Nov 2, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) drives past Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) in the first half during a game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images
After a very ugly first half by both teams, the Portland Trail Blazers lead the Phoenix Suns 47-43 at the break.
Thank you for reading this post, don’t forget to subscribe!
Both teams shot under 30%, as the Suns (4-1) were 12-for-44 (27.3%) from the floor and the Trail Blazers (2-4) were 17-for-57 (29.8%). The Blazers went on a 17-4 run to close the half and take the lead.
So what can the Suns, who were favored by 13 points, do in the second half to come back and pick up their fourth-straight victory?
Make shots
This one is pretty simple. A lot of the shots Phoenix missed were wide open and no team with the star power the Suns have should be shooting under 30%. Tyus Jones (3-for-4 for eight points) was the only player on Phoenix to shoot over 50%. The Suns shot 8-for-27 (29.6%) from 3, so they are getting up a lot of shots from beyond the arc, which they want to do.
Kevin Durant (14 points) did have a streak of seven-straight points to start the second quarter, but the Suns need to find the hot hand or develop some sort of an offensive rhythm to get this win. Devin Booker went 1-for-8 from the floor (1-for-6 from deep) for eight points, while Bradley Beal was 2-for-6 (1-for-4 from 3) for seven points. Jusuf Nurkić (0-for-3), Royce O’Neale (0-for-4), Mason Plumlee (0-for-2) and Ryan Dunn (0-for-3) combined for 0 points on 0-for-12 shooting.
Keep up stifling defense
Phoenix’s defense faltered late, but overall the team played excellent collective defense in the half. One area they can improve is forcing more turnovers and defending the 3-point line, as the Blazers only had three turnovers and shot 8-for-19 (42.1%) from 3 (6-for-10 in second quarter).
After an 0-for-7 start to the game, Anfernee Simons started to heat up late, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Phoenix can’t allow him to stay hot and continue shooting as putrid as it has.
Stop turning the ball over
While the Blazers only had three turnovers, the Suns had nine of their own, led by three from Durant and two from Grayson Allen. This number will improve if the offense gets in a flow, but with how bad the Blazers are shooting, Phoenix can’t give them easy opportunities to get out in transition.
The Blazers outscored the Suns 10-3 on points off turnovers.
Get out and run
The Suns shot 0-for-5 on the fast break in the first half, a number that just cannot happen. Phoenix overall just needs to play with pace and get in some sort of offensive flow to close out the game with a victory.
Pregame notes: Suns welcome back Deandre Ayton, Blazers
