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Devin Booker has scored at least 30 points in six of the Suns’ past 10 games. T.J. Warren has scored at least 20 points in seven of the past 11.
Normally, that kind of production would lead to wins. But when that’s all a team can depend on …
One of the Suns’ ongoing issues this season – finding a third scorer to complement Booker and Warren – came to a head Monday in their 100-93 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix’s sixth loss in seven games.
Booker, Warren and Dragan Bender accounted for 29 of Phoenix’s 37 buckets. The rest of the Suns were a combined 8 for 40.
That’s a hard way to win a basketball game.
“We put Book in this position where he’s trying to make plays offensively for other people and himself and that’s a lot to carry,” interim coach Jay Triano said.
The lack of production from Phoenix’s point guards is a big part of the story. Tyler Ulis and Mike James were a combined 3 of 17 from the field and they had more turnovers (6) than assists (3). Eric Bledsoe may be long gone, but he did average 21.1 points per game last season.
Phoenix doesn’t need all of that production but when its two point guards combine for seven points in 44 minutes, it’s difficult for the Suns to beat a mediocre Lakers team that was on the last game of a four-game road trip and had lost the previous three games.
“We’re supposed to win those types of games, especially against a team that was on the road,” said Bender, who had a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with five rebounds. “It’s going to happen sometimes that the team is going to be so focused on Devin and T.J. that everybody else has to contribute.”
The Suns’ over-reliance on their two top scorers – and the danger that presents – became evident when Phoenix went 12 straight possessions and 6 minutes and 17 seconds without a field goal at the end of the first quarter and the start of the second quarter. Warren and Booker were on the bench for all but 80 seconds of the dry spell.
Then, in the fourth quarter, when Phoenix was outscored 19-10 in the final 7:25, an exhausted Booker – he played 38 minutes – was chased by Lakers’ double-teams and made 2 of 7 shots. Warren was 1 of 4. The Lakers’ bench, meanwhile, scored 16 points in the quarter and 46 for the game.
Los Angeles made 14 3-pointers and a trio of Lakers – Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jordan Clarkson – all made at least three.
Booker was 4 of 9 from 3-point range. The rest of the Suns were 3 of 17.
“I thought the 3-pointers were the difference in the game,” Triano said. “… I thought our defense was decent enough to keep us in the game but when they make 14 threes and you make seven it’s going to be a tough hill.”
With less than a minute remaining, Booker missed a 3-pointer from near the Lakers bench. Seconds later, after he had retreated near mid-court he walked toward the Lakers bench and had to be restrained by Troy Daniels.
Devin Booker discusses an incident with a Lakers coach late in Monday’s loss to Los Angeles.
“It was one of the coaches,” Booker said, adding that it wasn’t head coach Luke Walton or assistants Brian Shaw or Miles Simon. “I don’t know who it was.”
Booker declined to say what was said to him – “I’m not here to tell on anybody” – but in his mind the words were irrelevant.
“If you’re not my coach I don’t know you,” Booker said. “Don’t say anything to me.”
RELATED: Suns forward T.J. Warren is a prolific scorer without a 3-point shot
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