PHOENIX – Despite both a 37-point performance and a double-double by Kevin Durant, the Phoenix Suns’ saw Devin Booker go down with an injury and ultimately fell short 120-111 to the Indiana Pacers.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!A dominant force on both sides of the floor, Pascal Siakam had a gargantuan night with 25 points and 18 rebounds for the Pacers (13-15). Sharing the ball all around, seven players finished in double figures to extend the team’s winning streak to three straight games.
Before he sustained groin tightness in the third quarter, Booker contributed with 17 points and six assists in the Suns’ (14-12) defeat. Jusuf Nurkic clinched double-doubles in back-to-back games with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Here are the main takeaways from the Suns not being able to catch the Pacers:
-Missing the past two games, Bradley Beal (right knee swelling) returned and didn’t miss a beat, tallying 16 points and two rebounds in 31 minutes. Before the Suns beat the Utah Jazz 134-126 last Friday, he was ruled out pregame with the injury and was sidelined against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
THAT PASS BY KD THO ????
Splashed home by Brad! pic.twitter.com/6DWXnayu2u
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 20, 2024
-Returning to full strength with Beal back, Phoenix had spurts where the team looked clinical but others where the players made careless mistakes. The Suns turned the ball over 10 times in the first half, and 16 times overall, conceding 29 points off of the giveaways.
-Despite their record not being what they hoped for this season, the Pacers capitalized on Phoenix’s miscues early and distributed the ball around until an open player had an opportune shot. Down 17-10 in the first quarter, Indiana went on a 14-2 run in the frame to take a 32-26 lead. Booker netted 12 points in the opening quarter.
-Shooting 6-for-16 (37.5%) in the first half from deep, Phoenix went another route and drove into the paint, outscoring the Pacers 50-38 on the inside.
-Returning to the Valley, University of Arizona products Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell were welcomed back with multiple fans cheering and clapping when checking in and out of the game. Mathurin, the Pacers’ No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, notched 16 points and three steals while McConnell put up 11 points and five rebounds.
-All alone running down the court, Toppin shocked the crowd with a windmill dunk between his legs. Pitching into the collective effort made by various Pacers, Toppin had 13 points and eight rebounds, shooting 4-for-7 (57.1%) from the field and 2-for-5 (40%) from deep.
Obi Toppin SHOWTIME ????
he pulled out the eastbay ???? pic.twitter.com/zlAyO2Y8IY
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 20, 2024
-Clearly disagreeing with Durant shooting a jump shot and not getting a foul, Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer received a technical foul after approaching the referee with 4:04 left in the second quarter. The officiating angered the Suns even more as Royce O’Neale was also issued a tech late in the third quarter after complaining about another foul.
-The second quarter was a grudge match with one team scoring and the other responding. Following a 3-pointer by Tyrese Haliburton with 4.1 seconds left in the period, O’Neale fired a buzzer-beating 3 to cut Phoenix’s deficit to one, 60-59.
???? ROYCE AT THE BUZZER ???? pic.twitter.com/0MuRXpkLKt
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 20, 2024
-In the early moments of the third quarter, Siakam quickly recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The 2019 NBA champion went off inside Footprint Center, grabbing a gigantic 25 points, 18 rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.
-Being more aggressive on offense, Indiana constructed a game-deciding 15-4 run in the third quarter. Seeing the game get away from his team in the third quarter, Beal was frustrated, yelled and threw a towel on the ground when sitting on the bench during a timeout.
-Needing any sort of spark, Budenholzer went to a small-ball lineup consisting of Durant at center, Booker, Beal, O’Neale and Grayson Allen.
Dec 19, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) passes the ball against Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
-Struggling throughout the night, Tyus Jones’ shots were not falling nearly as much as he had done in the past three games. Reaching 19-plus points in each of the last three matchups, Jones was 3-for-10 (30%) from the field and 1-for-6 (16.7%) from behind the arch. As a team, the Suns were 40-for-82 (48.8%) in total and 9-for-30 (30%) from deep.
-As the third frame was winding down, Booker mysteriously exited the game and didn’t return. It came out later that he was dealing with groin soreness.
-Stepping up in Booker’s absence, Durant racked up 37 points and 10 rebounds from 15-of-37 (40.5%) shooting from the field and 3-for-6 (50%) from long range.
-From that point onward, Indiana looked as if it was in cruise control and wasn’t going to look back. While they were without Booker for the remainder of the contest, Phoenix did lessen a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter down to seven but it wasn’t enough.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Suns, ASU Athletics and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
