No pity for the Hornets, beaten for the 50th time this season by the Suns who did not have to force their talent to return to victory after their disappointment in Boston.
Phoenix first relied on Grayson Allen then Eric Gordon to resist the Hornets in the first quarter (26-28). Very discreet until then, the “Big Three” of the Suns then showed the tip of its nose with three baskets for Bradley Beal then the first two baskets from Kevin Durant and finally Devin Booker, whose 3-pointer offered 11 lengths of advances to his team shortly before the break (40-51).
The Suns secured the blow from the restart with a 13-4 fueled by the Booker-Durant pair (54-70) and seemed to be heading towards a quiet victory following 3-pointers from Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen and Royce O' Neale (67-92). Until the burst of pride of the Hornets who went 20-5 in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to try to reignite the suspense (87-97).
The efforts of Tre Mann, Brandon Miller and Grant Williams, however, were not enough to shake the Suns, who finished the job on an open shot from Grayson Allen, then thanks to the composure of Bradley Beal and KD for a success without trembling 107 to 96.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– A “Big Three” in diesel mode. Extremely rare, we had to wait until the end of the second quarter to see Devin Booker (5 points at the break) and Kevin Durant score their first baskets. The two friends raised their voices just right after half-time to secure the victory without trembling too much afterwards, also leaving his part to Bradley Beal whose relays were precious.
– Brandon Miller facing his model. This is the second time that the Hornets rookie has crossed paths with Kevin Durant, to whom he was often compared before entering the NBA. And for the second time in a row, Brandon Miller didn't really manage to show his best side, except for a brilliant 3-point shot from the corner after pushing back KD. He finished with a small 4/15 shooting including 2/8 at 3-points, like his team, catastrophic in the exercise again last night (6/37).
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
