Suns' Bradley Beal makes 'nerve-wracking' admission on play-in

08/04/2024 19:57

Phoenix Suns lost an important playoff-atmosphere game against the New Orleans Pelicans Sunday, 113-105. The Suns, who led New Orleans by one game for the No. 6 seed in the West, lost hope of perhaps putting a stranglehold on the Pelicans to stay out of the play-in.

“It’s hard not to look at [the standings],” Suns forward Kevin Durant said. “…Every game is important to everybody now, it is do or die for everybody at this time. Watching, or spectating, it’s hard not to see it.”

ClutchPoints had reporter Trevor Booth available at the Suns’ postgame press conference. He asked guard Bradley Beal how the team is handling the expectation of staying out of the play-in. Beal appeared in two play-in games with his former team, the Washington Wizards.

“It is a little nerve-wracking,” Beal said, “but it is just another game. You show up and if it's a double elimination or single elimination, we have to make it work.”

Beal said at the same time, the Suns control where they end up in the final seeding. Phoenix entered the year with championship aspirations, and if it missed the playoffs, there would be plenty of disappointment within the team.

“We just have to go out there and compete and take it one game and one day at a time and get better every day,” said Beal. “We have a playoff series coming up and if we are not locked in, it can get really ugly for us. We have a tough team (the LA Clippers) Tuesday. We just have to get ready to go."

Added Durant: “It is about every possession and focusing on that. Knowing you can't control too much, just try to focus on us.”

The Suns are looking to win their first-ever championship. Phoenix went all-in on a pursuit of a title by trading for Durant last February. In June, the Suns traded for Beal, who had a 33-point game in the loss to the Pelicans. It was his most points in a home game so far.

Beal spoke to reporters about a 10-0 run he had on his own in the fourth, which gave the Suns a lead.

“A lot of it was just being in the flow and being in a rhythm,” Beal said. “Honestly, a lot of teammates were gassing me on the sidelines too. They just encourage me to keep going and be aggressive. It definitely kind of put me in a different mindset too. Obviously, if you see one go in or two or three, it entices you to shoot more. I was fortunate that I was able to line them up and knock some down. It was a good run. It was a good stretch. We cut the lead down to two. It was good basketball. We just had to sustain that, and I wish we could have come out of the other side of it.”

Beal, Durant and the Suns return to Footprint Center Wednesday to take on the LA Clippers, who are looking to keep their top-4 spot in the West. The game starts at 7 p.m. and will be televised by Arizona’s Family.

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