Suns routed early again, fall to Nuggets.

FAN BOTS

Thank you for watching the video     Link:https://arizonasports.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-loss-nuggets/3600144/     Important warning⚠️⚠️   My friend, please check the accuracy of the information. The information I provide may be  incorrect, late, or outdated.   #NBAHighlights#SunsFall#NuggetsGame#BasketballHighlights#SunsLoss

Transcript

00:00Welcome to our breakdown of the Phoenix Suns early season challenges. The Phoenix Suns have

00:05played three games so far, and they are currently without one of their two key players, which is a

00:10significant setback for the team. Unfortunately, their performance has not been impressive,

00:15as they suffered their third consecutive disappointing outing in the first half

00:18during Saturday's game, where they lost 133-111 to the Denver Nuggets. In these three games,

00:25the Suns have allowed their opponents to score 71, 72, and 71 points in the first half,

00:32resulting in halftime deficits of 17, 16, and 17 points, respectively. A recurring issue in these

00:40lackluster defensive displays is that opposing teams are not taking the Suns seriously enough.

00:46The Suns have often claimed to prioritize hard work and a winning mentality driven by hustle,

00:51but this needs to translate into genuine toughness and a defensive approach that

00:55makes opponents feel challenged. Aside from a second-half comeback in their season opener

01:00against the Sacramento Kings, this level of intensity has been absent. When observing how

01:06opposing offenses operate against the Suns, it is clear that confidence and ease are prevalent.

01:11The Denver Nuggets, for instance, navigated through their basic plays with little resistance on Saturday.

01:16The Phoenix Suns employed various strategies to counter the defensive switches and increased focus

01:21on Nikola Jokic, which resulted in several possessions where the team appeared either

01:27disorganized or mentally disengaged from the play. This lack of cohesion can be detrimental against any

01:34opponent, particularly against top-tier teams. Notably, Jokic did not score until there were just over

01:41four minutes remaining in the first half. On the offensive side, the Suns have not faced significant

01:47challenges, even with Jalen Green sidelined due to a right hamstring strain and Devin Booker not

01:53performing at his usual level. The team has shown a more cohesive offensive style, creating good scoring

01:59opportunities and generating a substantial number of three-point attempts, although they know that so

02:03the Suns have not had a significant advantage in turnovers, starting the game with a 9-1 turnover ratio in

02:20favor of the Suns, which can be a decisive factor against any team, especially the elite ones. As the third

02:25quarter began, Denver's lead expanded to 20 points, mirroring the situation from their previous defeat.

02:30However, a 10-0 run by the Suns, sparked by five turnovers from Denver, allowed them to cut the

02:36deficit in half. The team quickly increased their lead back to 20 points, but the Phoenix Suns continued

02:42to stay competitive. A three-pointer from Royce O'Neal with 6.48 left in the game narrowed the gap

02:48to 11 points. This kind of resilience is expected to be a hallmark of the season, as stronger teams often

02:54become complacent with large leads, while the Suns are unlikely to slow down like many teams in similar

03:00situations. There was a chance for the Suns to capitalize. Following a timeout, Devin Booker missed a pull-up

03:06three-pointer after the Suns managed to stop the Nuggets. Subsequently, a layup from the Nuggets, assisted by

03:12Nikola Jokic, was followed by another missed three-pointer, this time from Dylan Brooks. Cam Johnson managed to score

03:18two free throws, but a turnover by the Suns due to a double-team on Booker allowed Denver to secure more free throws,

03:24extending their lead to 16 points with 5.19 left in the game, effectively putting the game out of reach.

03:31To highlight the offensive struggles, the Suns are currently shooting only 32.8%, 43 of 131, from beyond the arc

03:39over the first three games. This percentage is significantly low, especially considering that Booker is the only player

03:46consistently taking contested three-point shots. The player in question has a shooting record of 4 for 12.

03:53The team's average of 43.7 three-point attempts per game is commendable. On Saturday, Brooks struggled with his

04:00shooting, making only 3 out of 13 attempts from beyond the arc, while O'Neal managed to hit 2 out of 6.

04:06On the defensive side, the Suns may voice their grievances about some of the dubious calls, but their inconsistent

04:11positioning was evident in the fact that Denver had a significant advantage, shooting 20 more free

04:16throws. Additionally, the question arises as to who is drawing fouls for Phoenix. Notably, Booker has

04:23taken 31 of the Suns' 62 free throw attempts over the course of three games. This marks the second game

04:30out of three this season, where Booker has found himself unexpectedly caught in mid-air, with the ball,

04:35leading to turnovers. He recorded three turnovers within the first seven minutes and finished with a total of

04:41eight. The increased pace of play for Phoenix might be a contributing factor. It could also be his

04:46desire to facilitate for teammates in his role as the point guard. Alternatively, it may simply be that

04:52he is not reading the game as effectively as usual. Regardless of the cause, the Suns will struggle to

04:57find their rhythm until Booker regains his instinctive play. In the first half of the game, he had only a

05:04limited number of shot attempts, but he significantly increased his scoring in the second half when the

05:09competition was less intense. He concluded the game with a shooting record of 10 out of 16,

05:14totaling 31 points, along with seven assists and eight turnovers. Saturday marked the first game

05:20of the season that Mark Williams, the new center for the Suns, was unable to participate in. The reason

05:27given was for management of a right knee injury, which indicates that it is not due to a specific

05:32injury, but rather that Williams is not yet prepared to play in back-to-back games.

05:36The Phoenix Suns have not provided any updates regarding when Williams might be able to resume

05:42playing, whether that involves starting games, exceeding 25 minutes of playtime, or being fit

05:47enough to participate in consecutive games. Last season, Charlotte managed to avoid scheduling

05:52back-to-back games for Williams. Out of nine potential back-to-backs, he only played in one game

05:58of each pair. The Suns have 15 back-to-back games this season, so if they follow a similar strategy,

06:03it would limit Williams to just 67 possible appearances. The Suns established a 10-day

06:09timeline for updates on Green's condition 11 days ago, when it was announced that he had re-injured

06:13his right hamstring. So far, the updates have indicated that he is making progress and improving

06:19each day. Over the coming week, Phoenix's schedule includes a game in Utah on Monday, followed by three

06:25home games on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Nick Richards faced challenges during his initial minutes in a

06:31significant rotation role as the backup to Oso Iguodaro, rather than Williams. He tends to

06:37accumulate minor errors, such as mishandling an outlet pass, failing to execute a switch properly,

06:42or committing three fouls in just four minutes. Although Richards showed improvement during the

06:46preseason, particularly in his fitness, he needs to eliminate these mistakes. If he doesn't, Phoenix may

06:52have no choice but to give Common Malouac more playing time sooner than they would prefer.

06:57These fouls indeed led to Malouac entering the game late in the first quarter, and Denver's

07:02offensive cohesion took advantage of him as the defensive anchor. Denver achieved significant

07:08success, which was anticipated. The primary obstacle preventing him from getting playing time

07:14remains unchanged. In the game, Denver had seven players scoring in double digits while Phoenix only

07:21had three players reach that mark. Do you believe the Suns can turn their defensive woes around this

07:26season?

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended