Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal get real on what went wrong for Suns vs. Pelicans
08/04/2024 14:43
The Phoenix Suns are battling to avoid the Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference, but they didn’t do a very good job of accomplishing that goal on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Suns suffered a 113-105 loss to the Pelicans, giving both teams a 46-32 record with just four games left on the season. After another disappointing result, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal reflected on where things went wrong for Phoenix in this game.
As has been the case several times this season, the Suns raced out to an early lead, as they led by as many as 13 points early in the second quarter. They ended up relinquishing that lead pretty quickly, though, and after the game, Durant and Beal credited New Orleans with quickly adjusting their game plan in order to get Phoenix out of sync.
"We knew they were going to make adjustments." Kevin Durant after loss to #Pelicans. #Sunspic.twitter.com/Oxkp8mX3M1
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 8, 2024
"They did a good job of adjusting."
Bradley Beal on #Pelicans and their coach Willie Green in win over #Suns. pic.twitter.com/cVEh7jYYUL
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 8, 2024
Bradley Beal’s concerning stance on Suns latest loss
Sure enough, right after Phoenix went up by 13 points in the second quarter, the Pelicans responded by going on a 37-18 run to close out the frame, giving them a six point lead heading into halftime. That proved to be a deficit the Suns couldn’t come back from, and now the two teams are right at the same spot as each in the standings with just four games to go.
It’s worth noting that Phoenix still holds the six seed in the West, while the Pelicans sit in seventh due to the Suns holding the tiebreaker over them, but New Orleans knew they needed to win this game, so that’s precisely what they went out and did. Beal admitted afterwards that they simply wanted the game more than the Suns, which is a very concerning admission with the playoffs right around the corner.
"We didn't have that same fight to want to win like they did."
Bradley Beal after #Suns loss to #Pelicans . pic.twitter.com/5zMByKNMrP
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 8, 2024
Beal did all he could to keep the Suns in this game (33 PTS, 5 AST, 3 REB, 13/19 FGM), but he didn’t receive a ton of help from anyone other than Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. While Booker scored 25 points on 9/16 shooting from the field, head coach Frank Vogel lamented the lack of calls the star guard was getting, saying that the Pelicans were blatantly fouling him throughout the game.
"Or fouling?"
Frank Vogel on how #Pelicans defended Devin Booker.
Called it playoff intensity, but said Pelicans fouled "the hell" out of Booker, who had scored 50-plus points in 3 consecutive games against New Orleans. #Sunspic.twitter.com/mXNtVToXv2
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 8, 2024
In a playoff-like atmosphere, the refs let the players play in this one, but Vogel believes it was excessive. There wasn’t much of a free-throw disparity, as the Pelicans had 19 free throws compared to the Suns 14, but Vogel believes that Booker wasn’t able to get into his game as much as usual because of the physicality New Orleans was playing with.
Whichever way you want to slice it, none of this is a good look for Phoenix, especially with the playoffs looming. The physicality gets ticked up a notch in the postseason, so at some point, the Suns are going to have to find a way to play through it and adjust to what their opponents are doing. They are still avoiding the Play-In Tournament currently, but with four games left, their margin for error is nonexistent, and they will have to be better against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night if they want to avoid sliding down the standings.
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