PHOENIX — Late Christmas night, the final bell rings, and Devin Booker doesn't wait. The Phoenix Suns star quickly left the court after another defensive collapse that led to the team's loss, and the team had championship hopes at the start of the season.
The Phoenix Suns emphasized the importance of patience by reorganizing their roster. Even ahead of Monday night's 128-114 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, injured guard Damian Lee addressed the home crowd to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and urge fans to be strong. Lee said in midfield: "Support us, trust me. Just support us. ”
It's getting harder and harder for a fan base. They saw the Suns' record drop to 14-15 and lose nine of their 12 straight games. Phoenix has an injury problem. Star guard Bradley Beal, who was supposed to form the Super Big Three with Booker and Kevin Durant, played in just six games due to various problems. Head coach Frank Vogel hasn't had a full rotation all season.
But now no one wants to hear that anymore. A good team will find a way to overcome it. The Suns have yet to do that. In 29 games, they have only beaten two teams with good records at the moment – the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks. The bigger problem: Phoenix can't stop their opponents in crunch time. This is a fatal flaw.
After Monday's loss, team owner Matt Isbia walked from his courtside seat to the Phoenix locker room. Speaking ahead of the game, Vogel said he had spoken to Isbia in almost every game during this difficult period.
Vogel said Isbia's message was: "Win the next game. "It's not easy.
"He's been very supportive," Vogel said. Obviously, he discussed every game with me. He has a deep understanding of the game of basketball. We're going to talk about who we played, what we did on the pitch and what we thought about the results. These conversations have been very productive and supportive. ”
Still, the Suns' frustration can't be hidden. Veteran guard Eric Gordon has recently publicly asked for more offensive opportunities. Durant emphasized the importance of repeated practice, but his body language on Monday reflected the team's woes. After the game, in the press room, Booker didn't hide his annoyance.
Just bad rotation," he said of the fourth quarter (Suns 22-37 Mavericks). "Bad game discipline. When we do what we have to do on the pitch, everything works. And then as the game progressed, we lost focus. ”
Asked about possible reasons, Booker said all five players must stay in touch. They have to communicate. "One lapse can leave an open shot for the opponent," he said. "In the NBA, that's what it takes. ”
That's exactly the fatal problem for the Suns.
It's a league of scorers. Five NBA players have averaged more than 30 points per game this season, including Durant. As of Monday, eight players have scored 50 or more points in a game. Two of them have achieved that against Phoenix in the last 10 days — both on the Suns' home court. On Dec. 10, the Knicks' Jalen Brunson scored 50 points on 17-of-13 shooting, including nine three-point attempts. On Monday, Luka Doncic scored 50 points on 15-of-25 shooting, including eight three-pointers.
Suns guard Grayson Allen said of Brunson and Doncic: "We have a little bit of a different way of defending these two players. Brunson's game, I think all of us, the players, the coaches, if we could go back in time, we might have defended a little bit differently. Tonight for Luka, I think we had a good tactical plan for him, he was just really, really good. ......Guys like him, when he starts hitting step-back threes in a two-man defense, it's hard to say, 'What are you going to give up tonight?'’”
Even without Beal (ankle) and big man Youssef Nurkic (who is not on the team for personal reasons), the Suns still have a chance. Unlike previous games, they passed more and found open shooters. Allen scored 19 of his 32 points in the third quarter and had eight three-pointers, a career-best record. Forward Chimezier Metu grabbed an offensive rebound on an empty dunk. He finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds, both of which were career highs.
It was a rare night when Booker and Durant — who combined for 10-of-25 shooting — didn't have to carry the weight for Phoenix. But it doesn't matter.
With 11 minutes left in the game, Durant was fouled while shooting. He made all three free throws to extend Phoenix's lead to 97-91. It was the first time in the evening that the game had changed. The center of the footprint is full of life. But the Suns couldn't keep the momentum going. In the Mavericks' next offensive round, Phoenix double-punched Doncic to force the ball out of his hands, but Dante Exum hit the basket.
After Durant missed, Doncic hit a step-back three-pointer. Over the course of three minutes, Dallas hit five consecutive shots and two free throws to take a 106-102 lead. Throughout the fourth quarter, the Mavericks hit 13 of 19 shots. When the Suns need to stop their opponents, they can't. It's become a theme this season and it can be hard to fix.
We have to come together," Booker said. "It's up to me. It depends on the coach. It's up to KD, Eric and all the leaders we have here to make sure we're more prepared when it comes to the game. ”
Beal trained ahead of Monday's game and put in a great performance. Once the first is the case, he will provide the Suns with another powerful scoring option, a player who can take the scoring burden off Booker and Durant and create pressure. But he can't solve everything.
"We have to be open to the pains of growing up and keep the positive energy because we do have some good things, and it's positive, and that's what we can achieve," Aaron said. It's still early in the season. We've been unlucky in terms of injuries but I really believe and I'm really optimistic that if we keep putting in the time on the pitch we're going to start having a good time. ”
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