It was not easy. It didn’t always look pretty.
But after finally pulling away in the 4th quarter, the Suns successfully bounced back and defeated the Pacers on the road.
A night ago, the Suns converted as a team 20 times and looked helpless toward the Pistons’ zone defense as a three-point shot after the three-point shot refused to fall.
Tonight? 33 assists. 2 turnover. That connects them to four other teams for the least turnover ever in any NBA game.
And in addition, a career high of 34 points for Mikal Bridges.
Just a special evening in so many ways for your Suns.
UPDATE: Check out all of Mikal’s career highlights, 34 points below.
Game Flow
First half
The Suns did start with Ayton on Sabonis and Crowder on Turner, as I suggested they do in the preview. That prevented Sabonis from starting strong, though Malcolm Brogdon did his best to attack Devin Booker regularly.
For the Suns, it was the MIKAL BRIDGES show! Bridges start with 15 of the team’s first 22 points, on a variety of perimeter shots and drive to the edge.
With about five minutes left in the first quarter, the Suns faced their first challenge without Cam Payne. Monty responds with a scurry of Booker and Paul; Booker played the first few minutes at PG and CP3 ended the quarter. The results were pretty good, especially since Dario Saric outscored Myles Turner on both sides.
Score at the end of 1Q: Suns 30 – Pacers 32
The second quarter opens, and especially CP3 looks locked up. He does not dominate every possession at all, but quickly has 6 points (on 3-3 shooting) and 4 assistants (with 0 turnover).
Cam Johnson, by the way, continues to develop rapidly:
After a halt, the Suns’ attack came alive in the last few minutes of the half. First, Chris Paul reached one of his favorite places in midfield, and then Booker worked his way into the next position to the FT line. But one last second from Brogdon keeps the Pacers very much alive.
End of 2Q: Suns 56 – Pacers 50
A fun stat in half: Phoenix has 15 assists at ZERO turnover as a team. Let’s see to what extent it can hold, because it’s insane.
Second half
Half opens, and there’s another bucket of … you guessed it … MIKAL BRUGGE. He shoots to 20 at 8-11.
I think now is a good time to admit that the refs were not whistle-happy at all in this one, and that definitely helped the Suns. Sabonis just throws up his hands in frustration and begs a ref. He could have had 10+ FT attempts if done otherwise, but instead he only had 4 and was mostly not a factor.
… Oh no.
O God.
I spoke far too soon. A few minutes later, Sabonis is a big factor. He has 19 points and 18 rebounds and the quarter is not even over yet. I’m so sorry I despised us.
The Suns maintained their lead, but only just. Indiana adopted the Detroit method and imposed a zone on the Suns to test the speed of their rotations and decision making.
It’s still a back-and-forth game for the rest of the quarter. Third quarters are usually when things can fall apart for teams in a row, so this resilience is impressive from the Suns.
End of 3Q: Suns 90 – Pacers 87
Side note: the Suns now have 24 assistants to 0 turnover. Absurd.
Jevon Carter has now hit a few tries, and it’s nice to see him get over the ten-point mark for the first time this season.
Because he does not want to risk anything, Monty chooses to bring Bridges, Booker and Paul back with nine minutes left. But he keeps Saric at C, probably a strategic step to break down the zone. Still two, but in a vulnerable position.
Ayton arrives again with about 8:00 left, and now the team is going on a mini-run thanks to a few transition buckets. Phoenix, on a SEGABABA, is at 8 higher as we drive to the last stretch.
A countdown to Indiana does not help, as Mikal Bridges now has a career night. Another three and a trip to the FT line brings Bridges to a career high of 29.
Meanwhile, Phoenix still has only 2 turnovers, with 2 minutes left. I looked it up and it is the least turnover by any team in NBA history. Pretty cool, and it’s flying under the radar thanks to …
… 3 more from Bridges! That gives him 32, his first 30+ game ever.
It looks like the Suns will keep it up. An excellent display of team basketball.
END: Suns 125 – Pacers 117