In his second game back from a back injury, Bradley Beal had a perfect first half in his home debut for the Phoenix Suns, finishing with 20 points and showing everyone what he was capable of. However, Beal and the Suns, once up 14, faltered mightily in the fourth quarter to the Lakers. They lost 122-119 in the team’s first NBA In-Season Tournament game.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Beal finished with 24 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals on the Suns’ new purple and turquoise “El Valle” court.
“I feel really good,” Beal said after the game in terms of his health despite a scary fall in the second quarter. “The purple was energetic. It’s one of my grandmother’s favorite colors. So I definitely embraced that love today. It was super exciting granted it was the first In-Season Tournament game and felt like a playoff atmosphere, but to be my first game in front of these fans, it was amazing.”
The Suns allowed a 19-2 run by the Lakers to get back into the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter. They were never fully able to mount a comeback from it.
“It was tough,” Beal said of the start to the fourth quarter. “We weren’t aggressive enough. I think we were very lackadaisical. We were kind of on our heels. They came up pressed us, they came out and were aggressive, and that’s pretty much the gist of it. Man, they came out and hit first, and we didn’t we didn’t respond until a little bit later.”
Beal can’t wait until the Suns are whole again, as Devin Booker missed his fourth straight game with a right calf strain.
“It’s a day at a time, one step at a time,” Beal said. “It wasn’t easy for me going down to the beginning of the year and watching guys. I know the frustration is probably on Book’s mind, and he’s ready to get back at any moment … It’s an adjustment for us in the first few games, but I think once we’re full strength, I think we will have a great idea of who we can be.”
The Suns now move to 4-5 on the season and have dropped their last three home games. Phoenix next plays the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Sunday night.
Strong 1st half from Bradley Beal has the Suns leading the Lakers
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
