Charlotte Hornets’ LaMelo Ball # 2 reacts to a dunk ahead of Deandre Ayton # 22 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at the Phoenix Suns Arena on February 24, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Hornets defeated the Suns 124-121. (Photo by Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns were subject to spells – mostly hot, but a little cold – over winning 12 of their last 14 wins before Wednesday’s game against Charlotte Hornets.
When they built a 17 point lead in the middle of the second half against Charlotte, they hit another icy spell.
That active, confident defense that helped Suns to two 30-point losses in the last few matches was over.
The 124-121 loss at the Phoenix Suns Arena was also due to the team’s missed free throws and perhaps to the officials, including a non-call in Devin Booker’s three-point tie at the buzzer.
“Communication, a ball screen thing, was not changing, we had to close better. I gave (LaMelo) Ball two three there, I think it was in the third quarter, ”said Phoenix guard Chris Paul, about the defensive effort before jumping into the final move.
“We looked right there at the end: Book was soiled in those three. Obviously, many plays happen in the course of a game, but what is it called, the two-minute report? It will come out tomorrow, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, we missed it.’ Many moves happened to get there, but it was certainly a foul. Should have thrown three free throws, try to send it to overtime. “
Booker appeared at the limit on his way to 33 points – and you can imagine why.
After being evaluated to make the NBA All-Star game initially and then being named reserve before the match, he picked up a technique after seeing it on the Hornets bench, finished with five fouls and nailed it thinking he was right the attempt at a tie bell.
Paul, who added that he placed the defeat in the “column of bad losses”, added 20 points and 10 assists, while Suns pivot Deandre Ayton ended with 16 points and 10 bags.
Speaking of cold and heat in defense, Ayton played another game in which he was sometimes solid and at others in which he looked stunned.
With 2:05 to the end of the game, Phoenix even pulled Ayton so that Jae Crowder had better success in these changes, according to Suns coach Monty Williams. Before that, Suns had made more changes to the game plan compared to the norm, and the back-end help coverage seemed incorrect because of that, Williams added.
The size and speed of newcomer LaMelo Ball did well to attack these levers, as he finished with 20 points and eight assists.
But it all started with Suns’ ball problems.
“We need to present more and a little more intimidating the drive, move our feet and just be active,” said Suns striker Cam Johnson, who scored 14 points off the bench.
“A lot of activity instead of standing still, standing behind them for a while, showing your hands and just being there.”
In the second quarter, after the Phoenix advanced 17 points, Charlotte’s reserve guard, Malik Monk, heated up against the second Suns unit, dropping a 20-piece ball in less than eight minutes.
Monk finished with 29 points, and his beating helped pull Charlotte to 67-66 at halftime.
“Giving up on (three) quarters of 30 points is unacceptable,” said Williams. “The second quarter was when we lost. I think we went up 17 points and started playing with the game. We made some subs and the subs did not hold them. “
To make things worse for the Suns, some Booker problems ended that second period, and it was a difficult climb for the team over the second half.
Charlotte advanced 110-99 with 6:49 to play the game, but Phoenix responded with an 11-0 run to tie for the next 3:10. Two quick buckets later, the Hornets went up five and got back under control with less than three minutes to play.
Then came a mutilated submission that represented a game with three technical fouls shared between the teams and many replay reviews.
The Suns pulled within 122-119 with 32 seconds left when Booker completed a four-point play. It seemed to be a generous whistle when he leaned over to Gordon Hayward, but the connection remained after the review.
Phoenix tried to make a mistake to stop the clock and try to catch up, and also attracted two fouls on the Hornets.
But Bridges and Paul each lost the backend of consecutive free throws in the final seven seconds. In the absence of Paul, with Phoenix losing by the final score, the ball was thrown out of the field by the Hornets with 0.8 to go, giving Suns time to plot a final entry play.
The ball found its way to Booker on the left wing. It looked like Hayward beat his wrist on launch, but the whistles didn’t blow.
“Physical game. Nothing more, ”said Williams. “We can sit here and complain about the referees. We went up 17 in the second, I think.
“Blaming employees in this situation is an excuse to escape. We don’t have to do that. “