Suns’ Booker is ejected in loss to Hawks
ATLANTA – This is not the way to start a threegame road trip.
Trae Young scored 36 points and Kevin Huerter added 23 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in leading Atlanta past Phoenix, 123-110, Tuesday night.
The Suns (16-24) were riding a two-game winning streak, but fell to the Hawks (9-32), who have the NBA’s worst record.
Devin Booker finished with a game-high 39 points, but was ejected from the game after receiving his second technical following a dunk and staring at DeAndre’ Bembry with 1:35 left in the game and the Suns trailing, 117-108.
Phoenix was without Ricky Rubio, who didn’t make the trip to Atlanta for personal/family reasons.
The Suns hope he’s able to meet them in New York for Thursday’s game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Elie Okobo started in Rubio’s place. He didn’t score on 0-for-3 shooting.
Player of the game: Trae Young
Could easily go with Kevin Heurter, who had near triple double of 23 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, but Young closed the deal in finishing with 36 points and 10 assists.
Key moments
Fourth quarter: Suns were outscored 39-27 in the game’s final 12 minutes as the Hawks shot 49.5% from the field, going 14-of-31 from 3 for the game.
Phoenix had only 20 assists and went just 4-of-20 from 3.
Third quarter: Atlanta led by as many as 15 points before Phoenix answered with a 26-8 to take an 83-80 lead late in the quarter.
Booker, Ayton and rookie Cam Johnson combined for 20 points in the run.
John Collins got the lead back for Atlanta with consecutive buckets to close out the quarter.
First half: Suns trailed 56-51 at the break as Trae Young had 13 points at the break after not playing in the previous game against Brooklyn with hamstring tightness.
Booker scored 19 in the first half and Ayton added 10 off the bench,
Atlanta had 10 offensive rebounds in the first half as Collins faced the Suns for the first time this season.
He was out the previous meeting in Phoenix in November on a 25-game suspension.
Phoenix cut Atlanta’s nine-point, second quarter lead to three twice late, but Kevin Huerter and Young each answered with baskets.
What we learned about the Suns tonight?
Ayton will continue to be the first topic of this part of the breakdown for the next five games at least.
Monty Williams reiterated he’ll make the move to start Ayton once he sees him play “high-level” basketball for 30plus minutes.
There was a moment in the third quarter that he still isn’t there yet.
Ayton caught a post feed and no was within five feet of him and the paint was wide open. He just turned and shot a jumper.
Fortunately for him, Cam Johnson followed up the miss with a two-handed dunk, but Ayton knew he didn’t do his job on that play.
Next trip, he went strong to the basket and scored but then John Collins came back on the other end with an uncontested dunk.
That’s the up-and-down nature of Ayton’s game that may be just who he is or just who he is now because he’s not in elite game shape.
He’s further along than when first returning, is more fluid on offense, but still is having defensive lapses, or that’s what it appears to be.
Beyond Ayton, Suns dropped one they can’t afford to drop if they’re serious about making the playoffs.
Not having Rubio certainly hurt. Okobo is a solid player, but is a backup for a reason. He didn’t have enough of an impact in the first half for Williams to go to him when the game was on the line.
So Phoenix was coming off consecutive wins, but couldn’t build off that with a win.
Next game
Suns at New York Knicks, Thursday, 5:30 p.m., State Farm Arena.