Jul 17, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer (center) looks on from the sidelines against the Phoenix Suns in the second half during game five of the 2021 NBA Finals at Phoenix Suns Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Suns lose 5th straight, head into much-needed 5-day break without games
PHOENIX — For as much as the Phoenix Suns require some time off physically, the mental aspect of that showed in Wednesday’s 138-122 loss to the New York Knicks.
The five days without games that follow the contest were clearly a breather Phoenix needed, along with time for Bradley Beal (left calf strain) and Kevin Durant (left calf strain) to get healthy. That was apparent after Monday’s loss too, and it felt undeniable that the thought of a respite on the horizon at least crept into their heads, if not occupied some real estate in there too.
New York (9-6) began the game jumping out to a 14-3 lead, extending it to 32-16 later in a first quarter the Suns (9-7) gave up a season-high 44 points. While the Knicks were drilling 3s left and right, Phoenix’s outstanding level of engagement from Sunday’s loss was absent for the second straight game. It’s an important reference point for how high Phoenix’s ceiling still is shorthanded and it was nowhere in sight the last two affairs.
“They came out and made shots and kind of put us in a hole. … That ultimately we could never really recover from that start,” Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer said.
In the mid-second quarter with the Suns down 15, the game reached an erratic state of open pace and poor execution. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was fed up enough to take a timeout off a Phoenix miss, and the fixture’s flow reaching that point spoke to 1) where the Suns were at and 2) how even New York was getting lulled to sleep by it a bit.
After that moment, the Knicks led by as many as 24 before halftime was 76-58 Knicks.
Phoenix found a groove in the third quarter generating 3s to cut it to 11, going 6-for-16 from 3, but the shooting cooled down after starting hot and the Suns’ defense was hopeless all night. They gave up 34 points in the quarter and that signaled we were done here.
The Suns have lost five straight games without Beal and Durant in the lineup and six of the seven overall that Durant has missed. His re-evaluation period arrives on the weekend while Beal’s status is unknown.
“I think when the schedule comes out it doesn’t look like it’s something that you’d ever ask for but maybe there’s some kind of silver lining in a five-day break,” Budenholzer said.
Devin Booker was productive through the circumstances, 12-of-23 for 33 points with five assists and one turnover. He still didn’t look quite right physically and this reprieve after 12 games in 21 days will benefit him greatly. When asked after the game if anything is bothering him or if the illness he came down with two weeks ago is still affecting him, he shut that notion down and said he’s great.
