Sunday night at Kia Arena turned into a gritty, hard-fought battle as the Phoenix Suns took on the Orlando Magic. That’s the kind of game you expect against the feisty Magic. A young, brash, and physical team with all the qualities that tend to give the Suns trouble.
The Suns dropped the game 115-110 after being outscored 58-48 in the second half, a half in which they turned the ball over 13 times. It was the third consecutive game in which they carried a lead into the half, but their ability to stay focused and make adjustments in the second half has them sitting at 12-11 on the season.
Devin Booker finished with a team-high 25 points, but it took 21 shots to get there as he shot 38.1% from the field. Phoenix has lost their last six road games.
Game Flow
First Half
The Suns need their stars to be stars. Period. And early in the game against the Magic, you’d be hard-pressed to identify who the max-contract shooting guard was and who was a role player. Devin Booker, standing in the corner, watching Mason Plumlee and Tyus Jones take the majority of the shots through the first six minutes of the game.
It wasn’t until the 4:40 mark that Booker took his first shot, an and-one layup.
Booker started the game focused on getting his teammates involved, recording 5 assists in the first quarter. He also contributed 6 points but committed 2 turnovers along the way.
Tyus Jones carried the load early, knocking down two three-pointers during an impressive 17-3 Suns run that included six consecutive made field goals. His triples were part of a three-point barrage from the Suns, who shot 6-of-10 from deep in the opening period. Jones finished the first quarter with a team-high 10 points.
Phoenix built a lead as large as 12, but Orlando responded with a 12-5 run to close the quarter, trimming the Suns’ advantage to 34-29 after one.
The run continued for the Magic to open the second, and a team that is dead-last in the NBA in three-point shooting started the game 4-of-6 from deep. Amidst the run Mike Budenholzer wasted his challenge on a Grayson Allen offensive foul. That was at 9:28 in the second. Good call.
A team that is dead-last in the NBA in three-point shooting started the game 4-of-6 from deep.
— John Voita (@DarthVoita) December 9, 2024
We witnessed a lineup that featured Bol Bol and Mason Plumlee on the court at the same time, so that was different.
The Orlando bench dominated the Suns in the first half, outscoring them 30-14 and providing a significant boost.
Tyus Jones, however, reignited the Suns’ offense upon his return, staying hot from beyond the arc with two more three-pointers. Once again, his shooting sparked a run that gave Phoenix a 5-point lead with 2:15 remaining in the half.
Tyus Jones with 16 points in the first half. Suns have needed it because the Magic are shooting 54%.
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) December 9, 2024
The Suns took a 5-point lead into halftime despite allowing the Magic to shoot an efficient 53.7% from the field. Orlando’s offense was powered by Cole Anthony’s 10 points and Mo Wagner’s 9 off the bench, along with 7 points each from Goga Bitadze and rookie Tristan Da Silva.
Meanwhile, Booker and Beal combined for 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, but it was Tyus Jones who led all scorers with 16 points, as well as 5 assists.
Second Half
Royce O’Neale picked up right where he left off in the first half, quickly adding 5 points to open the quarter. For context, the best three-game stretch of Royce’s career came back in February 2019, when he scored a total of 45 points between the 6th and the 12th. With his 13 tonight, he has 55 points over the Suns’ last three games.
Goga Bitadze recorded a double-double midway through the third quarter with 11 points and 10 rebounds, fueling the Magic’s surge. With Jusuf Nurkic unavailable to challenge him in the paint, Bitadze took full advantage, asserting his dominance on the boards.
Physicality took center stage in the third quarter as the Magic ramped up their aggressive play. Meanwhile, the Suns struggled to match that intensity, often finding their attempts to play physical met with silence from the officials. As Phoenix started missing shots, the momentum they had built quickly slipped away once again.
A 16-2 run gave the Magic the lead once again.
Same shit, different night.
Suns go up in the first half. Opposition starts playing physical in the third quarter. Suns lose lead.
— John Voita (@DarthVoita) December 9, 2024
Josh Okogie brought his trademark chaotic energy late in the third quarter, seemingly everywhere at once. He hustled to grab several offensive rebounds, but the Suns struggled to capitalize on the extra opportunities.
Despite being narrowly outscored 27-26 in the period, Phoenix held onto an 88-84 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Booker had 10 in the fourth, although it came on 3-of-7 shooting. Bitzade had 10 points and 6 boards in the quarter.
The Magic’s second unit, led by the ever-vocal Mo Wagner, ramped up the physicality at the start of the fourth quarter. They poked, prodded, and flopped their way across the hardwood, doing everything they could to draw calls. It’s a mental game that’s tough for opponents to overcome. The Magic embody the childhood pest who’d constantly threaten, “I’ll sue you”. An annoyance, a distraction, and an unrelenting source of frustration.
Respectfully, shut the fuck up Mo Wagner
— John Voita (@DarthVoita) December 9, 2024
The Suns turnover machine once again did them no favors. Halfway through the quarter, they had already committed 4, adding to their total of 18 for the game. It was once again Bradley Beal who was simply dribbling to ball away. Do you think that whenever Bradley Beal goes to a restaurant, he has to let his waiter know that he is allergic to dribbling the basketball?
With 6:38, the Suns entered the bonus, where Beal tied the game at 98-98 by hitting one of two free throws. But Orlando responded by going on a 7-2 run, capped with more made three-pointers. Again, this is the worst shooting three-point team in the NBA.
Whatever your weakness is, the Suns will make it a strength.
— John Voita (@DarthVoita) December 9, 2024
Jalen Suggs, a player known for over-hustle and falling down a lot — he was called for a flop in the game — hit the hardwood enough late in the game to evoke the whistle from the officials. He had 14 points in the fourth, including 5 shots from the free throw line.
Suggs’ aggressive style was on display when he went flying into foul Devin Booker with 35.3 seconds left in the game, which was ruled a common foul.
It was Goga’s career-high 16th rebound, which came as an offensive tip-in, that sealned the deal.
It’s a week off for the Suns as they do not play again until next Saturday against the Utah Jazz. Hopefully, the time off will provide the necessary rest needed to heal and re-focus.