After missing the previous five games due to a lower leg injury, Bahamian professional basketball player DeAndre Ayton returned to the floor on Tuesday night and posted a 22-point and 12-rebound effort to help the Phoenix Suns (10-3) take down the Minnesota Timberwolves (4-9). They won 99-96 on the road at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, securing their ninth straight win. With their 10-3 win/loss record, the Suns have risen to the second spot in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and are tied for the second-best record in the league with the Washington Wizards. The Golden State Warriors lead the league with an 11-2 record.
Suns’ starting center Ayton showed no signs of rust as he made an immediate impact in the game. He made his first six shots. Overall, he finished the game shooting 10-for-14 from the field , shooting 71.4 percent. He had a whopping seven offensive boards and five defensive boards in 33 minutes of play.
“‘I was telling everybody, ‘let’s make sure we bring that same energy that you all were bringing the last game,’’’ Ayton said. ‘‘So, I made sure on my end, I tried everything. Everybody tell me I brought the energy coming out the gate.’’
Ayton had a tough assignment all night, battling against Karl-Anthony Towns in the post. Towns dropped in 35 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.
Ayton made one of two shots in the fourth quarter. However, none was more memorable than the one with him setting a pick for Chris Paul at the 1:21 mark with the Wolves up 92-91. He rolled to the basket, sending two Timberwolves after Paul. Ayton then got a pass from Devin Booker and muscled his way under the rim to score the Sun’s go-ahead bucket. He put his team up 93-92.
Booker scored the next basket and the Suns led 95-92 with 46 seconds left in the game. A pesky Wolves team stayed close, coming within one point, 97-96. A few missed shots from the Wolves and a Suns’ steal gave Ayton and the Suns the victory.
Booker led the Suns with 29 points.
Ayton first got on the scoreboard at the 6:41 mark in the first quarter when he cut to the basket to score a layup and draw a foul on the Wolves on the play. He made the free throw, but the Wolves led 12-9. Ayton took most of his shots in the second quarter where he went 3-for-5 from the field, finishing the first half with 13 points and five rebounds.
The Suns held a slim 40-39 lead at the half.
It was a very intense back-and-forth game. There were 16 lead changes and 16 ties. Both teams held their largest lead of the game at seven points.
Next up for the Suns will be back-to-back home games against the Dallas Mavericks (9-4). They play tonight and Friday night. Both games will get underway at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) and the games will be televised on ESPN.
After seven games on the floor, Ayton is averaging 15.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. He is shooting 60.8 percent from the field. He is on pace for a career season in steals at 1.1 per game, and is averaging 0.6 blocks so far this season.
Also in action on Monday night was Bahamian Chavano “Buddy” Hield and the Sacramento Kings (6-8). The guard finished with a team-high 22 points in a 129-107 blowout of the Detroit Pistons (3-10) at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
Hield was on the floor for a little over 24 minutes. He made six of his 14 shots that included six three-pointers. He added two rebounds and two assists.
The Kings were dominant to start the game, quickly jumping out to a 31-12 lead. They extended the lead to 68-42 at the half.
The Kings cruised the rest of the way. Five other Kings players finished in double figures.
For the Pistons, Saddiq Bey led all scorers with 28 points.
Action resumes for the Kings tonight when they head on the road to play the Timberwolves. That game gets underway at 8 o’ clock Eastern Time.
The post Ayton returns to action appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/ayton-returns-to-action/
No comments:
Post a Comment