The Phoenix Suns have finished Summer League 3-1 with a +13 plus-minus as a team across the four games.
Maluach, Fleming, and Peat had their hands all over this one, as you love to see from your top prospects. The Suns had a strong opening and closing quarter to secure the win despite the Pistons looking in control in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.
- Khaman Maluach — 23 points, 15 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal, 8-13 FG, 2-5 3PFG
- Rasheer Fleming — 22 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 8-12 FG
- Koa Peat — 19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 6-13 FG
Khaman Maluach across 4 Summer League games: 19.5 PPG, 12.8 RPG, 3.3 STL + BLK, 53% FG, 40% 3PT
Game Flow
First Half
Phoenix jumped out to an early 17-3 lead, led by Rasheer Fleming
and Koa Peat.
Plus, this early slam from Man Man, which led to a Suns 10-0 advantage and prompted a Pistons timeout.
The next timeout break came with a 22-11 Phoenix advantage. The Suns’ defense was on point, holding the Pistons to just 13 first-quarter points. The Suns led 27-13 after one.
Maluach was all over the glass, grabbing five boards in his first 9 minutes of action. He also had a block and that emphatic slam we highlighted above.
The ball movement was crisp offensively as well, leading to a catch and shoot triple from Rasheer Fleming for his second three of the game midway through the 2nd quarter. Moments after writing this, the ball found him again for his third.
Phoenix was in control for most of the half, but the Pistons went on a furious run to close out the half and cut Phoenix’s lead down considerably. After a strong first quarter, they were outscored by 7 in the second.
At halftime, Phoenix led 53-46. Fleming led all scorers with 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the field.
Second Half
The Pistons carried that momentum over early in the third, with them starting off on a 13-to-7 run.
The Suns would show some fight, answering the Pistons’ run to jump back out in front, led by a pair of triples from second-year man Khaman Maluach.
Maluach made his presence felt on the glass and dominated the interior yet again, which is an excellent sign of progress for the Suns’ sophomore.
The Suns led it 78-74 after three. Detroit outscored Phoenix by three in the quarter.
The teams continued to trade buckets in the second half. Koa Peat continued to show his playmaking chops in transition with the no-look dime after a steal.
Peat checked out of the game after taking a hard fall on a blocked shot, but later returned to action.
Phoenix finished strong and was able to pull away for good, just as they did in their last contest vs. the Bucks.
Up Next
To be determined. We now await the rest of the games to see if the Suns qualify for the semifinals, but at 3-1, they gave themselves a shot. And more importantly, their prized young prospects looked (mostly) promising throughout.
