Devin Booker went off for 44 points in Sunday's game between the Phoenix Suns and the Orlando Magic, but those were not enough to tow his team to a win. Instead, Phoenix fell prey to the Magic in blowout fashion, 113-98. Booker's big night was outweighed by the Suns' shortcomings — especially in the fourth period — which he also recognized after the contest.
“Ball security and pace. The same problems we've been having every 4th quarter,” Booker said following the game (h/t Duan Rankin of AZ Central).
The Suns' debacle in the fourth quarter of the Magic game wasn't just a one-time occurrence. It has been happening regularly for Phoenix in the 2023-24 NBA season. In fact, the Suns are last in the league with only an average of 24.5 points in the fourth quarter. They are third-worst overall with 3.9 turnovers per fourth quarter. Only the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz have worse ball security in terms of that particular turnover stat this season.
Against the Magic, the Suns scored just 13 points in the fourth quarter while Orlando dropped 31 points. In addition, Phoenix turned the ball over in the last quarter a total of seven times to zero by the Magic.
The talent is there for the Suns but there are still issues within the team that they need to smoothen out.
The Suns, who are on a two-game losing skid, will look to return to their winning ways this coming Monday night when they continue their road trip with a showdown in South Beach versus the Miami Heat.
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