Ayton posts double-doubles; Hield makes five three-pointers

It took a few games for Phoenix Suns center DeAndre Ayton to notch a 20-point and 10-rebound output this season, but he did just that over the weekend as the Suns defeated the Denver Nuggets, 106-103, on New Year’s Night, Friday night at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. They now sport a league-best 5-1 win/loss record in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

On Saturday afternoon, Chavano “Buddy” Hield’s five three-pointers were not enough as the Sacramento Kings fell to 3-3 on the season when the Houston Rockets won 102-94 at the Toyota Center, in Houston, Texas.

For the Suns, Ayton finished with a team-high 22 points and 11 boards and shot 10-for-13 from the field, 76.9 percent. He missed his only attempt from deep, and also finished with two blocks in the victory. He has been adjusting to playing with newcomers guard Chris Paul and forward Jae Crowder on the roster this year. His season high came after scoring a season low of four points against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

Hield dropped in 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting from the field, shooting 35 percent. The sharpshooter was able to finish 5-for-12 from deep, matching a season-high in made three pointers. He is tied for second in the league with 23 made three-point shots this season. The Grand Bahama native also finished with four boards, two assists and one steal in 38 minutes of play.

Seven of Ayton’s 10 made shots came in the paint as he looks to contribute more to his team on offense. His first made shot of the night came on a turnaround fadeaway shot from 14 feet out. That shot came with 10:49 remaining in the first quarter.

Ayton did most of his damage in the first half when he scored 13 of his 22 points that included at least three layups. On defense, his assignment for the night was guarding Nikola Jokic – of the the best big men in the game. Jokic finished the night with 17 points, 11 assists and nine boards, just narrowly missing a triple-double.

It was a close game at the end of the first quarter as the Suns held a slim 34-32 lead. However, they began to pull away from the Nuggets in the second quarter, going into halftime up 60-49.

The Suns held a 87-71 lead with 2:17 remaining in the third quarter, and it looked like they would cruise to victory. However, the Nuggets came storming back, going up 98-97 on a three-point shot from Nuggets’ guard Gary Harris with 2:41 remaining. The Suns managed to pull ahead 104-100 with 7.3 seconds remaining. Jokic hit a three-point shot to cut the lead to one with 5.5 seconds remaining in the game, but veteran point guard Paul sank two free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining.

Jamal Murray led the way for the Nuggets with 31 points.

For the Kings, Hield was hot in the first quarter, connecting on three of his five three-pointers. His first three came from 25 feet out with 7:51 remaining in the quarter to put his team up 13-11. At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied, 36-36.

The turning point of the game came early in the fourth quarter when the Rockets went on a 9-0 scoring run to take a 92-81 lead. The Rockets led by at least seven points the rest of the way.

John Wall led the Rockets with a game-high 28 points. Hield’s teammate De’Aaron Fox finished with 23 points to lead them in scoring.

The Kings return to action tonight when they stay on the road to play the Golden State Warriors (2-3) at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. Tip-off is at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).

The Suns were in action last night, going for their fifth straight victory. They played the Los Angeles Clippers (4-2) at home at the PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, but the result was unavailable up to press time.

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