Bahamian professional basketball player DeAndre Ayton got his 100th career double-double to help the Phoenix Suns get a 105-98 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night at the Footprint Center in Arizona, Phoenix.
It was the Suns’ 10th straight victory as they improved to an 11-3 win/loss record on the season. They are still sitting in second place in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) behind the Golden State Warriors who are 12-2.
It only took Ayton 186 career games to get to that milestone and he was the quickest to reach that mark in Suns franchise history. It was his fifth straight game recording a double-double after being unable to do so in his first three games. He even sported a different look for the night as he ditched the usual low afro hairstyle for a low cut.
The number one overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft finished the game with 19 points and 13 boards to complete his career night. He also had two assists and a block in 35 minutes of play. The big man was hot from the field, finishing the night 9-for-13 to shoot at a very efficient 69.2 percent.
The game was a back and forth one that had 19 lead changes and was tied seven times. The Suns, who played the Mavericks without guard Luka Doncic, struggled to get any separation for the majority of the game.
At the 2:34 mark of the fourth quarter, the Suns went up 98-96 and the Mavericks missed two opportunities to tie it up or take the lead. Ayton came up huge for his team as he threw down a slam dunk with 1:27 left in the game to put his team up 100-96. Mavs’ Head Coach Jason Kidd quickly called a timeout to talk things over with his team.
They Suns’ offense took over the rest of the game. The Suns turned up the intensity in the fourth quarter, scoring 37 points after putting up 43 points combined in the second and third quarters. The Mavs scored 25 points in the final period.
Ayton came up huge in that final period, scoring eight of his 19 points.
At the end of the third quarter, the Mavs were in control as they took a 73-68 into the fourth.
The Mavericks jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead in the first quarter. The Bahamian stopped that run with a turnaround jump shot with 8:04 left in the first quarter to get on the scoreboard. It was a tough first quarter for him as he finished 2-for-5 from the field, scoring four points. The Suns held a 25-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 24 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way for the Mavericks with 22 points.
It was a tough shooting night from the field for the Suns overall, but they shot at a 48 percent clip in the second half to secure the win. They were dominant in the paint finishing with 40 points to the Mavs’ 28 points.
The rematch between these two teams will be tonight at the same venue. The game will be carried live on ESPN at 10 o’ clock.
The post Ayton’s 100th double-double helps Suns win 10th straight appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/aytons-100th-double-double-helps-suns-win-10th-straight/
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