Three Takeaways From Suns' 104-101 Loss to Bucks
The Phoenix Suns were unable to hold on to a seven point lead in the late stages of their 104-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday.
Jrue Holiday's 33 points paved the way for Milwaukee in the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was out with a wrist injury. The Bucks now improve to their 14th consecutive win.
As for the Suns, they drop to 33-29 on the season. Their next taste of action will be on Wednesday when the Charlotte Hornets play host the Phoenix in their second of a four-game road trip.
With a couple days off for rest, the Suns look to regroup and reload.
Three Takeaways From Suns' Loss to Bucks
Awfully Crowded
After a long offseason/regular season leading up to the All-Star break, the drama finally concluded between the Suns and Jae Crowder after he was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets before eventually landing in Milwaukee.
Crowder's former teammates showed some support for him after the deal finally went through, though things quickly changed when the two teams met on the court Sunday.
It felt like there was a real point of emphasis to attack Crowder defensively, especially from Phoenix's backcourt pairing of Devin Booker and Chris Paul.
Yet it was Crowder who ultimately had the last laugh, nailing a pair of back-to-back three's to tie the game in the late stages of the fourth quarter... Because, why wouldn't he hit clutch three's against his former team?
Crowder didn't have a monster game, but he showed up when needed from Milwaukee.
Matching Intensity
The Suns sometimes can play down to their competition when they're clearly a better team, which - admittedly so - is bound to happen over the course of an 82 game season.
The reverse can be applied too, where Phoenix can match the level of other great teams throughout the league when needed. That was again the case on Sunday, where the Suns and Bucks battled in what felt like a playoff atmosphere. The two are obviously familiar with each other thanks to their encounter in the 2021 NBA Finals, so that helped factor into the intensity as well.
Though still without Giannis, the Bucks were defending their homecourt with a much better record and lineup thanks to Kevin Durant's absence (we'll get to that in a second). They were able to make more plays than Phoenix down the stretch, and that's what won them Sunday's game.
However, this was a necessary bump in the road for the Suns. It was a good early postseason test without the ramifications of losing a playoff game. Though they didn't emerge victorious, it was still good to see Phoenix fight from start to finish against a top opponent.
Bright Days Are Ahead
The Suns weren't able to get the win - which obviously isn't ideal - but the Kevin Durant era is set to begin in their next game against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
That's exciting.
Phoenix was able to take the No. 2 team in the East down to the wire with a weakened lineup. Many will also point out that Giannis wasn't active for Milwaukee, but the Suns are also without Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson thanks to the KD trade, too.
With only 20 games left, Phoenix will be rushed on time to get Durant truly acclimated into the lineup. For coach Monty Williams, the lineup experimentations have only begun until the postseason is here. Those will continue, and some will be hits while others are misses.
The Suns played fairly well against Milwaukee with KD in uniform. That's a sign brighter days are indeed ahead.
