Quick Recap: Suns darkened by Spurs, 120-90

Ugh.

The Suns got blasted once again. Surprised? Neither am I.

The Suns rookies played like rookies: bad when the game was in the balance, then better when the Spurs let off on the gas. Each of Deandre Ayton, Elie Okobo, Mikal Bridges and De’anthony Melton had good moments. Just inconsistent.

Ayton had his toughest game of the season, getting three fouls by the 9:00 mark of the second quarter and basically being checked out the whole game. He finished short of a double double (13 points, 8 rebounds).

Melton played hard but reckless (12 shot attempts — only 3 makes — and 5 fouls in 18 minutes) through three quarters.

Bridges made his first 3 shots, plus 2 free throws, for 9 first half points. For the game, he had a career high 16 points, 3 assists and a rebound.

Okobo tried to run the offense, but just didn’t have any more luck than anyone else has. Still, he had 8 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds, mostly after the game got out of hand.

Trevor Ariza stopped even trying, focused ONLY on putting up numbers but not even trying on defense. Ryan Anderson forgot how to play the game of basketball. Jamal Crawford left his game at home.

Once again, the game was over well before halftime. The Suns got down 60-29 by late in the second quarter, shooting only 29% to the Spurs 64%.

It was a 47-16 Spurs run.

FORTY SEVEN TO SIXTEEN.

The second half was just a cakewalk for the Spurs while the Suns continued to struggle. Sad.

The Suns couldn’t even close the lead toward the end of the game when the Spurs were playing their deepest bench players.

Can we bring back the New Zealand Breakers for a regular season home game?

First Half

Even with two rookies and second year player in the starting lineup, the Suns started off well, but then once the substitutions started they fell off the wagon again. Starters Trevor Ariza, T.J. Warren, Deandre Ayton, Josh Jackson and Elie Okobo held strong with the Spurs starters.

Then Dave King showed up (after trick-or-treating with his niece).

The Suns had the lead for more than half the first quarter and were even within 2 at 15-17 late in the first, but when Ryan Anderson, Tyson Chandler, De’anthony Melton, Mikal Bridges and Jamal Crawford got together, the Spurs second unit blasted them with an 11-0 run. By the way, that’s the first time that lineup played together.

Suns were down 28-15 after one quarter. Only three Suns had scored - Ariza, Ayton and Warren ( 5 points each).

The Suns should be ashamed that their “veterans” are the worst players on the team.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Suns were so “alert” they had all five guys back on defense in transition but not one of them picked up the shooter on the wing and, when he inexplicably missed the three, not one of the Suns tracked down the rebound at its highest point. It’s as if they’d all decided that three was going in.

Pretty soon the Spurs were up 33-18.

Deandre Ayton picked up his third personal foul with 9:03 left in the second quarter after getting baited into two foul calls — one where Aldridge initiated the contact and flopped, and one in transition where Rudy Gay stopped and made Ayton fall into him.

Then the Suns lost their mojo. They started walking up and down the court, not picking up men in transition, not diving to the ball, assuming someone on the other team is going to outhustle them.

This is sad.

Suns down 42-22. Suns shooting 31% from the field. Spurs 58%.

Then Ariza gets beat baseline. Then when Bryn Forbes gets the ball knocked away on a drive, right to Richaun Holmes, Holmes softly bats it with one hand out of bounds. Still Spurs ball.

Spurs 60-29. Up to 65% shooting. Suns down to 29% shooting.

Not good Bob.

Suns finally got a stop... when the Spurs player missed an open layup.

The Spurs finally took their foot off the gas, put their backups back in and the Suns went on a 10-0 run to “cut” the halftime lead to only 21.

Trevor Ariza had 12, 5 and 3 at halftime but I swear he was just about the worst player on the floor. No effort on D. None. And his points were all “necessary” because no one else could score.

This was the Suns best chance to win on their home stand, by the way.

Second half

It only took till the 10:44 mark of the third quarter to get the first “opposing coach calls disgusted timeout when the Suns cut his team’s lead to 20”. Thanks Pop. I’m disgusted too.

Then the effort went out of the Suns... again. Derozan drove baseline to score. Then Rudy Gay on a reverse dunk. Then a “failed pass” that went in for the Spurs. Then Josh Jackson commits an offensive foul (Aldridge flop).

Spurs up 29 again. 61% shooting on the game. LaMarcis Aldridge and DeMarr Derozan are a combined 17-21 from the field — all from the midrange to post.

Sigh.

Jamal Crawford comes in with the Suns down only 26. Let’s see what kind of “impact” he can have.

At least De’anthony Melton isn’t afraid to shoot. He took 12 shots in his first 18 minutes. Only made 3 of them though.