes in the stretch of the half.
Ayton, who was just three down at halftime, led the Suns in scoring and rebounding in the first half with 11 points and seven rebounds. Bridges joined him in his double digits of 10 on 4-4 shooting. The Suns shot 2-4 from deep in the second after 0-6 in the first.
Ayton cleared the double-double mark early in the second half and racked up more free-throw attempts. He continued to play strongly in the third stint, which lasted a little longer than usual, likely in response to last night’s rotation situation. Many felt that Ayton should have spent more time on the night he was doing it.
Landry Shamet scored the first point of the game late in the third minute. This is nice to mark my return from a long absence on the concussion protocol. Speaking of great returns, Jock Lundale started the 4th quarter after his DNP in each of his final three games. He scored some early tough buckets.
Booker, Ayton and Bridges, the Suns’ homegrown big three, all made huge key plays in the fourth quarter as they consistently fought possession after possession. The Jazz finished in double digits with his 7 players and from the deep he shot 13-32 (40.6%), so when the main Suns won his 113-112 all was well. I needed it.
Ayton has truly been a monster throughout this game whenever he’s been there. More to come from me in the next few days about this monster back to back he put together. Here’s what his line looked like at the end of the contest: 29 points (11-18 FG), 21 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and only 1 personal foul.
- Booker: 27 points (8-27 FG), 11 rebounds, 7 assists
- Bridge: 16 points (7-10 FG), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
The Suns improved to a 13-6 record, extending their winning streak to four, beating No. 2 Denver by a game and tied for No. 3 New Orleans, Memphis and Portland by two.
Next up, the Suns (13-6) will face the Kings (10-8) in Sacramento. Bally Sports AZ will air the game on Mondays at 8pm.
