It was not easy. It didn’t always look beautiful.
But after finally getting away in the 4th period, the Suns successfully recovered and defeated the Pacers on the road.
A night ago, the Suns committed 20 turnovers as a team, looking powerless against defending the Pistons zone, as the three-point shot after the three-shot refused to fall.
Tonight? 33 assists. 2 laps. This joins them with four other teams for the lowest turnover EVER in any NBA game.
And, furthermore, the career record of 34 points for Mikal Bridges.
Just a special night in many ways for your Suns.
UPDATE: Watch all 34 highlights of Mikal’s career below.
Game flow
First half
The Suns really started with Ayton in Sabonis and Crowder in Turner, as I suggested they should do in the preview. This prevented Sabonis from starting well, although Malcolm Brogdon did his best to attack Devin Booker frequently.
For Suns, it was the MIKAL BRIDGES show! Bridges opened with 15 of the team’s first 22 points, in a variety of perimeter pitches and hits to the edge.
About five minutes from the end of the first quarter, the Suns faced their first challenge without Cam Payne. Monty responded by staggering Booker and Paul; Booker played the first minutes on the PG, then CP3 closed the room. The results were very good, especially as Dario Saric defeated Myles Turner on both ends.
Score at the end of 1Q: Suns 30 – Pacers 32
The second half opens, and CP3 in particular seems stuck. He is not dominating all possession in any way, but he has 6 quick points (in 3-3 shots) and 4 assists (with 0 turnovers).
By the way, Cam Johnson continues to develop at RAPID SPEED:
After a stagnant straight, the Suns attack came to life in the final minutes of the first half. First Chris Paul arrived at one of his favorite mid-range locations, then Booker worked for the FT line in the next tenure. But a three-second Brogdon keeps the Pacers very much alive.
End of 2Q: Suns 56 – Pacers 50
A fun statistic in the break: Phoenix has 15 assists for ZERO losses as a team. Let’s see how far it can take, because it’s crazy.
Second time
Half opens and there’s another bucket of … you guessed it … MIKAL BRIDGES. He has up to 20 in 8-11 shootings.
I think now is a good time to acknowledge that the referees were not happy about this game, and it definitely helped Suns. Sabonis just raised his hands in frustration, pleading with a referee. He could have more than 10 FT attempts if it was done differently, but instead, he only has 4 and was mostly a non-factor.
…Oh no.
Oh God.
I spoke too soon. Several minutes later and Sabonis is a big factor. He has 19 points and 18 rebounds and the fourth is not over yet. I’m sorry for unlucky.
The Suns maintained their leadership, but narrowly. Indiana adopted the Detroit method, imposing a zone on the Suns to test the speed of their rotations and decision making.
This remains a shuttle game for the rest of the quarter. Third quarters are typically when things can fall apart for consecutive teams, so that resilience is impressive for the Suns.
End of 3Q: Suns 90 – Pacers 87
Sidenote: Suns now has 24 assists for 0 turnovers. Absurd.
Jevon Carter has now hit a few trios, and it’s good to see him cross the 10-point mark for the first time this season.
Not wanting to risk anything, Monty chooses to bring Bridges, Booker and Paul back with nine minutes remaining. But he keeps Saric at C, probably a strategic move to break the zone. Still with the advantage of two, but in a vulnerable position.
Ayton returns with about 8:00 left, and now the team is going for a mini race thanks to some transition intervals. Phoenix, in a SEGABABA, is 8 points up as we head into the final stretch.
A time limit for Indiana doesn’t help at all, as Mikal Bridges is having what looks like a career night. Three more and a trip to the FT line bring Bridges for a 29-point HIGH CAREER.
In the meantime, Phoenix STILL has only 2 turnovers, with 2 minutes remaining. I did the research, and this is tied with the fewest turns of any team in NBA history. Very cool, and went unnoticed thanks to …
… 3 more from Bridges! That gives him 32, his first game in over 30 years.
It looks like Suns will keep this one. An absolutely fantastic display of team basketball.
FINAL: Suns 125 – Pacers 117