Suns' Rally Comes Short in Ugly Loss to Pacers

Phoenix's win streak came to an end tonight.

Dec 19, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) during the third quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns (14-12) lost a two-game win streak against the Indiana Pacers (13-15) tonight at Footprint Center by a score of 120-111 in what is one of the final tune-ups to a huge Christmas Day matchup with the Denver Nuggets.

Tonight saw the return of Bradley Beal after a three-game absence - and both squads put forth strong efforts early on.

Indiana took a 32-29 lead after the first 12 minutes of action behind a balanced scoring effort that was spearheaded by 7 points from Andrew Nembhard.

A late surge from Phoenix - capped by a Royce O'Neale buzzer-beater - closed the half out as Indiana continued to lead by a score of 60-59.

The Pacers came out of half firing on all cylinders - to the tune of a a 37-point quarter which resulted in a 97-83 lead going into the final 12 minutes.

The Suns appeared to be mounting a bit of a comeback - as they worked the game down to a 9-point deficit with around 2 minutes left in the game - but a lack of defensive stops sealed the loss tonight.

Key Performances

Devin Booker - 17 PTS, 6 AST; Left game in 3rd quarter (groin)

Kevin Durant - 37 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST, 15-27 FG

Jusuf Nurkic - 12 PTS, 10 REB, 2 AST

Pascal Siakam - 25 PTS, 18 REB, 3 AST

Tyrese Haliburton - 13 PTS, 4 REB, 12 AST

What's Next

The Suns are set to face the Detroit Pistons at home on Saturday night before hitting the road for a date with the Denver Nuggets on Monday.