Playing the same team on consecutive nights is never simple. Tendencies surface. Adjustments follow. As the Phoenix Suns faced the New Orleans Pelicans on the road for the second straight night, they showed an important trait. They can win the same matchup in different ways. Friday night was about rebounding and paint pressure. Saturday belonged to the three-ball.
The Suns fly out of the Big Easy with two wins in two nights after their 123-114 victory.
Mark Williams played his first second night of
a back-to-back this season and made his presence felt. He finished with 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench before his night ended early after an altercation with Jose Alvarado. Both players were ejected for fighting in the third quarter.
Phoenix buried 20 three-pointers, tying its season high, and used that shooting to put the Pelicans away. It was a true committee effort. Seven players scored in double figures, led by 20 points from Devin Booker.
The Suns now sit at 18-13 on the season, still comfortably seventh in the Western Conference. They move to 2-4 on the second night of back-to-backs.
Game Flow
First Half
Ryan Dunn was ruled out for the game, but Mark Williams was available. He did not start, but for the first time this season, he was active on the second night of a back-to-back and able to play.
It was a rough shooting start for the Suns, opening the night 4-of-12 from the field. Still, they grabbed an early 11–9 lead by creating extra chances, scoring seven second-chance points off three offensive rebounds.
Trey Murphy came out hot for New Orleans, knocking down his first three triples and scoring 9 of the Pelicans’ first 18 points. Isaiah Livers returned after missing 11 games, and his first involvement was a rough one: an inbound steal by Jose Alvarado followed by a foul that sent Murphy to the line. He hit both free throws to tie it at 25-25 with 3:07 left in the first.
Zion Williamson came off the bench again and provided instant offense, scoring eight quick points, all at the rim. Murphy led all scorers with 11 in the quarter. Dillon Brooks was the tip of the spear for Phoenix, going 4-of-7 from the field for 10 points. The Suns shot 36% from the floor, the Pelicans shot 52%, and ten offensive rebounds led to 16 second-chance points that kept Phoenix close.
After one, Pelicans 33, Suns 32.
It was nice to see Rasheer Fleming knock down a three to open the second quarter. With Ryan Dunn out, he picked up extra minutes, and after going cold last night, seeing one drop felt good. That shot helped spark an 8–3 run to start the quarter for Phoenix.
Collin Gillespie had the shooter’s touch early. He buried his first four three point attempts, with three of them coming in the opening four minutes of the second. The confidence was obvious, and it gave the Suns some much-needed juice.
The shooting came alive for Phoenix in the second quarter, and the defensive pressure picked up with it. Pelicans head coach James Borrego picked up a technical after a play where Dillon Brooks bumped Trey Murphy on the way to a shot. Murphy did not get the call, and Borrego made sure the officials heard about it. Devin Booker missed the technical free throw for those keeping notes at home.
The whistle that hurt Phoenix last night, especially in the third quarter, but it tilted their way a bit in the second. New Orleans was called for five personal fouls. Phoenix had four. For the half, the Suns attempted 9 free throws. The Pelicans attempted 10. Even when it feels like you are getting help, the margin is thin.
Saddiq Bey drove baseline with Booker defending and Book was whistled for a foul. Jordan Ott challenged the call with 2:18 left in the second and Phoenix trailing 45 to 41. The challenge was unsuccessful.
Phoenix outscored New Orleans 33-22 in the quarter, shooting 54% from the field and 6-of-10 from three. The Pelicans shot 32% overall and 1-of-6 from deep. Collin Gillespie led the way, knocking down four threes in the quarter and scoring 12 points in the period. He led all scorers at halftime with 15.
Mark Williams gave Phoenix a huge lift off the bench, finishing the half with 10 points and 7 rebounds, all of them on the offensive glass.
At the break, the Suns held a 65–55 lead.
Second Half
The second half opened with exactly what you want to see. Oso Ighodaro jumped a passing lane, stripped Derik Queen, kicked it ahead to Devin Booker, and Book buried a transition three above the break. More of that. Please.
Booker, who had three fouls in the first half, quickly picked up his fourth foul, and that seemed to flip a switch for Queen. The rookie found some confidence and became more of a focal point for New Orleans on the offensive end. Phoenix also got a little loose with the ball, coughing it up three times in the first three minutes. That sloppiness opened the door. The Pelicans went on a 14-8 run in the opening four minutes and trimmed the Suns’ lead down to four, and Queen had 10 of them.
As the quarter wore on, the Pelicans’ offense settled into its familiar routine. Give the ball to Zion and let him try to bulldoze his way into the paint.
With 2:06 left in the third and the Suns holding an 87-83 lead, things boiled over. Jose Alvarado started pushing and shoving Mark Williams. It escalated quickly. Jersey grabs. Wild swings. Williams threw a couple of defensive swats to get Alvarado off of him. Officials stepped in, and both players were ejected for fighting.
It almost felt intentional on Alvarado’s part. Williams had been a real problem for New Orleans, and suddenly, there was a scuffle that guaranteed a double ejection. Alvarado knew it too. Once it was over, he sprinted straight down the tunnel, fully aware of how that was ending.
It was a clunky third quarter. The Suns turned it over 6 times, and those mistakes turned into 9 points for New Orleans. If not for the three-point shooting, Phoenix might have let the game slip right there along with the ball. The Suns went 5-of-11 from deep in the quarter, which kept things steady.
New Orleans edged the period 30-28, but Phoenix still walked into the fourth with an eight-point cushion, up 93-85.
The non-Booker minutes were always going to matter to open the fourth, and they ended up being a wash. Both teams went 10 to 10 with Devin Booker on the bench, which kept everything steady.
Rasheer Fleming delivered an absolute gem on the defensive end, skying for a block on fellow rookie Jeremiah Fears. It was clean. All ball. Unfortunately, the officials saw it differently and sent Fears to the line. Still, clip it and save it. Fleming is an outstanding athlete, and moments like that keep showing up.
After the scuffle in the third quarter, the officials were clearly on high alert for anything extra. Nick Richards ended up with a technical foul, and I am still not entirely sure what prompted it. One of those moments where the whistle felt ready before the action even arrived.
Where would the Suns be without Jamaree Bouyea? He poured in 10 points in the fourth quarter. But the Pelicans refused to go quietly, and Trey Murphy kept punishing Phoenix from deep. With 4:30 left in the fourth, he drilled a huge three that trimmed the Suns’ lead down to three and cranked the tension back up.
With under five minutes to go, the margin sat inside five points, which meant we were officially in clutch time. Phoenix came into the night with the third-highest offensive rating in those moments, and it showed. Devin Booker delivered five massive points inside the three-minute mark, and the defense followed suit. The Suns stretched the lead to 7 with two minutes left. Then Dillon Brooks buried a huge 16-footer to make it 9, and at that point, it finally felt like the game was tilting their way for good.
Suns win 123-114.
Up Next
The road trip continues on Monday as the Suns head to the nation’s capital to take on the Wizards.
