by The Phoenix Suns finally returned to action on Sunday night for their first preseason game of the year.
In town were Australia’s Adelaide 36ers, part of the NBL and eager to prove they could keep up with some of the best basketball players in the world.
After an offseason filled with rumors, ridicule and criticism, basketball is back in the Valley.
Here’s how the action shaped up in Phoenix’s return to action:
Suns starting lineup:
PG- Chris Paul
SG- Devin Booker
SF- Mikal Bridges
PF- Cam Johnson
C- Deandre Ayton
First quarter
The first bucket of the preseason belonged to Devin Booker, who drove to the right of the rim and finished off the glass.
Mikal Bridges had a brilliant stretch of play, blocking a jumper before hitting a 3-pointer on the other side of the court. On the next possession, Bridges was able to hit the free throw line after a foul.
In the first timeout, the Suns and 36ers were tied at 14 with 7:27 left in the first quarter. Center Deandre Ayton was 3-4 with six points in the opening game.
Despite opening up 6-0 at the timeout, the Suns still trailed Adelaide for most of the first quarter.
Phoenix would field their second lineup, with Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet, Damion Lee, Torrey Craig and Jock Landale.
Landale, who has garnered some hype in training camp, specifically grabbed three offensive rebounds in one possession, a testament to his hustle.
Adelaide would continue to lead through the first 12 minutes of play, hitting 55% of their shots from downtown, while the Suns made just one in nine.
The Suns ended the first quarter with a 33-28 lead.
Second quarter
Adelaide extended their lead to double figures, pacing Phoenix thanks to some spectacular shooting. All eight players who touched the floor for the 36ers shot 50 percent or better.
Chris Paul found himself in foul trouble early, picking up his fourth foul of the first half.
After a pair of free throws with 6:20 left, the Suns trailed 57-41.
Phoenix would eventually lead by single digits, clawing back a 62-53 deficit, despite the 36ers shooting 11-20 from three-point range.
Not much changed from the first to the second, despite the fact that the Suns were slowly chipping away at the lead.
Phoenix would go into the break with 71-59.
The Suns shot just 4 of 18 from downtown and were outscored 21-20 on the glass in the first half.
First Half Score:
Third quarter
After three minutes of play, the Suns were able to pull within seven points with their starters back on the floor.
A Booker and-1 conversion tied the score at 80-75 with 6:54 left in the third. With 3:43 left, Phoenix trailed 84-83.
However, a quick 7-0 run against the Suns’ second unit from Adelaide built another strong lead for the 36ers. Guard Craig Randall hit a deep 3-pointer to extend the lead. He finished with eight points in the third.
At that point, Adelaide forward Mitch McCarron had 12 assists.
Aside from Landale, Phoenix’s second unit didn’t have many answers for the 36ers. They had plenty of chances as the starters didn’t play for most of the second half.
Ish Wainright checked in with 9.6 seconds left, drawing a standing ovation from the home crowd.
A last-second layup by Torrey Craig put the Suns up 96-90 with one quarter remaining.
Phoenix shot 56.5% from the field in the third quarter to cut the Adelaide lead.
Fourth quarter
Landale hit a pair of free throws to pull within four points before Randall hit two deep 3-pointers to make it 102-95.
Randall himself had 28 to that point and the 36 was 19-of-35 from beyond the arc. A floater by Randall, to quickly score eight points to start the fourth quarter, extended the lead to double digits.
With 5:51 left, Landale hit the line and made both free throws to pull within two points, 111-109.
However, the Phoenix back-ups couldn’t contain Randall as he again took over in the fourth quarter, despite drawing a fifth personal foul with over three minutes remaining.
The lead was double digits with 2:41 left after another 3-pointer helped Phoenix pull away for good.
The Suns would lose 134-124.
The 36ers had three players with over 20 points: Randall (35), Robert Franks (32) and Antonius Cleveland (22).
Adelaide finished 24-for-43 on three-pointers while making 90 percent of its free throws.
The Suns made just nine of their 34 three-point attempts.
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