𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

As the regular season came to a close, Phoenix’s biggest issue was obvious: The Suns struggled to finish games.

In that sense, Tuesday’s Play-In loss to Portland was fitting. The Suns built a fourth-quarter lead, but they failed to put the Trail Blazers away. With 3:31 remaining, Jalen Green knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Suns a 105-97 lead. The advantage was not insurmountable, but it was comfortable.

Portland rallied anyway.

The Suns managed just one field goal the rest of the way, and it came in the final minute. Devin Booker hit Jordan Goodwin on the baseline for a reverse layup. Goodwin was fouled on the play, but missed the free throw. Phoenix led by as many as 11 in the second half, on their home court, playing in front of their home fans, and they couldn’t make it stand.

Most notably, Booker didn’t make a field goal in the final quarter, missing all three of his attempts. Now the Suns are on the brink of elimination,