PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns (14-12) lost a two-game win streak against the Indiana Pacers (13-15) tonight at Footprint Center by a score of 120-111 in what is one of the final tune-ups to a huge Christmas Day matchup with the Denver Nuggets.
Tonight saw the return of Bradley Beal after a three-game absence – and both squads put forth strong efforts early on.
Indiana took a 32-29 lead after the first 12 minutes of action behind a balanced scoring effort that was spearheaded by 7 points from Andrew Nembhard.
A late surge from Phoenix – capped by a Royce O’Neale buzzer-beater – closed the half out as Indiana continued to lead by a score of 60-59.
The Pacers came out of half firing on all cylinders – to the tune of a a 37-point quarter which resulted in a 97-83 lead going into the final 12 minutes.
The Suns appeared to be mounting a bit of a comeback – as they worked the game down to a 9-point deficit with around 2 minutes left in the game – but a lack of defensive stops sealed the loss tonight.
Key Performances
Devin Booker – 17 PTS, 6 AST; Left game in 3rd quarter (groin)
Kevin Durant – 37 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST, 15-27 FG
Jusuf Nurkic – 12 PTS, 10 REB, 2 AST
Pascal Siakam – 25 PTS, 18 REB, 3 AST
Tyrese Haliburton – 13 PTS, 4 REB, 12 AST
What’s Next
The Suns are set to face the Detroit Pistons at home on Saturday night before hitting the road for a date with the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
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