Suns Know Slow Starts Can't Happen Again

In their Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Phoenix Suns fell behind early in the first quarter. Monty Williams and Devin Booker know the team has to be better.

The Phoenix Suns currently find themselves down 1-0 to the Los Angeles Clippers after a 115-110 loss on Sunday evening. 

With any other prominent loss, shortcomings will be magnified x1000 in the postseason. Though there's a handful of reasons the Suns weren't able to escape the Footprint Center with a win, their efforts in the first quarter were anything but desirable. 

Scoring just 18 points, Phoenix as a team made just seven-of-22 field goal attempts in the opening quarter. The dynamic duo of Kevin Durant/Devin Booker went a combined 3-of-12 before eventually finding their groove later in the game. 

Whether it was nerves or simply just a bad start, Suns coach Monty Williams wasn't trying to make any excuses for the 30-18 deficit after one quarter of play. 

“You can make all kinds of excuses; it doesn’t matter. We had the same time off as they did. You could say we didn’t have a lot of time to play, but we played two days this week," Williams said following the game. The Suns last played a game a week prior but did hold scrimmages during the practice week. 

"So we just have to come out with that NBA term urgency right out the gate and I didn’t feel like we had that defensively to start and then we got it a bit in the second quarter and then we played really good defense and offense, to begin the third and then it just kind of went. Offensively, I thought our offense hurt us at the end of the third and gave them possessions and transitions.”

Phoenix found their footing in the middle portion of the game, eventually building a six-point lead in the third quarter before ultimately falling behind late in the fourth.

It was a back-and-forth game that promised this series would extend beyond the minimum of four games. Booker himself said in his postgame press conference the team simply took their foot off the gas.

“I know we started off slow, found it and got it back before half. They came out in the third quarter with energy; a big up-and-down game. Then to give it away at the end of the third, we know the rest of what happened in the fourth," he said following the game," said Booker. 

“No excuses now, it is that time of year. If you are not up and ready for these then you are playing the wrong sport.”

Game 2 will be Tuesday at 7:00 PM PST.