PHOENIX– Back-to-backs in the NBA aren't easy, just ask the Phoenix Suns. After they fell 130-112 to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, it was a long 24 hours before that.
For starters, the Suns played in Oklahoma City against the Thunder on Friday, and then traveled back to Phoenix at 2:00 a.m. the next morning for Saturday's contest.
In the first half against Denver, the Suns' competitiveness resulted in a 63-60 deficit at the end of the second quarter. But as soon as the second half began, that's when everything corroded.
Denver started hitting its shots, courtesy of Tim Hardaway Jr., but they simply had more juice than Phoenix, which was impressive, considering they were also coming off a back-to-back.
In that second half, the Suns were outscored 77-52. Much of it had to do with the extension of Nikola Jokic's playmaking. His 10 assists were a game-high and indicative of how lethal he is as an offensive initiator.
Still, it was the Nuggets' defensive disruption that stifled Phoenix's chances of establishing any rhythm. In the team's locker room postgame, Brooks explained what his team did wrong, which fueled Denver's spark.
“I'd say a little stagnant,” Brooks said. “Trying to get hands on the ball, we couldn't. Offensive rebounding, the possession game, probably, and we've got to be more composed when they're hitting shots.
“We've got to be able to fight runs and respond.”
Jordan Ott recognizes the Suns getting stagnant
Shortly after Brooks talked, only a few Phoenix players remained in the locker room. The area itself was drenched with fatigue, considering the team will play six games in nine days as they take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
With Grayson Allen back in the lineup, the Suns might slowly regain their true strength, but that can come if they can have adequate rest in between games.
But hours before the game, head coach Jordan Ott spoke to reporters and shared that there was difficulty, but he thought it would be a good test.
Once the final buzzer sounded, he admitted that the test was necessary, but knew where the Suns fell flat.
“Yeah, we got stagnant against that zone. That's what sticks out right in my mind right now,” Ott said postgame. “That was a big stretch. I thought earlier, we had great looks in the 3rd quarter. There were multiple possessions. We'll get multiple really good looks. We're a 3-point shooting team. That's what we got and we'll continue to take the highest quality shots available.
“Last night we got 44 of them (three-point shots) up, we got 42 of them up. I'm sure it's a little bit of both. I'm sure we could have got some sessions where it was.”
The Suns will hit the road and take on the Los Angeles Lakers before having three days to rest before traveling to Houston and taking on the Rockets.
