Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images The Suns didn’t bring the energy tonight. Thankfully, the Hornets didn’t bring the shooting. On the second night of a back-to-back, the Phoenix Suns took care of business against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday evening, winning 107-96. Phoenix is now 8-4 on the second night of back-to-back games this season. Jusuf Nurkic has been on a rebounding tear of late and the Hornets had no answer for him on the interior. For the second consecutive game, the Bosnian Beast had 20 rebounds. He ended with 13 points as well. Charlotte had a hard time finding their range and rhythm, shooting 16.2% from deep in the game. Grant Williams scored 20 points off of the bench for the Hornets and Vasilije Micic led the team with 21 points. The Suns’ Big Three combined for 39 total points on 17-of-45 shooting. Kevin Durant had only 13 points in this one, playing against the team in which he debuted for Phoenix a year ago. It was a rough watch as the Suns appeared zapped and disinterested in the game. Lazy isn’t the right term for it. Perhaps “uninspired” works. The team was going through the motions rather than bringing the competitive fire. They lucked out by playing against the Hornets tonight. The win puts the Suns at 39-28 on the season. Game Flow First Half It was an early 4:00pm Arizona time start in the Queen City (which is also the nickname for Cincinnati). You instantly felt that tonight’s opponent was not the Boston Celtics. The Suns found plenty of space available, both on the interior and perimeter, as the Hornet defenders were not nearly as skilled and effective with their rotations. The Suns started the game on a 10-3 run. It would’ve been more if Jusuf Nurkic could hit his free throws; he began 1-of-4. The Hornets’ response? A 13-1 run and a lead. Oh, Suns. You can never just make it easy on yourselves, can you? 13-1 run by the Hornets.Because the Suns are allergic to easy games.— The Bright Side (@BrightSideSun) March 15, 2024 Nurk was certainly active as the size on the interior was no match for the Bosnian Beast. 5 points and 7 rebounds in the opening period. He was deterring shots at the rim and drew a pair of fouls on rookie Brandon Miller. Grayson Allen went 3-of-6 and had 7 points in the first quarter, including this impressive first step that led to a dunk. Allen to the cup pic.twitter.com/7dZcafI5tT— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 15, 2024 Eric Gordon made his return and, after badly missing his first three-point attempt, found his range. He was 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep for 8 points. Phoenix outrebounded Charlotte 16-10 in the quarter, but turnovers by the Suns — 4 in total — led to 7 Hornet points. This allowed the Hornets to hang around. Kevin Durant did not attempt a shot in the quarter. Suns 28, Hornets 26 after one. An 11-3 run is how Phoenix started the second quarter as Bradley Beal began to engage. A made three, a driving layup; BB scored a quick 5 points to lead the charge. Oh, and KD shot the ball! The Suns bench was the primary catalyst offensively in the first half. Devin Booker didn’t score his first point until 3:38 left in the second quarter, a transition three-pointer. It was overturned to a two-pointer. Booker finally on the board after missing first four shots from field. Hits 3. #Suns up 49-36. Timeout #Hornets with 3:39 left in half.— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 15, 2024 Phoenix had a hard time knocking down the super shot, going 5-of-19 (26.3%) from deep. The Hornets, however, were 2-of-22 (9.1%). The Big Three combined for 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting in the first half. It was an unenergetic lackluster uninspiring performance by Phoenix in the first half. There was no high-fiving or celebration, just a “business as usual” approach. But they took a 9-point lead into the half. Jusuf Nurkic had 7 points and 12 boards and Eric Gordon led all scorers with 11 points off of the bench. Suns 54, Hornets 45. Second Half Phoenix appeared to be more locked in to start the third. A pair of Booker buckets, a slicing take to the rim by KD, and a curl, scoop, and score by Grayson Allen. The Suns possessed much more fluidity coming out of the break. The Suns extended their lead to 17 points as the Big Three was finding their spots. Devin Booker was much more interested in affecting the game via scoring in the third. The finish & the foul. pic.twitter.com/T0wGmCvGRH— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 16, 2024 The lead became 22 points after a quality layup by Bradley Beal, and the Suns had a much more productive quarter in all aspects. Royce O’Neale’s three all made it 25 points up. Aleksej Pikusevski came to the Hornets after being released by the Thunder. He had himself a nice block on KD…perhaps his career highlight? Poku just blocked KD going for a layup. Wow.— Will Palaszczuk (@WilliePStyle) March 16, 2024 Booker had 14 in the third as the Suns outscored the Hornets 38-22. They closed on a 13-2 run and had 0 turnovers in the period. Suns 92, Hornets 67. Phoenix opened the fourth by turning the ball over twice and the Hornets capitalized. Charlotte scored the first 7 points of the quarter as a part of a 17-2 run. The Suns just lose all concentration at the beginning of fourth quarters. They take tougher shots. They lose fluidity, go to another planet, and forget what a basketball is. The Suns at the start of every fourth quarter: pic.twitter.com/iu128ccved— The Bright Side (@BrightSideSun) March 16, 2024 Tempers flared when Jusuf Nurkic backed down Nick Richards. Nurk was hit with a tech when he stared him down as he lay on the floor. The Suns scored their second bucket of the quarter in a Grayson Allen three-pointer with 6:27 left in the game. Things began to stabilize as the quarter progressed. Charlotte lacks the overall talent to keep any prolonged shooting percentages positive. They ended shooting 37.2% from the field and 16.2% from three-point range. Suns win, 107-96 Up Next The Suns close out their four-game roadie with an early game on Sunday. It’s a 10:00am start against the Milwaukee Bucks. We’ll see you bright and early!
Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2024 ... 107-96-win