Phoenix Suns overcome rough spell, make the Magic disappear
By Scott Chasen
Flat.
Right out of the gates, the Phoenix Suns just looked flat against the Magic. The team would eventually overcome it’s slow start, winning 105-100, but early on, the Suns had very little happening in transition. Head coach Jeff Hornacek was forced to take a timeout with less than four minutes gone in the first quarter, and the team did not appear to be focused at all at that point.
Simply flat.
Early on, the only positive for the Suns was Markieff Morris, who had scored seven of the team’s 13 points in the first six minutes. Outside of Morris, the team had just 13 points in the first quarter, and with all things considered, the Suns were probably fortunate to be down just three. There was definitely some luck involved as well, as Archie Goodwin knocked down a crazy three-point jumper at the buzzer to end the first.
The slow pace continued into the second quarter, as it would take the Suns more than a quarter-and-a-half just to get to 30 points on the night. The Suns seemed content to just sit back and settle for jumpers far too often, which wasn’t what the team needed. Bledsoe seemed to be the only one willing to drive in the lane with a purpose, but even he seemed to be a bit lethargic.
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On the other side of things, Nikola Vucevic had his way inside, especially with Alex Len in foul trouble for much of the first half. At the break, Vucevic had 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, and he was also second on the team in plus/minus at +11. The Magic held a nine point lead at that point, but the game was far from over.
In the second half, the Suns played like a completely different team. Phoenix started the quarter on a 21-7 stretch, and the team finally started to get up and down the court, which led to some easy dunks.
Markieff Morris continued to carry the Suns when things slowed down again, although he was joined by Brandon Knight, who had knocked down a few three-point shots as the game headed to the fourth quarter. With 36 minutes gone, Knight and Morris had combined for 40 points, which was more than the rest of the team had scored combined. The Suns held a 77-69 lead.
The teams traded baskets to start the fourth quarter, as the action started to pick up. Victor Oladipo knocked down a couple of early threes to give him 17 points in the second half alone. However, Oladipo wasn’t the only one who did most of his damage in the last two quarters.
P.J. Tucker scored all 19 of his points in the second half, and he answered Oladipo’s early offense with huge back-to-back-to-back baskets for the Suns. Tucker went on a personal 6-0 run over the Magic from the 8:20 mark of the fourth quarter to the 7:20 mark, and looking back, that sequence was huge for the team, as Markieff Morris was able to get a quick rest on the bench.
Down the stretch, the Suns did a good job of dirtying up the game whenever the Magic would start to build momentum, but the Suns found themselves in trouble, up just one point with less than a minute to play. However, it was Captain Clutch, Markieff Morris who buried the dagger, putting the Suns up three with 35.2 seconds remaining.
The teams would trade free throws the rest of the way, leaving the Suns with the 105-100 win. Morris would finish the game with 23 points on 11-of-17 shooting. The former Kansas forward would trail only Brandon Knight (28 points) for the team-high scoring total.
Revisiting the 2013 NBA Draft
Two years ago, both the Suns and Magic found themselves picking in the top five of the NBA Draft, and while it remains to be seen if there are any generational or show-stopping talents that are going to emerge from the class, there’s plenty of reasons for each team to be positive about the player they chose.
Tonight, it was Victor Oladipo who won the battle of the sophomores, at least statistically, because it was Phoenix who had the last laugh. Oladipo finished with 38 points, four rebounds and three assists, while playing 43 minutes, whereas Len struggled due to foul trouble.
It’s also worth noting that Reggie Bullock and Archie Goodwin were both selected later on in that same draft. Bullock would not play (coaches decision), but Goodwin would have a slight impact on the game, posting a few points and an assist in ten minutes, although he certainly had the highlight of the night.
Channing Frye ‘revenge’ game?
Given the horrible, awful terms Frye left Phoenix on, there was plenty of bad blood brewing before the game. The teams had been taking shots at each other on social media and in interviews, and a huge fight seemed destined to happen.
Okay, so maybe that’s not what happened at all, but it sounds more fun that way.
In his first game against his old team, Channing Frye had a pretty forgettable outing, going for four points and four rebounds, but it had to be nice to see a friendly, familiar face on the court for the Suns, following all of the controversy that went down at the trade deadline.
Next up
With the win, the Suns improved to 32-30 on the year, and next up are the Brooklyn Nets, who were hammered tonight by the Charlotte Hornets. For the Suns, the game against the Nets will mark the third stop in the four-game road trip. The Suns topped the Nets in their earlier meeting this year, as players no longer with the Suns (Dragic, Thomas, Plumlee, Tolliver) combined for 47 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists.
Gerlad Green played one of his best games on the season that night, scoring 28 points in 27 minutes, while adding five rebounds and three assists. With just nine points in the Phoenix Suns’ last four games (and one “DNP-Coaches Decision”) Green could really use a break to get going, and this game could (key word: could) be exactly what he needs.