The Phoenix Suns looked like a rejuvenated team on Monday as they not only battled hard against the Los Angeles Clippers, but also notched many season and career-highs in the process.
The Suns came out firing from the start as they scored 29 points in the first quarter and took a seven-point lead into the break. As one of the top teams in the Western Conference, the Clippers weren’t going to be taken down that easy as they fought back and gained a two-point advantage heading into the fourth.
A trio of Suns reserves, Troy Daniels, Richaun Holmes and Josh Jackson continued to shine and began to take over the game. Holmes started off the fourth quarter with a hook shot to tie it up at 88 all. Jackson would then hit a step-back jumper to take the lead.
Milos Teodosic hit a three for the Clippers, but that was quickly matched with a Daniel’s triple to regain the lead for the Suns. The score continued back-and-forth until a technical foul was called against Clippers’ Danilo Gallinari.
Mikal Bridges had just brought the Suns to within one point with a three-pointer and had a chance to tie it at the line. The rookie knocked it through for the 14th tie of the game with under a minute to go.
Gallinari stepped up for the Clippers and drained both of his free throws and put Los Angeles up by two.
De’Anthony Melton was just making his second-career start, but the big stage didn’t seem to shake him. He stepped up from beyond the arc and shot for the lead, but it was offline. Fortunately for the Suns, Patrick Beverly missed a similar three-pointer on the other end.
With just 24 seconds left on the clock, the Suns put the ball in the hands of Melton yet again. He let the clock run down before driving along the baseline, stepping back and launching from nine feet out.
Swish. Tied.
The Clippers missed their final shot in the remaining five seconds as the Suns went into their second overtime game of the season.
The Suns went down by four midway through overtime, but after two Deandre Ayton buckets, the team had the ball in a one-score game.
With under a minute to go and two seconds left on the shot clock, Trevor Ariza found a cutting Daniels who flipped in a reverse layup to tie the game at 119. Patrick Beverly was fouled on the next possession and hit both of his free throws to give the Clippers a two-point advantage.
After a miss shot by the Suns, Daniels found himself wrestling on the hardwood as the referee called a jump ball between him and Tobias Harris with just five seconds remaining. Although Daniels won the tip, the ball rolled to the opposite side of the court where Avery Bradley was able to scoop it up.
Bradley closed the game out at the free throw line as the Suns fell to the Clippers 123-119.
“I feel like we played well, especially in the middle of the fourth,” Holmes said. “We had momentum and we were getting stops and I think we just need to learn to close out the game. We’re getting closer and I think it’s starting to come together a little bit.”
Ayton scored a team-high 20 points to go along with his 12 rebounds for his rookie-leading 15th double-double of the season. Fellow top ten pick Bridges had himself one of the best games of his young career as he scored a career-high 19 points including four three-pointers, three assists and three rebounds.
Holmes has been a force off the bench for the Suns all season and Monday night was no different. The first-year Sun got it done on both ends of the court as he scored a season-high 19 points with seven rebounds, three blocks and one steal.
“It’s really contagious,” Jackson said about the energy Holmes brings. “All you need is one. It just starts with one guy. It’s kind of hard to just watch somebody work so hard and try every possession and you know you’re not giving your all... We just need one guy. He brings it every game and that’s his role for us.”
Jackson matched his season-high which he tallied in the first game of the season with 18 points while also showing off his playmaking ability with a career-best eight assists.
“I was communicating, executing, and just being in the right spots at the right time,” Jackson said. “It was just easy decisions. I just threw the passes and my teammates finished.”
In just his second start, Melton matched Jackson in the passing game as he also dished out a career-high eight assists while coming up with two steals.
“The NBA is next man up, so people definitely stepped up for us and that’s all it is,” Melton said. “Sometimes you’re not going to have your best player, but we just go out there and play your game. We’re all pros.”
Elie Okobo was locked in on the defensive end as he grabbed a career-high five steals.
Even without their leading scorer in Devin Booker, the Suns stepped up where they needed to and battled their way to overtime against one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
The Suns have a quick turnaround as they travel to San Antonio to face the Spurs on Tuesday. Be sure to catch the action on Fox Sports Arizona.