DeAndre Ayton played his heart out in this series, and much should be said for the Phoenix Suns improving so much over last season and fighting their way into the playoffs, even going so far as to defeat the history-making 77-5 San Antonio Spurs on the way there. Getting swept comes with a sting unlike any other pain, but the Suns should be very proud and look forward to next season with their heads high.They stood pat with the Spurs in the 1st Quarter, 24-24, but lost footing in the second, 33-23, then badly got beaten in the 3rd, 38-19, which all but quieted the home crowd, reality setting in for this young team.
Phoenix sparked a big-time run in the 4th Quarter, winning that 27-14, but it was still too late. The Suns had eleven turnovers, to only four by the Spurs. Ayton had 27 points, 15 rebounds, looking amazing for the future of this team. Devin Booker, however, scored 14 points and hit only half of his shots, book-ending a bad series for him. Khris Dunn shot 2-11, not giving Ricky Rubio much to work with (4 assists). Mikal Bridges shot 2-7 and Kelly Oubre, Jr. went 0-3 from deep.
For the Spurs, Fred VanVleet scored 17 points. Dejounte Murray notched 16 points, and Kent Bazemore scored 12. Brandon Ingram had a quiet night with 11 points, going 5-14. PJ Tucker scored 11 solid points, hitting three from long range. Joe Harris hit three, for good measure.
