Two nights ago, the Phoenix Suns
did something they have failed to do all season long – close out a
game and win in the fourth quarter in a thrilling comeback victory
over the Sacramento Kings.
The Suns, who already lost nine
games this season in fourth quarters, are dead last in
fourth-quarter scoring at just 24.6 points per game. They are also
getting outscored by 3.2 points – worst in the league.
Phoenix tends to shrink when
they are pressured in tense moments despite having talented,
all-world scorers in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
This shouldn’t be happening to an aspiring championship team – it
is downright uncharacteristic and unacceptable.
Tuesday night’s game against the
Kings looked like it was heading toward another inexcusable loss in
the fourth, as the Kings led by 18 points, 112-94, with 5:56 to
go.
The Suns have been longing to
fix their fourth-quarter woes, but to no avail, as a combination of
injuries, bad rotations and lackluster effort on defense have held
back the team.
So, how did the Suns come back
and get the win? By going on a 32-8 run to end the game.
With the Suns down 109-89 in an
important game against their division rivals, Durant blocked a
Malik Monk floater off a pick-and-roll, passed it out and found
Chimezie Metu leaking out for an easy transition layup. The next
possession, Josh Okogie made an extraordinary play that fueled the
Suns’ furious comeback. On an island vs. Monk, Okogie stayed with
him after a crossover and hustled back to block a floater, and it
led to a wide-open transition trey by Grayson Allen that cut the
lead to 17.
From that point on, players started doubling down on defense
– chasing blocks instead of
standing around and getting beat on defense. Even Booker and Beal,
who aren’t known for their defense, were fighting over screens and
running back in transition with a concerted effort.
Over the next five minutes, the
Suns scored 25 points to the Kings’ 4 with the following series of
buckets:
Beal driving
layup.
Allen three.
Durant dunk.
Durant three.
Beal dunk.
Durant three.
Gordon three.
Gordon three.
Durant makes 2 free
throws.
Durant makes 2 free
throws.
By the end of the fourth
quarter, the Suns outscored the Kings 35-21. Phoenix had finally
exorcised their fourth-quarter demons.
The Big Three of Durant, Booker
and Beal are finding their groove and offensively, their potential
is off the charts. But their effort on defense is what will allow
them to contend for a championship.
The Suns followed up that win
over Sacramento with another impressive effort, blowing out the New
Orleans Pelicans (who have surged to fifth place in the Western
Conference).
Booker had a spectacular
performance, dropping 52 points to pull the Suns closer in the
standings. Phoenix currently holds the No. 8 seed in the West with
a 23-18 record, but are now right behind Sacramento (23-18,
seventh), Dallas (24-18, sixth) and New Orleans (25-18, fifth), as
all four teams are now tied in the loss column.
Over the next few games, the
Suns will go up against the Mavericks before going on a road trip
out East. This stretch of games could be crucial down the road
considering how close the standings are as of now.
Their best basketball is still
ahead of them, and perhaps this will go down as the turning point
of their season.
