It was the second night of a back-to-back for the Phoenix Suns and that was evident in their second half effort of a 115-104 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Suns (16-19) started the game with intention and energy, a start dissimilar to Monday’s win against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Devin Booker scored 39 points (21 in the first half) and added 10 assists and six rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to combat the Hornets’ final three quarters surged by All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball. The fifth-year guard put up 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in Charlotte’s win.
Here are the takeaways from yet another disappointing Suns loss:
– The Suns were yet again at near-full strength heading into the second game of a back-to-back as forward Royce O’Neale, out with an ankle injury, was the only player on the injury report. Charlotte missed just two rotational players; Grant Williams (ACL) and Tre Mann (disc irritation).
– Contrary to their abysmal start against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, Devin Booker and Phoenix came out the gates firing. Booker started the game with 14 early points (6-for-8 FG) in his first nine minutes of play. He shot a staggering 3-for-16 for 10 points against the 76ers the night prior.
– Turnovers have been a consistent problem for the Suns and is the reason why many of the games they play against lesser or equal opponents stay close. Phoenix had four in the first quarter, nearly all after the Hornets missed a shot and the Suns pushed the ball in transition.
– Booker’s sizzling start gave the Suns a 29-22 lead after the first quarter. He was the only player in the game in double figures to that point. Jusuf Nurkic also aided in scoring, sinking two early 3-pointers.
– Phoenix started the second quarter with Bradley Beal — who came off a 25-point outburst in his first game off the bench — and various other role players. The Hornets went on a run against that group, cutting the lead to 31-29 before Booker responded with a 14-foot and-1 jump shot and an above the break fadeaway, bringing his night total to 19 points and extending the Suns’ lead to 38-31 with 7:07 remaining in the half.
– The Hornets couldn’t get anything to fall in the first quarter-and-a-half. They started the game 9-for-34 (26.5%) from the field and 3-for-17 (17.6%) from beyond the arc. Making all 10 of their free throws kept them in the game to start.
– Despite Booker’s inspiring start, the Hornets and All-Star LaMelo Ball found their spark and went on a commanding 28-8 run to close out the second quarter and take a 59-46 lead into halftime. Booker (21 points) was the only Sun to score over double figures in the first half. Kevin Durant was Phoenix’s next highest scorer with 8 points on 2-for-7 shooting in the first half.
– Ball erupted in the third quarter to bring Charlotte back into the game. Sinking 3-pointer after 3-pointer, the All-Star guard scored 13 points and dueled with Booker and Durant, who combined for 26 in the quarter, to help the Hornets maintain a 88-83 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
– Phoenix’s bench was absent all game. Following the Philadelphia game where the Suns bench scored 54 points, they only put up 22 through three and a half quarters. Beal was only good for six points up to that point.
– The Hornets had an answer for nearly every Phoenix bucket. The Suns simply ran out of gas on the back end of a back-to-back. The Hornets and Ball surged past the Suns to win 115-104
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenosports, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
