PHOENIX – After getting Bradley Beal back on Tuesday after missing five games, he left in the fourth quarter early with another apparent injury as the Phoenix Suns fell 127-117 to the Brooklyn Nets.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Devin Booker clinched 31 points and Kevin Durant had 30 for the Suns (10-8) who lost six out of their last seven games. Before going down in the fourth quarter, Beal notched 17 points from 8-of-14 (57.1%) shooting.
Six of the Nets (9-10) scored in double figures, led by Tyrese Martin with 30 points off the bench.
Here are the key takeaways from what transpired inside Footprint Center on the day before Thanksgiving:
-Listed as questionable in the second half of the back-to-back, Beal (Left Calf Strain) started and looked fresh for the majority of the game. He had a 23-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers in his return on Tuesday.
-Booker picked up right where he left off following 26 points vs. the Lakers, scoring 11 points in the first quarter and 31 overall. He collected three assists and four rebounds, as well as shooting 8-for-18 (44.4%) from the field, 3-for-9 (33.3%) from deep and went a near-flawless 12-for-13 from the free throw line.
-In his first appearance in Phoenix since the 2022-23 season, Ben Simmons gave the Suns issues inside the paint early on with eight points in the first frame. Nearing a triple-double, Simmons helped the Nets with 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Struggling to consistently play due to health issues throughout his seven years in the NBA, he dealt with a back issue that forced him to miss the Nets’ last game against the Golden State Warriors.
-Coming off the Nets’ bench, Tyrese Martin was a sharpshooter and sunk multiple 3s. Firing at an 8-for-10 (80%) clip from behind the arch, Martin reached 17 points in the first half and a career-high 30 overall, being the go-to option on the wing when his teammates were looking for someone open since Cam Thomas (Left Hamstring Strain) was inactive. Martin is on a two-way contract with the Nets
-Despite being decimated by injuries, the Nets were right on the Suns’ tail throughout the first half before taking the lead 55-54 in the second quarter. Cam Johnson (Right Ankle Sprain) and Dorian Finney-Smith (Left Ankle Sprain) both played even though Finney-Smith was a game-time decision for the Nets. Thomas, Bojan Bogdanovic (Left Foot Injury Recovery), Nic Claxton (Lower Back Injury Management), Noah Clowney (Left Ankle Sprain) and Day’Ron Sharpe (Left Hamstring Strain) were all out.
-Keeping it a close battle, both teams would trade bucket for bucket leading into halftime. Phoenix turned the ball over nine times in the first half, conceding 18 points as a consequence.
-Grabbing the momentum and never letting go, Brooklyn opened up the third quarter with a game-changing 17-3 run. Up 96-84 at the end of it, 13 of the Nets’ 33 points in the quarter came from Schröder. The German guard posted 29 points, four rebounds three assists and one steal in the game.
-Arguing about an offensive foul on Tyus Jones, Mike Budenholzer went onto the court and yelled at a referee before he received a technical foul with 1:01 left in the third quarter. The fans’ boos echoed inside the arena and increased enormously after a review, voicing their displeasure with what the ruling was.
-Recording a double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds) against the Lakers, Jusuf Nurkić struggled to have that same impact on the floor vs. the Nets. The Suns’ big man played just 17 minutes, getting six points, seven rebounds and one assist until Mason Plumlee subbed in.
-With 6:38 left in the fourth quarter, Beal went down and had a hard time getting up. Budenholzer then called a timeout and Beal walked slowly with a limp to the Suns bench. The three-time NBA All-Star did not return and went to the locker room before the game concluded.
-Going under the radar, Jones had his third double-double (10 points, 12 assists) as a Sun since joining in the offseason.
-Though he was fouled and showed facial expressions indicating he was in pain, Durant continued to play and said he was fine after the game. Trying to will his team to a victory, Durant went off for 30 points and eight rebounds in the defeat.
-The Nets took advantage of being on the fast break and scoring, leading in that category 24-11 over Phoenix. Brooklyn made 21-of-22 free throws as a team and limited their turnovers to 13. The Suns committed 17 giveaways, including seven by Durant himself.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
