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Summer Suns fall to 0-2 with 98-94 loss in close battle with Pacers

© Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Phoenix Suns fell to 0-2 in Summer League play with a hard-fought 98-94 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas Tuesday.

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The Pacers improved to 1-2 with the win. Overall, this was a much better showing for Phoenix than its first loss against the Warriors Saturday.

This game ended pretty much even in most categories, but Phoenix did cough up an 11-point lead. The Suns ended shooting 35-of-75 (46.7%) from the floor and 10-of-30 from 3, while the Pacers shot 33-of-69 (47.8%) from the floor and 11-of-26 (42.3%) from 3. Both teams had 22 assists, while Phoenix forced 24 Indiana turnovers.

Here’s how the four players to watch in our Suns Summer League preview fared in their second game:

  1. Ryan Dunn: 4 PTS (2-9 FG, 0-4 3PT), 2 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -11 in 27 MIN
  2. Oso Ighodaro: 12 PTS (4-4 FG), 4 AST, 4 STL, 1 BLK, 5 TO, -16 in 27 MIN
  3. David Roddy: 16 PTS (7-13 FG, 1-4 3PT), 12 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO, +2 in 28 MIN
  4. Jalen Bridges: 6 PTS (2-6 FG, 2-6 3PT), 2 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, +8 in 18 MIN

Ighodaro and Roddy stood out the most between these four, as they both had some really good spurts throughout the game. Dunn is still yet to hit a single 3-pointer in summer league action, while Bridges isn’t seeing many minutes.

There were several other players for Phoenix who stepped up next to these four this afternoon. In total, Phoenix had five players in double figures, led by Quinndary Weatherspoon, who had a team-high 17 points, all in the first half, on 5-of-8 shooting and two steals in only 11 total minutes. Weatherspoon is the only player on this Summer Suns squad selected by the Valley Suns in the G League expansion draft. Here were some other notable performances by the Suns:

  • Michael Devoe: 10 PTS (4-5 FG, 1-1 3PT), 5 REB, 5 AST, 2 BLK in 23 MIN
  • Robert Franks: 10 PTS (4-7 FG, 2-5 3PT), 5 REB, +8 in 18 MIN
  • Tyson Walker: 8 PTS (3-10 FG, 1-5 3PT), 4 AST, 3 STL, +22 in 23 MIN

Jarace Walker, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, led Indiana with a game-high 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting, five assists and four rebounds. Johnny Furphy, Indiana’s No. 35 pick in this year’s draft, chipped in 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals, while Oscar Tshiebwe recorded 16 points and four rebounds.

Game Flow

Despite not having a traditional point guard, the Suns found rhythm on offense early, led by Ighodaro and Weatherspoon. Phoenix was up 26-24 at the end of the first quarter, as Ighodaro had four points, two assists and two steals, while Weatherspoon had a game-high 10 points off the bench.

Weatherspoon carried this over in the second quarter, finishing with 17 points at the half to go along with two steals, as the Suns were up 54-44 heading into the break. Ighodaro added eight points, three assists and four steals, and Roddy was tied for a game-high six rebounds and had five points late in the half. Phoenix was shooting 55.9% at the half compared to 41.7% for Indiana. The Pacers also had 16 turnovers in the half.

Indiana went on a 12-4 run to start the third quarter and continued to put pressure on Phoenix, eventually taking the lead with 2:41 to go in the quarter, 68-66, its first since late in the first quarter. The Pacers led 73-72 entering the final period, as both Furphy and Tshiebwe had 15 points. Roddy recorded a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds with a putback dunk to close the quarter.

This close score set up a back-and-forth fourth quarter. With one minute to go, the Pacers held a narrow 94-92 lead. This score remained the same until Furphy knocked down a 3 with 18 seconds left to put Indiana up 5. Ighodaro responded with a quick layup with 11.6 seconds remaining. Walker made one out of two free throws for Indiana with five seconds to go to ice the game and give the Pacers’ their first victory in Vegas.

Top Plays for the Suns

(In order of when they happened)

Next Up

The Summer Suns are back in action tomorrow night at 5 p.m. MST against the Oklahoma City Thunder (0-2). The game will be televised on NBA TV.

Warriors blow out Summer Suns 90-73 in 1st game in Vegas

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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

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