Pre-season title contenders, the Phoenix Suns fell to 16-19 after dropping their 8th game out of 10 Tuesday night to the 8-27 Charlotte Hornets. The frustrating, drama-plagued season for Matt Ishbia’s star-studded squad only continues to get worse.
One fan took to X to supply an objective measure of the disgust Arizonians must be feeling right now. Warning: Suns fans might need a puke pail nearby.
Gave the Pelicans their only win in 20 games. Gave the Hornets their 2nd win in 20 games.
The Suns are just a bad basketball team. pic.twitter.com/TTnMW9DYLq
— Suns Are Better (@SunsAreBetter) January 8, 2025
And there it is. A team that was supposed to be among the best in the West is apparently incapable of beating the bottom of the NBA barrel. Was it worth it, Mr. Ishbia? This is what fans are paying to see?
Devin Booker Pops Off But Phoenix Suns Revert to Form Vs Charlotte Hornets
Needless to say, there’s been plenty of trade gossip surrounding this team. The sudden benching of veteran starters Jusuf Nurkic ($18.1 million salary) and Bradley Beal ($50.2 M) turned a situation of simmering tension into a full-blown steam room.
In typical Phoenix fashion, shuffling the lineup produced initial encouragement–even if the real motive wasn’t to optimize performance but rather to provide more flexibility (and mitigate injury risk) were either Beal or Nurkic featured in trade negotiations going down during a game.
During Monday night’s 109-99 win in Philadelphia, coming off the bench for the first time in nearly a decade, Beal led the team in scoring for the first time since November 10 with 25 points.
For his part, Nurkic logged just 14 minutes, scoring 5 points and grabbing 7 boards. The less us Suns fans see of the much-maligned center, the better It was his first game back from a four-game suspension doled out for his altercation with Naji Marshall in the Suns’ 98-89 loss to Dallas on December 27.
Against Charlotte, it was more of the same–which is to say, a miserable performance to watch. That the game was a back-to-back is no excuse for losing to a Hornets team that had not beaten anyone in a month.
Booker put up 39 points, but a jaded fanbase grows quick to see the negative side of things. Phoenix is just 1-4 in the last five games Booker has scored 30 or more.
Phoenix Suns Starter Just As Bewildered by Struggles
Fans aren’t the only ones baffled by the Suns’ meltdown. Point guard Tyus Jones, signed in the offseason, is flummoxed, too.
“What’s the deal, what’s the problem? Why aren’t we playing up to the standard that we all felt we were capable of and that honestly we showed 1st stretch of the season. It’s a been a rough go the last few weeks. I think everyone is wondering the same thing.” Tyus Jones. #Suns pic.twitter.com/rNq4demwAK
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 8, 2025
Tuesday, Jones scored 4 points on 2-6 shooting and dished out 4 assists. Beal accumulated 10 points on 5 of 13 from the field. Nurkic put up 8 PTS, 3 REB. Durant shot 8-18 for 26. He and Booker were the only Suns with more than 10 points. (Full box score here.)
Aside from Booker’s portentous 39 points, the game was a collective underachievement from a collectively underachieving team.
On the other end of the court, Hornets PG LaMelo Ball was balling out, flipping in an and-one while falling to the floor and smacking a pass to himself off the backboard, which led to a hockey-assist score.
LaMelo Ball throws it off the backboard to himself for a SICK pass 🔥
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 8, 2025
Ball chucked 16 three-pointers and finished the night with 32 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST, and 4 STL. The Hornets, 13th place in the Eastern Conference, were out there having fun.
The Suns can’t seem to shake free from a thickening cloud of doom.
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