What we learned: Phoenix Suns fold in 4th, fall to Grizzlies in Kevin Durant's return

The Phoenix Suns had momentum.

They'd just beaten Miami to bounce back from a ugly loss to the Clippers to go 5-1 in their last six games.

They got Kevin Durant, who missed three games with a right hamstring strain, back from injury.

They faced a Memphis team they had not only beaten twice, but was without Ja Morant, who was sidelined with a sore right shoulder.

They built an 11-point lead after three quarters on the strength of a 15-3 run in looking to conclude a six-game homestand with a victory — and then they failed to close another game.

The Grizzlies outscored the Suns by 17 points in the fourth to pull out a 121-115 comeback win Sunday before a stunned sellout crowd of 17,071 at Footprint Center.

Memphis (13-23) opened the fourth on a 13-1 run to take the lead with 8:46 left in the game.

The game wasn’t lost there, but the Grizzlies got back into to make it one and finished off the Suns with a 9-1 run that began with Desmond Bane hitting a 3 after two Memphis offensive rebounds to take a 115-114 advantage with 1:47 left.

Devin Booker paced the Suns (19-17) with 24 points, but only scored three in the fourth on just two shot attempts from the field.

Durant finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds in his return. Jusuf Nurkic also posted a double-double of 18 points and 19 rebounds, while Grayson Allen added 16 points.

Jaren Jackson Jr. paced all scorers with 28 points to go along with 10 boards to lead the Grizzlies. His drive around Nurkic and basket put Memphis ahead, 115-114, with 1:09 remaining in the game.

Phoenix only scored one more point the remainder of the game on a Booker free throw.

Here’s what we learned as the Suns led by as many as 13 in a game that had 13 lead changes and 10 ties. This was only the fifth game Booker, Durant and Bradley Beal played together as the Suns are now 2-3 with them in the lineup.

Can’t give up both

The Suns have tried to tighten up giving up points in the paint with ball containment, gap control and creating a tighter shell on that end.

They played their best overall defensive game in terms of following the game plan against Miami in yielding just 36 points in the paint.

The Suns go from that to once again struggling to keep the ball in front in allowing Memphis to go for 48 paint points.

Booker made a point to say the Suns kept giving Jackson his left hand when it was a point on emphasis in the scouting report to take that away. That’s what happened on that final drive at Nurkic.

Now Memphis came into Sunday’s game last in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage at 33.9%.

The Grizzlies just barely got over that at 34.7%, but they are also ninth in the NBA in 3-pointers made at 13.3 and fifth in attempts at 39.3.

Memphis exceeded both numbers on a 17-of-49 effort.

Phoenix not only nearly gave 50 points in the paint, but it allowed Memphis to shoot more and make more 3s than its average.

Can’t give up both.

Just can’t.

Big 3 rotation first quarter

Now this could change once Durant is off the minute restriction or “range” as Vogel says, but this is how he staggered them in the first quarter.

5:54 — Beal out, Josh Okogie in. Phoenix up 14-12.

4:04 — Durant out, Chimezie Metu in. Phoenix up 21-12

2:15 — Allen out, Beal in. Phoenix up 26-17.

Booker played the whole first as the Suns led, 32-26. Durant replaced him to start the second.

Vogel went through a stretch of taking Booker out midway through first, bringing him back in to end the quarter and then starting him the second.

Booker always played the entire first under Monty Williams.

Vogel went back to that with Booker after a conversation that Booker said Durant initiated, a move that ensures the Suns will have two of the Big 3 for most of the first quarter.

Switch in fourth factored in faulty fourth

Now had they stuck to that rotation in the third, Beal and Durant start the fourth, but Vogel said he wanted to give Beal a chance to find his rhythm after a slow first half.

Beal had three shots in the first half in scoring five points. Beal finished with 12 on 5-of-12 shooting.

Understandable, but Allen can score as evidenced by his 31-point night against Miami.

No Eric Gordon (knee), but that rotation switch was arguably the biggest problem with the fourth quarter as the Suns have been saying they were looking to have at least two of the Big 3 out there.

Vogel started the fourth with two-way player Saben Lee, Grayson Allen, Bates-Diop, Durant and Metu. Booker played all but 18 seconds of the third.

Looking at NBA lineup stats, the Suns had never played his group of five before Sunday night.

Vogel’s explanation for it started with having a lineup to help contain Jackson Jr., who went off again on the Suns after gutting them for 37 points in their previous matchup.

Josh Okogie was in foul trouble. So, Vogel put Lee in the game.

Then there’s the Beal element.

Now this is only the fifth game for the Big 3. So there are kinks to unwrinkle, but this is definitely something the Suns need to evaluate moving forward.

Injury update — Durant returns, Gordon, Little, Bol out

While Durant has returned, the Suns are still down one of their better players in Eric Gordon, a solid role player in Nassir Little and an emerging Bol Bol.

Gordon has missed six games this season with multiple injuries with the latest involving his right knee. He also had left shoulder soreness and right lower leg soreness.

He’s averaging 13.6 points and shooting 40.9% from 3 in his first season in Phoenix, but just turned 35 years old on Christmas.

Gordon has put the mileage on that body. The nagging injuries are something to monitor.

Vogel described Little’s left knee soreness as a “tendonitis-type thing.”

He’s missed Phoenix’s last six games.

As for Bol, he was playing standout basketball in extended minutes before spraining his right ankle in the second half on a basket on which he lost his footing and fell to the floor.

Bol shot 12-of-15 from the field in his last three games, hitting 3-of-4.

Scoring is not his problem. Very talented, but he found a flow within the offensive movement and an overall comfort zone to just play.

The Suns have asked him to play with more discipline.

He showed that. Now will he immediately get another chance after returning from injury or having to sit and wait several games.

If the 7-footer who is skinny can play the five, he’d give Phoenix that scoring punch off the bench from a big it’s not getting from Drew Eubanks.

They can play Metu at the five. He can score, but struggles defending inside.

Up next: Clippers rematch

The Suns don’t have to wait long for an opportunity to avenge last week’s 131-122 loss to the Clippers (22-13) at Footprint Center.

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard cooked them for 33 and 30 points, respectively, while James Harden went for 22 points and 11 assists.

Booker posted a game-high 35 points, Beal added 21, but the Suns allowed the Clippers to shoot 55.3% from the field, going 18-of-34 from 3.

This will be just the second game between the two, but the first with Durant, who sat out with the hamstring.

With Durant in the fold, there are two matchup questions.

One, will Clippers coach Ty Lue put Terence Mann, Paul George or Leonard on Durant?

Mann guarded Booker last week.

Two, will Vogel have Durant guard Leonard?

Chimezie Metu, who started for Durant, guarded Leonard.

There will be switching all around. The Clippers and Suns may even use some zone to address the firepower they each are facing, but this is as big of a regular season matchup as any with Durant back.

The Suns have only had their Big 3 for five games.

The Clippers have their super core of Russell Westbrook, Leonard, George and Harden for much longer.

This could be a statement win for the Suns to go into Los Angeles against the hottest team in the NBA, especially after the manner in which they lost to Memphis.

The Clippers had gone 14-2 in their previous 16 games before losing Sunday night to the Lakers.

Win or lose, the Suns can see how they match up against a team they may face in the playoffs.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Without Ja Morant, Grizzlies stun Suns in Kevin Durant's return