The Suns is now three games out of the Play-In.
The Phoenix Suns lost to the New York Knicks Sunday night 112-98, losing their sixth straight and dropping to 35-43 on the season.
Devin Booker had a strong night, going for his second consecutive 35+ point game, scoring 40 points in the contest. The Suns’ effort was improved from their last contest, but they shot 4/34 from three, and the Knicks went 12/28 from deep. OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl Anthony-Towns combined for 73 points as New York secured the win in Jalen Brunson’s first game back from an ankle injury.
The Suns are now 3.5 games back of the 10th seed for the last play-in spot and are tied with the Portland Trail Blazers in the win column for the 11th seed.
Game Flow
First Half
The Suns’ effort and defensive aggressiveness were vastly improved compared to Friday’s 123-103 loss to the Boston Celtics early on, including Bradley Beal’s, who was in question by many. The Suns forced the Knicks into seven early turnovers, helping the Suns keep it a one-possession game most of the quarter.
The Suns shot worse from the field and three in the first quarter than the Knicks did but were down just four, 27-23.
To start the second, the Knicks went on a 10-3 run to extend their lead to double digits and forced a Suns timeout. Devin Booker was on the bench for the entirety of the run.
The Knicks’ lead hovered around 7-12 points for the rest of the half once Booker returned to the court. After two quarters, Phoenix trailed 53-43. Booker had 20, while Karl Anthony-Towns and Mikal Bridges led New York with 15 and 12 points respectively. The Suns were able to limit Brunson in his return to just five points in the first 24 minutes. The Villanova product has been a Suns killer since joining New York.
Second Half
Devin Booker continued to sizzle to start the second, scoring the Suns’ first 10 points of the half. The 11th and 12th points were scored by Bradley Beal, who finally made his first field goal since returning from injury and going 0-7 from the field on Friday.
BOOK HOW?! pic.twitter.com/X9b0l2noPS
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) April 7, 2025
While Booker was cooking, OG Anunoby was cheffing. He had 17 points on 7-7 shooting and 5-5 from three, which extended the Knicks lead to 87-70 at the end of three.
The Suns were not able to substantially cut into the Knicks double-digit lead. But Bradley Beal started to show signs of returning to the offensive rhythm he had before he got injured, which carried into the middle of the quarter and helped the Suns cut the lead to six with about six minutes left.
The Suns got the lead within five, but when it mattered most, Jalen Brunson delivered for the Knicks, hitting a huge three to put New York up 10 and hitting three throws, sealing the win for New York.
Up Next
Phoenix will head home to face the streaking hot Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. The Suns have four games remaining.
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