Game Recap: Suns lose 124-115, streak snapped in red-hot Atlanta

The Phoenix Suns 11-game win streak finally came to a halt on Thursday night at State Farm Arena. Trae Young and the Atlanta offense showed up in a big way, handing the Suns their 10th loss of the season.

It was the Trae Young show, as he scored 43 points on 25 shots and dissed out 5 assists. Atlanta’s offense was clicking on all cylinders, leaving the Phoenix defense constantly scrambling in their drop coverage.

The three-point shooting discrepancy was the ultimate difference tonight, as illustrated below:

• PHX 3PT%: 9-32 (28.1%)
• ATL 3PT%: 20-41 (48.8%)

Top Performers

• Chris Paul — 18 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals.
• Devin Booker — 32 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, 13/26 FG.
• Mikal Bridges — 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals.
• Trae Young — 43 points, 5 assists, 1 steal on 16/25 FG.
• Kevin Huerter — 19 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 5/9 3PFG.

First Half

The first quarter was a back and forth affair, with each team trading punches as expected.

3x All-Star Devin Booker (in typical Devin Booker fashion) scored a team-high 10 first-quarter points. If you read the game preview, you’re not surprised he reached double-digits in the opening quarter.

Atlanta took a 32-30 lead into the second quarter, led by Trae Young’s 10 points. Booker picked up two fouls in the first quarter of action as well.

JaVale McGee gave Phoenix some strong minutes off the bench early on, punching in 6 points, 1 block, and a rebound in his first 6 minutes of action.

Atlanta’s hot shooting, led by Kevin Huerter hitting three 3’s in the second quarter alone, forced a Phoenix timeout with the Hawks leading 44-39. The very next possession after the timeout? Another Kevin Huerter three-ball.

Cam Johnson kept Phoenix at least relatively within striking distance, going 3-for-4 from three-point range in the first half.

Phoenix fought back late in the 2nd quarter, closing on a 9-2 run to cut Atlanta’s lead to 3 heading into halftime. The Hawks’ 55% shooting (11-20) from three carried them in the first half, leading 64-61.

Second Half

The third quarter was very much the same tale of the first half, with each team trading offensive punch after offensive punch.

The Hawks continued their hot shooting from deep, while Phoenix had a balanced offensive attack and kept staying within striking distance despite the scorching hot Hawks shooting. Phoenix’s defense was left scrambling more than usual due to Trae Young’s elite gravity and screen navigation.

After three quarters the Hawks led 100-91, led by 34 points from Trae Young. Each team had scored 30+ points in all 3 quarters leading up to the 4th.

Trae Young was just too good. /tips cap

Hawks win.

Star of the Game

Mikal Bridges — 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 assist on 9/17 FG. Third straight 20+ point game for Mikal, which is a great sign.

Up Next

Phoenix @ Washington — Saturday at 5:00 PM AZ time.