Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, 22, shoots as Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) defends the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday April 15, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo / Matt York)
PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns are a great team. That is the foundation. It is right there in front of you.
But if you take a closer look, you can see extra layers and support pieces being added to that foundation throughout the second half of the season. It’s a crucial element for contenders to have for the past two months and keep getting better before the games that really matter take off.
The biggest addition the Suns could have made was an improved Deandre Ayton, and that’s what they’ve gotten in recent weeks, including Thursday’s 122-114 win over the Sacramento Kings, where Ayton was ultimately the difference.
Ayton had 10 of his 26 points and four of his 10 rebounds in the fourth quarter, and he didn’t even check in until 4:57 was left. With Sacramento down four at the time, Ayton scored on a pass from Devin Booker, an offensive rebound two possessions later and on two free throws another two possessions later.
That gave Phoenix an eighth lead with 2:36 left, and the Kings decided that the only other possible answer to Ayton would be small. The next trip for the Suns, Ayton took another Suns miss to shoot free throws. With a lead of seven points and less than two minutes to go, Phoenix hit the post to Ayton and delivered Ayton a jumper that effectively ended the game.
“I was really happy that DA was the man on the long track,” said head coach Monty Williams.
The Kings stayed close in the game almost all night thanks to a below par defensive night for Phoenix and some good shots during the game. Sacramento’s defense was terrible at some stages, and the Suns shot 55.8% on the night to counter the Kings’ 55.1% figure, with 14 three-pointers for each team. In a way, it felt like a different game with the Suns playing both down and up against their competition.
While Ayton managed to do it offensively, he and the defense got important stops to keep the kings at bay while the big guy ended the game on the other side.
“We just won,” said Williams. “We’re going to look at this at the end of the season – it won’t say a nice win or an ugly win, it will just be a win and I’m glad we have it.”
Ayton was 10-of-11 off the field, checking those squares of being active on the attack glass and defending his role as anchor. Booker added 23 points while it was another strong evening for the bank with 42 points as a whole. Jevon Carter led the way there with 13 points, while a starting Chris Paul delivered 11 assists with 13 points.
Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox (27 points) and Buddy Hield (24) together accounted for 51 points.
Getting back to the topic of a team’s evolution in the regular season, here’s what Paul had to say when asked, with the post-season in mind, what it means for Ayton to have moments like Thursday when he ” the man “was along the way. :
‘I think it’s big for all of us. These games just build trust and confidence on this, ”said Paul. “That’s what it comes down to in the play-offs. Sometimes you go to a play or you go to a man (s) who can take or miss a chance, but one thing is trust.
“It’s trust, and when you have games like this from all the guys on our team, you’re just building trust now, so when you come to those moments, you’re living with what’s happening.”
And here’s what Ayton had to say when asked about building that trust lately:
‘After the game, I’ll be in the locker room, I just whispered [Paul] and gave him a little tap – I was like: ‘Do you appreciate that you trust me my G’, ‘Ayton said. “Just trust me, know that your teammate believes in you. (Said Paul) take your time. [Paul] taught me the piece just to balance.
“As I start to get my way down, teams start to adapt and adapt, they start to double up, so he just wants me to take my time in such long stretches and see the game. Sometimes I just fight the clock instead of trying to score every time. Just learn the aspects of the game and what’s important and what to look for in no time. “
Imagine a Suns team in the late season that can turn to Ayton if necessary. That’s a thought that will make Suns fans drool, while it may be a surprising, troubling development for the rest of the competition.