Although the Phoenix Suns are in rebuilding mode, the stars are becoming a force to be reckoned with, especially on the offensive end.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| All NBA | 30 | 31 | 29 | 17 | 107 |
| All NBA | 33 | 22 | 35 | 15 | 105 |
And although the New York Knicks are a struggling team barely finding their way after their own re-tooling this past off-season, tonight’s game was still in the Mecca of sports – Madison Square Garden – one of the most exciting and difficult venues to play, regardless of how the talent on the home team’s roster has been performing.
With 3:59 remaining, Willie Hernangomez got open for a slam putting the Knicks back up by five sending the Garden crowd into a frenzy. The second big Knicks Dunk in less than two minutes, the Suns seemed to only be able to trade baskets, unable to stop the New York offense and re-take the lead themselves.
The two desperate teams traded missed buckets when Phoenix finally went on a little run with baskets by P.J. Tucker and Devin Booker, pulling the Suns to within one. After a Derek Rose layup coming out of a New York timeout, Devin Booker hit two free throws and then a three-point shot with 31.7 remaining putting the Suns up 107-105.
Two teams with similar records, at that moment seemed to supply fans with a microcosm of their individual seasons: Phoenix scratched and clawed for every shot on every possession. Though they could have let the raucous Garden crowd get to them, they showed a fight to never let things get too out of control. The Knicks on the other hand saw Booker’s three sail through and the sense of “here we go again” by both the players and coaches showed how the losing is taking a heavy toll on their minds.
Coming out of a timeout and with the clock winding down, both teams traded miss bucks when
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with 6.3 seconds left the Knicks still had an opportunity to win.
In a play set up for Carmelo Anthony to take a three from the right angle, the ball seemed to dip below the rim desperate to find it’s way through before kicking back out giving Phoenix their second victory in four games and 14th win on the season.
In the process, a Phoenix franchise record was broken and a personal best was extended.
As has been widely publicized these last few days, Tyson Chandler had tied Center Jim Fox’s franchise record from 1968-69 of 6 consecutive games of 15 or more rebounds. With 44.9 seconds remaining, that record fell as Chandler snagged his 15th rebound on a missed Ron Baker layup. Chandler would grab one more for good measure with 26.7 seconds remaining leading to his game high 16th rebound outpacing New York’s Joakim Noah’s 15. Tyson missed out on his second straight double-double as he finished with 9 points on 2 of 5 shooting.
Devin Booker extended his career-best streak of scoring at least 20 points to eight games, finishing with 26 including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Over that period he has averaged 25.3 points and has raised his scoring average from 18.7 to 20.5.
Although Eric Bledsoe dropped 23 himself, he ceded the team’s scoring lead to Booker who now holds a .1 point edge over the point guard. Bledsoe did everything he could to keep the lead as he finished with 23 points including shooting 10-10 from the free-throw stripe. Bled filled his stat box with 7 assists and 5 rebounds, but most impressively finished with zero turnovers, for only the third time all season, and first time since doing so against Golden State on November 13. (Ironically both other turnover-less games occurred in the early season against the Warriors).
Marquese Chriss had a solid scoring night finishing with 15 points on 6-10 shooting including two three’s, his third career game with at least 15 points.
Brandon Knight and P.J. Tucker showcased their skills in New York, a potential trade destination for them both, as Knight scored 11 in 20 minutes and grabbed 5 rebounds and Tucker scored 15 points including two three’s, only the fourth time all season he’s scored at least 15.
For the struggling Knicks, Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points on 9-17 from the floor including 5-6 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed 7 boards and dished out 6 assists. Derrick Rose scored 26 and recorded 5 assists. Kristaps Porzingis couldn’t find his range as he finished oh-for, though he still scored 14 points.
Thoughts from the Valley of the Suns
Adam Maynes – Site Editor
Following the loss to Cleveland the other night, the Suns fell to 13-29, the exact record they found themselves in last season through 42 games. After the victory tonight, Phoenix is now a full game ahead of their 2015-16 pace, although they are unlikely to keep up with their counterparts of a year ago.
This year the Suns have yet to lose more than four games in a row. Granted they have not carried a streak of more than two wins in a row, they have surprisingly remained very consistent in keeping from falling into a losing streak that could threaten to break the spirit of a team.
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Through 43 games last year, the Suns had already had a nine game losing streak and were five games into a six game skid. Following the fantastic win over the Atlanta Hawks when Archie Goodwin nailed a three at the buzzer to bring the Suns’ record to 14-31, the team fell like Isaac Newton’s stone, ripping off a franchise record-tying 13 game losing streak that essentially ended the season there. At 14-44 Earl Watson would slowly right the ship, but it was too late and Phoenix staggered to their second worst season in history losing 59 games.
That will not happen this year – Guaranteed.
Should Ryan McDonough decide to trade P.J. Tucker and receive little to no talent on the court in return, the Suns will struggle to re-discover their defensive identity, but the loss will not cause the team to spiral out of control. A trade of Brandon Knight may end up being a wash offensively and will give more minutes to the younger players, including Tyler Ulis, which in turn will raise their spirits.
Regardless of what moves are made, unless there is a long-term injury to a star player, they are risk to have a soul-crushing double-digit losing streak. While Phoenix is currently within a game of last season’s pace, and they may continue on their current win trajectory and end with a similar record as last year (they are currently on pace for 27 wins), games like today are evidence that this team is turning the corner.
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No one on this team wants to lose. With Devin Booker, Eric Bledsoe, and Tyson Chandler leading the way, they are in good hands as they begin the second half of the season.