WHAT A GAME
The Suns were in it. The Jazz were in it. The CROWD was in it. The best I’ve felt at a game in a long time.
The whole second half was a dogfight. Big shot after big shot. Offensive setbacks at key points by both teams. Most of the fourth quarter was a one-possession game.
Deandre Ayton was BIG in the fourth quarter with several offensive setbacks to keep the Suns alive.
When Jae Crowder passed a try to increase the Suns 100-96, Crowder and the crowd got the nut.
The Suns have a three-point lead with less than 30 seconds left, but somehow Devin Booker’s float disappeared, and Donovan Mitchell drew a try with 10.4 seconds left.
Suns ball. 10.4 seconds left. Booker misses at the buzzer. OT incoming.
Of course to start the OT, Booker MAKES the short shot while Mitchell beats the three-point attempt. The Suns maintained a 3-6 point lead during the fourth quarter and dropped back to the wire with a 114-110 lead with 24.2 seconds left in OT after a miss by Chris Paul. Jazz ball. Two quick points. Booker misses a free throw, and it’s Jazz Ball with 10.6 seconds left, under three.
115-112 Sun. Jazz ball. Do the three times. Suns vicious BEFORE THE SHOT, giving us two to Donovan Mitchell. Phew. Make one of two. Suns 115-113, must transgress … Chris Paul.
Paul swings one.
Fans cheer ‘na na NA na na na na na, hey hey goodbye’
Paul swings second.
GAMES. 117-113 Sun.
Smile.
The Suns’ first game, which allowed up to 5,500 fans in the arena, sounded like a play-off roar. Great props for the Suns fans in the building, they really showed with energy in this one. At every play you could hear the cheers.
Great games:
- Deandre Ayton 18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals and big fourth quarter play
- Devin Booker 35 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
- Chris Paul 29 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds
GREAT games by the best Suns players.
How it happened
The Jazz scored the first bucket of the game, but the Suns responded with a 13-0 run that warmed the crowd and the Utah Jazz coach properly.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder responded with a time-out to bring in some topics to send a message to the Jazz starting five to come out flat. Favors replace a non-existent Ruby Gobert and Joe Ingles come on for an ineffective Mike Conley Jr. The changes broke the Suns spell, resulting in a 6-0 Jazz run, where the Suns missed 4 straight easy jumpers.
I like how confident Ayton plays in this one. He is definitely THERE on every play. When he looked for a breather, he left with 4/2/1 for Gobert’s 2/0/0.
But when the Jazz second unit, this time back by Gobert and Conley against Saric and Payne, crushed the Suns, he forced miss to jumper. By the time the Jazz took the lead, 21-20, the Suns were at 38%. The Suns shooting coincided with Chris Paul’s rest period. Devin Booker also scored just 5 times in the first quarter and missed 5 of 6 shots. That’s not good.
The Suns woke up again in the second quarter and led 36-29 on another amazing Chris Paul tournament. That guy knows how to play in big games.
This time, the Suns maintained the momentum, even after Paul took a breather again, 43-32 on a Cam Payne try and Booker pulled up in transition. It helps that Utah is 3-21 on tries so far. At least we can say they’re all disputed by the Suns defense, what should happen or Utah will blow you out.
The Suns, led by a now hot Devin Booker, take the halftime lead 51-40 by simply playing their game and winning more plays than they lose, and making their own fortunes.
In half:
- Sun at 51-40
- Chris Paul 13/3, Devin Booker 16/1, Ayton 8/3 with 2 steals and a block
- Booker and Paul have taken half of the Suns shots so far (21 out of 42)
- both teams are bad on tries: Utah 3/22, Suns 3/12
- Suns lead in FTs: 10/12 at 3/5
Second half
Donovan Mitchell got five quick points to start the second half, but the Suns held on and shifted the lead back to nine on an Ayton finish.
With the next possession, the Suns stopped the Jazz twice, but could not own them, and eventually Mitchell struck a try. hmph.
Suns and Jazz traded beats throughout the third quarter. It became physical. As Dario predicted, that it could be a bar fight. Suns and Jazz are for a reason top three on defense and they show it to each other.
Eventually, however, Utah took the lead, made a few tries and got a few points on the other side. In the end, the Jazz threw in only 38 points in the third quarter, after scoring only 40 in the first half.
Suns regained the lead at the start of the fourth, 84-81, on a Craig try and Ayton.