The Suns suffered a two-game losing streak at home today to 114-118.
Before that, the Suns had two straight losers, their third two-game losing streak this season. After suffering two consecutive defeats, the Suns' record reached 49 wins and 12 losses, and although they continued to rank first in the league, they still failed to win their 50th win.
In today's game, Booker played 39 minutes and shot 12-of-24, including 4-of-8 from three-point range and 2-of-4 from the free throw line, and had 30 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. In the final quarter, Booker scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, but still failed to lead the Suns to win.
Ayton played 34 minutes today, shooting 11-of-15 from the field, 1-of-1 from three-point range, 23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, with only 1 turnover and a plus-minus of +16.
On the Jazz side, Mitchell played 36 minutes, shooting 8-of-20, 6-of-11 from three-point range, 4-of-5 from the free throw line, and had 26 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Clarkson played 25 minutes and 32 seconds off the bench, shooting 10-of-17, including 2-of-7 three-pointers, and had 22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, plus-minus +20.
It is worth mentioning that Mitchell has averaged 27.9 points, 5 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game so far in February, averaging 4.8 three-pointers per game, and shooting 50%, 47% and 85% of the three shooting rates respectively. In the last 9 games, the Jazz have won 8 games, while in January, the Jazz record is only 4 wins and 12 losses.
The reason why the Suns suffered two consecutive defeats has a lot to do with Paul's absence, but this does not mean that the Suns can't do without Paul, it is useless. Before the All-Star, Paul didn't miss a single game, playing a full 58 games, but the Suns also suffered two consecutive two-game losses. In the first game after the All-Star, without Paul, the Suns also defeated the Thunder and won eight consecutive games.
In the past two games, although the Suns have lost, Booker and Ayton have performed well, Booker has scored 30+ in both games, and Ayton has also scored 20 points. Paul's importance to the Suns is beyond doubt, but it is not impossible without the Paul Sun, Paul's salary this season has reached $30 million, without Paul, the strength of the Suns will naturally be affected, so the loss is understandable, but as the best team, the Suns should not continue to lose, how they perform next remains to be seen.