The Phoenix Suns were a bit jet-lagged, it first appeared. Those who played certainly were not. Several key members sat out for the preseason finale against the Lakers. It was, at the very least, a great
chance for young guys and fringe guys to showcase their skills and make a case for minutes or a roster spot.
It was the Khaman Maluach game. And the Jared Butler game. They made the Lakers look like the jet-lagged ones. Phoenix started a bit slow, but fought back led by the young bucks looking to make a name for themselves.
Preseason or not, it was a fun watch filled with energy and effort from this young squad.
Key Performers
- Jared Butler — 35 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 steals, 14-26 FG
- Khaman Maluach — 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 8-10 FG
- Jordan Goodwin — 24 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 10-20 FG
- Rasheer Fleming — 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal, 3-8 FG
- Luka Doncic & Austin Reaves — 25 points a piece
Game Flow
First Half
The starting lineup? Well, this one was for the sickos. They came to play!
Luka vs. Fleming. Man Man vs. Ayton. It has all the makings of the preseason slop we all know and love.
Phoenix jumped out to a 9-7 lead early, led by 7 early points from Jared Butler in the opening four minutes.
Rasheer Fleming looked good defensively, with several recoveries for shot contests to showcase his agility and instincts defensively.
The Lakers responded with a 9-0 run to build their lead up to eight.
The Suns’ offense was understandably struggling with the lack of scoring on the court. Jared Butler did his best to keep the offense flowing.
After the first quarter, the Suns trailed 29-22. Butler led all scorers with 12. Luka poured in 10 to lead the Lakers.
The second quarter was about scrapping and fighting from the young Suns. We saw more diving on the floor, extra efforts, and hustle plays from the squad. The Lakers were clearly the more talented team with Luka and Reaves suiting up and the Suns resting their guys, but that didn’t stop the shorthanded Suns from scrapping.
Khaman Maluach had some encouraging flashes on both ends, including this monster jam.
Jared Butler and Jordan Goodwin both played with high energy and aggression on both ends of the floor. Luka and the Lakers pulled away in the final minutes of the half, creating some separation heading into the break. Or so we thought… Khaman Maluach went on a quick 4-0 run to close the half and cut the lead down a bit.
Lakers led 66-56 at the half. Luka had 22. Reaves had 18. Butler had 21. Man Man had 10.
Second Half
TL;DR version of the second half: the Suns and Lakers played… basketball. Organized chaos. The Suns young guys continued to fight and had some impressive stretches to storm back in front. The Lakers had key rotation pieces in but looked checked out, ready for the regular season.
The biggest development of the night: Khaman Maluach hit a three!
Fleming hit a corner three a couple possessions later. This was like an extended Summer League game for Suns fans, execpt the opponent had actual starters and rotation pieces playing against the Suns’ young core.
Jared Butler continued to cook, finishing a three-point play to give the Suns a one-point lead with 4:06 left in the 3rd quarter.
The Suns led 89-83 after the third. Phoenix outscored the Lakers 33-17 in the quarter.
The 4th quarter was more Jared Butler, Jordan Goodwin and Khaman Maluach. The Suns continued to fight hard and look… dare I say… aligned?
It was all hands on deck for this hard fought win. The Suns won the second half by 19.
Up Next
That’s it for the preseason. The next time we see the Phoenix Suns, the games will count. They open their season at home next Wednesday at 7:00 pm against the Sacramento Kings.
