The Phoenix Suns have now lost five-straight games after getting blown out by the New York Knicks 138-122 on the second of a six-game homestand.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Once again, Phoenix (9-7) really struggled without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal (left calf strains), and its losing streak has now spanned all five games the stars have missed together.
New York (9-6) extended its win streak to four games with the victory.
Here are some initial takeaways from another beatdown against the Suns:
– The Knicks started off the game 8-for-8 from the field and never looked back. Phoenix’s defense was getting torched all night, as the Knicks put up the most points Phoenix has allowed all season, scoring 44 in the first quarter, 32 in the second, 34 in the third and 28 in the fourth. New York shot 50-for-86 (58.1%) from the field and 19-for-39 (48.7%) from 3 overall. The Suns looked pretty much dead in the water from the opening tip because of how hot the Knicks were.
– After scoring 50 points and shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from 3 last year at Footprint Center, Jalen Brunson once again scorched Phoenix with 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting (7-of-11 from 3) and 10 assists. Brunson was one of six Knicks to score in double figures, as Karl-Anthony Towns also totaled 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting and had 10 rebounds.
– The Suns’ offense still played well the majority of the night and used the 3-point line to try to stay in the game, but still never got within single digits after midway through the first quarter. Phoenix shot 19-for-50 (38%) from beyond the arc and 45-for-92 (48.9%) overall.
– Devin Booker played a great game, but it didn’t really matter because of how on fire New York was. Booker finished with 33 points on 12-of-23 shooting and five assists in 38 minutes.
– After struggling the first six games without Durant, Royce O’Neale got the start and finally got back to the form he showed in the first nine games of the year. O’Neale had 17 points on 6-of-12 hooting (5-of-10 from 3) and four rebounds in 33 minutes. Jusuf Nurkić also snapped out of his recent slump with 14 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 33 minutes, marking his fifth double-double this season,.
– Monté Morris made the most of his minutes once again showed why he could potentially be a part of the rotation even when the Suns are fully healthy. The veteran guard had 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 12 minutes in relief of Tyus Jones, who pieced together a 15-point, 10-assist double double.
– The silver lining for the Suns after this game is that they get a much-needed full five days off before their next game, an NBA Cup matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Beal and Durant will have time to rest and recover from their injuries.
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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
