After taking the Cavaliers in the last game and stopping the losing streak, the reinvigorated Phoenix Suns continued to sit at home and ushered in the challenge of the Pelicans during the three-game losing streak.
In terms of the Suns, the two main players of Ayton + Payne are absent due to injury, and this battle Paul + Booker led the team, whether they can defend the home stadium and win 2 consecutive wins has undoubtedly become a major attraction of this game.
On the other hand, on the pelicans side, Ingram + Zion two core high hanging free cards, Walaland + Graham can withstand the pressure, in the away game to pick up the victory, end the losing streak, but also attracted the attention of many fans and media!
However, after four quarters of game hanging, although the Pelicans were the main opponents, in the first half, with the excellent play of Varan + Graham + Hart, once overwhelmed the Suns, and achieved a lead of nearly 20 points.
However, after returning from the second half, the Suns combed under Paul's combing in the third quarter, McGee + Kaminsky successively attacked the inside line, helping the Suns to continuously narrow the score gap on the field and successfully rewrite the trend of the game.
Coupled with the final quarter of the showdown, the Pelicans were fully muted, Paul shot 5 of 5 in the last quarter, and scored 12 points to usher in a small outbreak and completely take over the game.
In the end, the Suns also reversed the Pelicans 112-100 at home, successfully defending the home and winning 2 consecutive wins, but also giving the Pelicans 4 consecutive defeats!
In this game at home, although the Suns were once at a disadvantage of 20 points behind, fortunately, the team did not mess up, but played a 6-player scoring double-double, multi-point blossom team performance.
In the case of the main players such as Booker + Bridges + Crowder + Kaminsky, continuing to perform steadily, the core defender paul of the team, and the play of mcGee, the center who replaced Ayton into the starting lineup, are particularly critical!
In this game, Paul went low and high, and in the first half, Paul scored 14 points, and delivered 7 rebounds + 18 assists + 1 steal + 1 block all-round performance.
As the brain and commander of the team, Paul's heroic performance of shooting out of the last quarter and cutting down 12 points in a single quarter not only became an intractable existence for the opponent, but also blew the team's counterattack horn by example!
At the same time, it is worth mentioning that after 18 assists in this game, Paul's career assists have surpassed Mark Jackson and Steve Nash, successfully ranking among the top three in history, and is now the first point guard in the league!
Of course, the Suns were able to complete the reversal in this game and beat the Pelicans, and the team's center Javier McGee also contributed to the performance.
McGee was very efficient, starting 18 minutes, shooting 7 of 10 free throws, 5 of 4 of 10 free throws, and contributing 18 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block.
Not only did he complete the tasks assigned by the head coach brilliantly, in the absence of Ayton, the town guarded the suns' inner line, but also successfully interfered with the pelicans' defensive rhythm and deployment, and won the game for the suns, making a great contribution!
On the other hand, the Pelicans' performance in this game, which was finally reversed by the Suns and lost by 12 points, in this game, obviously needs to be examined.
But for the Pelicans, this battle, the Pelicans are not completely without gains, after all, as the team's internal pillar, the play of Varan in this game is indeed remarkable!
In this campaign, Varan became the offensive core of the team, starting 34 minutes, shooting 3 three-pointers on 16 shooting and 9 in the middle and outside the line, scoring a game-high 23 points, plus 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks, providing a strong firepower and vitality for the team's interior line.
Looking at Varan's performance in recent games, it has to be said that the pelicans introduced Varan in the offseason to replace Adams as the team's starting No. 5 position, which is indeed a rather wise decision!
Obviously, although the Pelicans are currently in the trough of 4 consecutive losses, I believe that with the advancement of the schedule and the return of the two cores of Ingram + Zion, this young Pelican team still has strength that cannot be underestimated!