New Orleans Pelicans snap Phoenix Suns' three-game win streak
Devin Booker knows Willie Green and how the New Orleans Pelicans play under the former Phoenix Suns lead assistant.
Couple that with Booker having three consecutive 50-point games against them, he had more than a good idea of what to expect in Sunday’s matchup afternoon at Footprint Center.
“Just be more aggressive,” Booker said after Saturday’s practice. “Probably more physical from the start. I know they’ve lost a few games in a row, understand this game is important. It’s going to be high level, high intensity. It’s going to have a playoff feel, playoff physicality.”
The Pelicans played right up to Booker’s scouting report in beating the Suns, 113-105, before a sellout crowd of 17,071 fans at Footprint Center. The loss snapped Phoenix's three-game win streak.
They played with an edge, didn't allow Booker to go crazy — he scored 25 points instead of the 50-plus — and got a 31-point blast out of CJ McCollum along with a monster performance from Zion Williamson of 29 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks.
Bradley Beal paced the Suns (46-32) with a game-high 33 points while Kevin Durant added 23. Phoenix concludes its final homestand of the regular season Tuesday against the Clippers before ending the regular season with a three-game road trip.
The Suns remain sixth in the West as they have the tiebreaker over the Pelicans (46-32), but are back in a position of needing to win to remain in that spot and out of the play-in.
Phoenix trailed 56-50 at halftime after leading by as many as 13 points early in the second quarter. McCollum paced the Pelicans with 21 points in the first half, hitting 5-of-8 from 3.
In his previous games against Phoenix, McCollum averaged just 14 points, shooting 23.1% from 3 (3-of-13).
The Pelicans also got a spark from Jose Alvarado with a 12-point first half as he’s been out with an oblique injury. The pesky reserve, who made a name for himself in guarding Chris Paul in the 2022 NBA playoffs, missed Monday’s game against the Suns in New Orleans.
Booker and Beal led the Suns in the first half with 11 and 10 points, respectively. They had eight turnovers, a problem all season, that led to 13 New Orleans points in the first half.
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: New Orleans Pelicans snap Phoenix Suns' three-game win streak
