Suns Scorched by Hawks' Late Surge at State Farm Arena
The Phoenix Suns, with a record of 29-21, faced off against the Atlanta Hawks, standing at 22-27, in a game that showcased both teams' offensive capabilities. The final score read 129-120 in favor of the home team.
The Suns came out strong in the first quarter, putting up an impressive 30 points but still found themselves trailing by three as the Hawks managed to notch 33. The intensity continued through the second quarter with Phoenix adding another 33 points to their tally; however, Atlanta matched their pace point for point to maintain their lead. After halftime, the Suns showed no signs of slowing down as they scored 32 points in the third quarter but once again were outdone by a single point by the Hawks. In a hard-fought final quarter, Phoenix added 25 points to their total but ultimately fell short as Atlanta secured a nine-point victory.
Phoenix's offense was firing on all cylinders with an overall field goal percentage of 53 and an even more impressive two-point shooting percentage at 65. They were also effective from beyond the arc hitting fourteen three-pointers at a rate of 38 percent. From the charity stripe, they maintained composure and accuracy scoring twelve free throws at an excellent rate of 86 percent.
Despite these robust offensive numbers from Phoenix including sixty points contributed from inside paint and eleven second-chance points off eight attempts (62 percent), it was not enough to secure victory on this occasion. The Suns also demonstrated quick transitions with fast break attempts yielding twenty-three fast break points from nine successful conversions (75 percent).
On defense however there were challenges; while they managed five blocks and six steals during play they conceded one hundred twenty-nine points against them which reflected on defensive rating being higher than desired (127). Rebounding was competitive for Phoenix who gathered forty-one rebounds including thirty defensive boards and eight offensive ones.
The bench played its part contributing twenty-one bench points while assists were plentiful throughout with thirty-one assists recorded showing good ball distribution among players.
Looking ahead for fans of Phoenix Suns is their next game scheduled against Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on February fourth starting at thirteen past seven PM Eastern Time where it can be watched nationally on NBA TV channel two hundred sixteen or locally via MNMT channel six hundred forty-two or AZFamily for those following away from home.
In summary despite high efficiency game score (99) and leading briefly during match time possession advantage did not translate into win column this time around for visiting team whose efforts will now be focused towards upcoming challenge in Washington D.C.