The Phoenix Suns looked to Collin Gillespie for more offense on Saturday after his teammate, Jalen Green, exited with a hamstring injury late in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Gillespie cashed in four 3s in the first half to match his career high for any game, including three in the last 3:19 of the half as Phoenix closed on a 19-4 run to take a 14-point lead at the break. Devin Booker assisted on two of those final 3s en route to seven dishes in his first half.
It came as head coach Jordan Ott has said he wants Gillespie to be more aggressive with his shot, especially considering he entered the game making 37.9% of his 6.4 attempts per game.
The point guard has come a long way from going undrafted in 2022 and missing most of his first season due to a leg fracture. He played two seasons on a two-way deal, first for the Denver Nuggets before arriving in Phoenix last year.
Gillespie wasn’t the only Sun feasting from deep off the bench, as Jordan Goodwin hit his only two attempts in five minutes and Royce O’Neale added two others.
Phoenix entered the game leading the Western Conference (fourth in NBA) in 3-point attempts per game at 43.2 and it was hitting 37.5%.
L.A., meanwhile, was just 1 of 14 from deep in the half, with James Harden providing the only make on five attempts.