On a day when there was a lot of big news off the court for the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets, Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul were too much for a hungry Cam Thomas.
Only days after the trade of superstar Kyrie Irving and on the day when Mat Ishbia received the keys to the Footprint Center and the Phoenix Suns, it was a familiar pick and role that dominated the proceedings on the court. Days after seemingly being offered as bait for Irving, CP3 dominated with the rock dishing out 12 assists, many to Ayton, who went for more than 30 for the second straight game for Phoenix. It was a good thing that Ayton and Paul delivered because young Thomas of the Nets was on fire in the 112-116 Suns win.
Booker was back and bombing early for Phoenix
The big news on Tuesday in Brooklyn for the Suns was the return of our superstar, Devin Booker. Phoenix’s number one had an up-and-down evening, with his start a microcosm of his game. Booker started the night three of four from the field and scored the Suns’ first eight points. However, Devin also had a couple of turnovers during that stretch and didn’t score again for the rest of the quarter.
Booker finished the evening with 19 points, including two unexpected missed free throws down the stretch. They were two uncharacteristic misses, but that happens late in games when your legs are not all there yet. Fortunately for Book and the Suns, Ayton had his back.
Ayton again unstoppable for the Suns
For the second straight game, Deandre was dynamic in the paint. After putting up 31 points in the win over Detroit, Ayton again was fantastic, going 14 of 18 from the field en route to a 35-point, 15-rebound domination over the under-sized Nets.
Ayton was rolling and dunking on alley-oops, hitting his short jumpers and baby hooks, and even providing some support on the offensive boards and second-chance points. Maybe the most significant rebound and his best two points were at the end of the game when he claimed a missed Thomas free throw and then sank two free throws of his own to ice the game.
Games like Sunday and Tuesday, where Ayton dominates when given the opportunity and volume, are why he is getting paid, and Suns fans and the new owner have to like it.
Thomas was the star in the loss
Sure, CP3 had 12 assists, and Ayton had the monster double-double, but the game star was undoubtedly, Cam Thomas. A second-year pro out of LSU, Thomas averages 10.5 points per contest, but the young man has been unconscious with his shooting over the last several games.
Thomas had scored 91 points in the past two games heading into the Tuesday match-up, and he continued his scoring streak. Thomas scored 43 points in 39 minutes, making it the third straight game of at least 40 points. Although many – 18 of 43 – of his points came from the charity stripe, you have to tip your cap to the guard who has shot 56% from the field – including threes – over this three-game run.
Of course, while scoring 134 points over three games is phenomenal, for the Phoenix Suns, a third straight road win and ninth win in 11 games is even better. Now it is on to Atlanta.