The Phoenix Suns tipped off their Summer League schedule in Las Vegas on Friday night, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 81-79.
It was a tale of two halves for the Phoenix Suns. In the first half, they couldn’t hit a shot, going 0-of-9 from beyond the arc and scoring only 24 points. Sure, quarters are shortened to 10 minutes in Summer League, but 24 points is still 24 points. It was ugly basketball.
Then the Suns came out of the locker room with some fire, and you could see the difference on both
ends of the floor. Phoenix trailed by as many as 16 points, but after scoring 57 in the second half, they completed the comeback and walked away with an 81-79 victory.
DJ Steward led the way for Portland with 21 points, while Yang Hansen finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Javonte Cook led Phoenix with 21 points, but it was the performances from the Suns’ young prospects that impressed the most. Khaman Maluach finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while rookie Koa Peat added 17 points and nine boards. Rasheer Fleming chipped in six points and 10 rebounds, along with two steals and two blocks.
The Suns’ defense came alive in the second half, creating turnovers, generating transition opportunities, and giving the offense the energy it desperately needed. It was far from perfect, but the young Suns responded when things looked ugly and found a way to win their first Summer League game.
Game Flow
First Half
The game started a little later than planned because the matchup before it, between the Celtics and Raptors, went into overtime. Because why wouldn’t an 8 p.m. Suns start get delayed? Typical Suns stuff.
Thankfully, it’s a Friday night.
The first points of the game came after rookie Kia Peat snagged an offensive rebound and then through Ali loop to Khaman Maluach. Chefs kiss? Yes, chefs kiss.
That was the only made basket for the Suns on their first 12 attempts, as they opened the game shooting 8.3% from the field. It was clear Phoenix wanted to see what Maluach could provide on the perimeter, as he began the night 1-of-5 from the field and 0-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Despite the brutal start, the Suns trailed only 7-2 midway through the first quarter.
The rebounding was solid for Phoenix, as their front line was simply massive. Early on, Peat impressed with his ability to attack the glass and secure rebounds. And it was Peat who finally snapped the Suns’ 0-of-13 shooting stretch, rising up and throwing down an athletic dunk to give Phoenix some much needed life.
Maluach scored his second basket of the game with an impressive left-handed bank shot over Yang Hansen.
Overall, it was an ugly quarter for both teams. They combined to shoot 1-of-21 from beyond the arc, with Phoenix going 0-of-9 and finishing the quarter 4-of-22 overall from the field. Maluach led all Suns scorers with four points on 2-of-6 shooting, while Rasheer Fleming added two points and six rebounds.
After one, the Suns trailed the Trail Blazers, 19-10.
The second quarter started much the same, as the Suns missed their first five shots from the field and opened 0-of-2 from beyond the arc. A lazy inbound pass from Maluach didn’t help matters, and he led the team with 4 turnovers in the first half. His handle certainly looked loose whenever he put the ball on the floor.
Phoenix was shooting only 14% from the field midway through the second quarter, although Portland wasn’t doing much better at 25%. With five minutes remaining in the half, the Suns found themselves trailing by 13, 27-14.
The drought was finally broken by a smooth mid-range jumper from second-year Kentucky shooter Koby Brea. It was an in-rhythm shot that looked crisp coming off his hand.
And then there was Koa Peat. At 6’8” and 245 pounds, he clearly looks like an NBA player. Peat flashed that physicality in transition, spinning his way through the defense and finishing through contact for the and-1.
Phoenix didn’t have many made field goals in the first half. In fact, they only made eight. But it felt like every one of them was impressive. To close out the first half, Maluach threw down a sick alley-oop dunk, followed shortly thereafter by a savage slam from Rasheer Fleming.
When the first half was all said and done, the Suns shot 21% from the field, going 8-of-38 overall and 0-of-13 from beyond the arc. They also committed 10 turnovers.
Maluach led the way with 8 points and 6 rebounds. Fleming added 4 points and 8 rebounds, while Koa Peat finished the half with 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 turnovers. Jameer Nelson Jr. scored 4 points off the bench, all of them from the free-throw line. He was also the only member of the Suns to register a steal, finishing with two.
Phoenix trailed Portland, 38-24, after one half of play.
Second Half
Maluach came out firing in the third quarter, knocking down his first two three-pointers to pull the Suns within 12. Phoenix scored a grand total of 10 points in the first quarter. They matched that total in the first two and a half minutes of the third.
The offense felt much more engaged, although there were still issues with moving the basketball. That’s Summer League for you. Guards often drift away from the confines of the offense, hunting their own points rather than creating quality opportunities for the team. Numerous times, both Maluach and Peat set solid screens and rolled to the basket, only to watch the ball go somewhere else despite being open. Such is Summer League basketball.
Rasheer Fleming put together an unbelievably impressive sequence. On one end, he attacked off the dribble, pulled up, and knocked down a 12-footer. On the other, he stayed disciplined as the Trail Blazers tried to shake him with a spin move, refusing to bite before using his length to block the shot.
Then Maluach came down and knocked down his third three-pointer of the quarter. All of a sudden, the Suns’ young players were putting on a show.
The defense started putting on a show as well. Active hands created deflections and loose balls, leading to transition opportunities and finally giving the Suns some life.
The end result? After scoring 24 points in the entire first half, Phoenix exploded for 31 points in the third quarter. The Suns shot 10-of-17 from the field and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, completely changing the complexion of the game.
Maluach scored nine points and grabbed three rebounds in the quarter, while Koa Peat added six points and three boards. After trailing by as many as 17, the Suns entered the fourth quarter down only one, 56-55.
The Suns took the lead to open the fourth quarter on an alley-oop to Maluach. Moments later, he followed it up with a pretty savage dunk over Yang Hansen, adding another highlight to an impressive second half.
Phoenix continued to play well against Portland, outscoring the Trail Blazers 12-6 through the first half of the fourth quarter. A 12-3 run gave the Suns an eight-point lead with four minutes remaining as they continued to build upon the momentum they created in the third.
Koa Peat’s ability to attack was impressive throughout the game. If he gets inside 15 feet, he’s going at you aggressively, using his strength to create contact and draw fouls. There’s a physicality to the way he plays that immediately stands out, and it’s a nice sight to see.
The game came down to the final minute, with the Suns holding a one-point lead and 45 seconds remaining. Phoenix’s Javonte Cook delivered what appeared to be the dagger, knocking down his fifth three-pointer of the game to give the Suns some breathing room.
Portland wasn’t finished. After grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds, DJ Steward answered with a three-pointer of his own with 8.5 seconds remaining, pulling the Trail Blazers back within one.
A foul sent Darius Brown II to the free throw line, where he made 1-of-2, giving Portland an opportunity to tie or win the game with 7.8 seconds left. Following a timeout, the Trail Blazers went the length of the floor and got a shot off for the win. It missed.
Phoenix wins, 81-79.
Up Next
Next up for the Summer Suns? The Summer Pelicans. A team that has made a grand total of one transaction all offseason: re-signing DeAndre Jordan. They did have one draft pick this year, Jaron Pierre Jr, drafted 58th overall. They do not have second-year players Jeremiah Fears or Derik Queen on their roster.
The teams tip off at noon on Sunday. See you then!
