The Phoenix Suns brought out the roller and crushed the Heat on their visit to FTX Arena. The duel between the leaders of both conferences, somewhat decaffeinated at the outset due to the losses of Chris Paul and Jimmy Butler, was even more so when the Suns were in charge of diminishing any type of emotion in the second half.
Monty Williams’ team took the victory in this game with a comfortable 90-111, adding their 53rd victory. Thanks to this, they became the first team in the league to mathematically qualify for the next playoffs.
The Suns, still without the injured Chris Paul, recovered Booker after his forced absence due to the NBA’s health protocol. Their star soon regained prominence, with a complete performance, supported by 21 points and nine assists from Mikal Bridges.
First two Quarters
The match was very close from the beginning, both teams playing very intensely and with the minimum of errors in this match. The first quarter ended in victory for the visiting Phoenix Suns, with a score of 29-27.
The second quarter followed the same pattern, both teams with a very fair game, but with opportunities to plan and execute attacks that would help them on the scoreboard. After an extremely close first half, the game went to halftime with a 57-55 run in favor of the Heat.
Second Half
The second half was completely different, the Suns managed to display a relentless offense combined with a practically impenetrable defense and managed to crush the Heat with a 34-19 run. This advantage increased at the beginning of the last quarter.
The Suns went 9-0 early in the fourth quarter and increased their lead to 26 points with a 3-pointer by Jae Crowder that left the Heat even more in evidence, as they barely scored 25 points in 20 minutes of the second half.
The Heat finished the second half with only 35 points and surrendered to the Suns who strengthened their candidacy to fight for the title until the end, after losing in the final last year against the Milwaukee Bucks.
In the first game between the two, the Heat hit the table winning by 23 at the Footprint Center, something that, according to Eric Spoelstra, affected the way Phoenix approached this duel.
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