The Phoenix Suns are now on a two-game losing streak following their 121-111 loss to the Miami Heat.
The Suns, without Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic due to injury, led going into the halftime break but overall looked sloppy in the final two quarters of play.
Phoenix needed their two stars in Devin Booker (21 points, 6-16 from the field) and Bradley Beal (15 points, 5-18 from the field) to take over the game, though the collective duo couldn't assemble anything significant to defeat the Heat.
The Suns did get strong bench contributions from Josh Okogie (seven points, three blocks), Monte Morris (12 points, four rebounds, three assists) and Grayson Allen (16 points, four assists) - though Miami was simply the better team in the half that mattered.
Phoenix didn't play anything close to an abysmal game, they simply were just out-played down the stretch.
Quick Recap
The Suns and Heat initially struggled out of the gates before Phoenix claimed a 29-26 lead after the opening 12 minutes of play. All of Devin Booker, Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson had seven or more points after the first. Both Miami and Phoenix shot 50% from deep, which helped boost scoring towards the end of the quarter.
The Suns maintained that slim advantage heading into the locker room with a 58-53 lead. Royce O'Neale led Phoenix with 13 points while the Suns sank all nine of their free throw attempts in the first half.
The third quarter is where Miami took control of the game, going on a 15-4 run midway through and established a firm lead over Phoenix, before a late push by the Suns cut their deficit to 87-82 heading into the fourth. O'Neale again came alive for the Suns to establish a career high 23 points through three quarters, leading all scorers from both teams.
After a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Suns were able to narrow their deficit to just three points, though a Tyler Herro dagger with just over two minutes left put the Heat up by 13, all but ending Phoenix's comeback hopes.
What's Next
The Suns complete the second night of a back-to-back when the Orlando Magic play host to them on Sunday.