The Phoenix Suns plan a simple remedy for their miserable shooting performance Saturday.
“Keep shooting,” guard Devin Booker said after a 109-103 home loss to Philadelphia, when the Suns made 11 of 46 attempts from 3-point range.
“We have good shooters that space the floor very well. We encourage everybody to keep letting it fly around here, and a majority of the nights aren’t going to look like (this).”
The Suns’ 23.9% mark from distance was well below their 36.5% success rate on the season.
The Suns’ first chance at redemption comes Tuesday in a home game against the new-look Dallas Mavericks. While the Mavs arrive on a seven-game losing streak, they added to their rotation with the haul gained by sending Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards at the trade deadline.
Power forward Marvin Bagley III, one of Dallas’ new arrivals, had 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots off the bench in his first game with the Mavs, a 138-125 loss Saturday at San Antonio.
“Just getting a feel for how the guys play,” said Bagley, a Phoenix native. “Just trying to figure guys out and doing it on the fly at the same time. I think once we figure that out, it will be great.”
The Suns are on a three-game home losing streak as they approach the midpoint of a stretch in which they play 16 of 19 games in their own building. Tuesday’s game is the ninth in that run.
The Suns have not been in sync recently. They have been outrebounded in each of the last four games and have been unable to compensate with their distance shooting and harassing defense.
The Suns shot 39.8% from the field against the 76ers. They made only one of their first 19 attempts from 3-point range to fall into a hole in Booker’s return from a seven-game absence with a right ankle injury.
Booker had 21 points in 32 minutes, going 5 of 12 from the field and 1 of 7 from the 3-point line. Dillon Brooks (28 points) and Collin Gillespie (six points) each went 2 of 10 on 3-point attempts.
“A lot were catch-and-shoot from our best shooters,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said. “Almost as high-quality as you can get from really good shooters. But it’s a recurring thing. We got to get to the rim.
“We love 3s, but we love getting to the rim, too, and all that does to your offense. The rim is still more valuable.”
The Suns average 14.6 made 3-pointers per game, ninth in the NBA heading into Monday’s play.
Suns guard Jalen Green had eight points, three assists and three rebounds in 17 minutes Saturday during his return from a three-game absence, while Grayson Allen (knee) did not play. He will be reevaluated after the All-Star break.
The Mavs are looking to build around Rookie of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg, with Bagley appearing to be part of the new future.
Flagg had 14 points Saturday, when he played only 26 minutes because of a back issue. He scored 32, 36, 34 and 49 points in his previous four games, in that order.
“Just understanding there was his back,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “It stiffed up on him, so we couldn’t bring him back in.”
Flagg’s status against the Suns remains undetermined, though he did participate in practice Monday.
–Field Level Media
