The road trip is over, and the Suns are coming home limping, literally and figuratively. They went back to Atlanta, a place they have not won in since 2014, and I am fully convinced that city is cursed.
In a 110–103 loss to the Hawks, Phoenix did not only lose a game, they lost $88.7 million in payroll.
It started with Jalen Green, playing only his second game back from a hamstring injury, exiting in the first quarter with hamstring tightness. Same leg. Same sinking feeling.
And yet, the Suns rallied. Down as many as 11, they clawed their way back and carried a seven-point lead into the end of the third quarter. Then the other shoe dropped. Devin Booker went down.
Now the Suns return home for a five-game homestand carrying more questions than answers. This is the kind of loss that lingers because we do not know the severity. We do not know timelines. Booker finished with 31 points. The Suns were in position to win, but once the stars were gone, the offense stalled, and execution vanished.
The road trip ends at 3–3. Respectable. But the bigger story is this. They are headed home, and they are hurt.
Game Flow
First Half
The Suns came out of the gate with good rhythm, knocking down six of their first 11 shots and hitting 2-of-3 from deep. Atlanta was sharper though, opening 8-of-12 and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Three different Hawks hit the five-point mark early, and that collective punch gave them a 19-14 lead heading into the first timeout.
There was one defensive possession that stood out immediately. Oso Ighodaro found himself defending a two-on-one break and held his ground long enough for help to arrive. The result was three straight missed shots by Atlanta. That is the kind of sequence he gives you quietly, consistently, and it still feels underrated, even as the appreciation for his work is starting to catch up.
Jalen Green checked in off the bench and showed a little rust early, which was expected. Then the speed showed up. He blew by Luke Kennard with ease, leaving him reaching for air and taking his ankles along for the ride. That burst changes the geometry of the floor every time it shows itself.
Unfortunately, right after that sequence, Green headed back to the locker room.
From there, the bench picked up right where it has all road trip. When Grayson Allen checked in, the Suns were down 19-14. By the time the first quarter ended, Phoenix was on top 31-27. Allen capped it with a driving finger roll as the buzzer sounded, finishing the quarter at +9 with seven points. The second unit drove it. 15 bench points, 7 of the final 10 shots made, and suddenly the Suns had momentum and a lead heading into the second.
Grayson kept it rolling to open the second quarter, staying active off the ball and cashing in on an easy look at the rim. But turnovers started to creep in, and they hurt. Phoenix coughed it up three times early, fueling a 16–9 Atlanta run that flipped the feel of the game.
Midway through the quarter, the Hawks pushed it further with an 11–2 burst that stretched the lead to eight. CJ McCollum, acquired in the Trae Young deal, was a problem. He poured in 16 first-half points off the bench, 14 of them in the second, and Phoenix never quite found the brake pedal.
Out of a timeout with three minutes left, the Suns answered. A quick 7–0 run tied it at 54–54, punctuated by a Devin Booker three. He followed it with another on the next trip, finishing the half 3-of-6 from deep with 15 points.
But McCollum had the last word, closing the quarter with a personal 5–0 run. Atlanta won the second 37–28, dominated bench scoring 20–8, and carried a 64–59 lead into the locker room. They had 17 fast break points to the Suns’ 4.
Second Half
As the second half opened, the Suns got the gut-punch confirmation that Jalen Green would not return, ruled out with hamstring tightness. And almost on cue, Atlanta twisted the knife. A 17–3 run.
If you are looking for insult layered neatly on top of injury, this was the moment. One piece of bad news, immediately followed by the game tilting hard in the wrong direction. You could feel it in the building. The air went out. The climb got steeper. And suddenly Phoenix was chasing both the score and the circumstance.
But the Suns did not fold. Not even close. Devin Booker grabbed the wheel and dragged Phoenix back into it, igniting a 20–9 run with shot-making and sheer force of will. He stayed scorching from beyond the arc, and after staring down an 11-point hole, he erased it himself. When Booker drilled his fifth three on his eighth attempt midway through the third, the Suns were suddenly back in front by one. Same building. Same game. Completely different energy.
And then the clamps came out. Phoenix turned the game into a street fight on defense, bodies on the floor, hands everywhere, every loose ball treated like it owed them money. They imposed their will possession by possession and pushed the lead out to seven.
Then, cruel timing struck again. In transition, Devin Booker glanced back, never saw Onyeka Okongwu step into his path, and came down on his foot. His right ankle twisted. Booker stayed down, pain written all over him, before being helped up and limping toward the locker room to join Jalen Green.
Booker had 16 points in the third and 31 in the game at the time of his injury.
The Suns won the third quarter 32-20, scored 12 points off 9 Atlanta turnovers, and showcased how disruptive they can be when locked in. They entered the fourth up 91-84, but down their two stars.
A 16–8 run by Atlanta opened the fourth quarter and immediately erased the cushion Devin Booker had built before everything went sideways. Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu each dropped 7 points to start the frame, and suddenly the Suns were scrambling.
Then we hit clutch time, and the obvious question was who was going to score. Collin Gillespie answered first, ripping off a quick 4–0 burst to put Phoenix back in front, 104–103. For a brief moment, there was order.
CJ McCollum ruined that calm. He had been a problem all night, and he stayed one, answering with his own 3–0 run to swing the lead back to Atlanta.
After that, the Suns offense flatlined. Completely. The final three minutes were chaos, perimeter passes with no purpose, rushed looks, heavily contested shots, nothing finding the bottom of the net. Atlanta closed on an 8–0 run, and that was the ballgame. Suns score 12 in the 4th and lose 110-103.
Up Next
The Suns head home after this long roadie and have the next five games at the friendly confines of the Morg. First up? The Miami Heat on Sunday at 6:00pm.
