Phoenix Suns coach Jordan Ott praised his team’s response to a chaotic first half Monday night. “Definitely disruptive… but obviously it didn’t hurt us. We were actually leading after all the chaos,” Ott said after the 100-97 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Ott highlighted the team’s resilience on a back-to-back against a physical opponent. “Second half, back-to-back… super physical team, as big and aggressive as any defense we’ll see all year. Great response. We were in the fight,” he explained.
The return of Grayson Allen was a positive. “His ability to beat people off the dribble… super helpful for a group. Just really good to see him out there creating for others,” Ott said. Allen finished with six assists and four steals.
Ott analyzed Houston’s final possession and Kevin Durant’s game-winning three. “I don’t think they had great spacing… Royce is right there, Book’s kind of in the shadows… it was obviously a tough shot, but not the first time we’ve seen them do it,” he said.
He also detailed the Suns’ late-game strategy. “We talk a lot about two-for-one in those situations. Tie game… we didn’t feel there was enough time for the ball to be touched, shot on the rim… so we were comfortable just getting to our space, being ready for a double team,” Ott explained.
The coach credited his team’s execution despite the final outcome. “The pass is actually pretty close to being on the money. Execution was pretty good overall… they just made a good play on it,” he said.
Ott reflected on the Rockets’ defensive adjustments. “They picked up their intensity second half… top five offense, top five defense. A lot of that’s through their physical nature,” he said, noting that Houston limited Phoenix to four fast break points after 23 in the first half.
He emphasized the developmental value for his younger roster. “We still have a youngerish team… getting reps in these environments with physical teams is super helpful for us as we go forward,” Ott said.
Regarding momentum swings, Ott added: “We had them a little bit… momentum was on our side in the first half, then they picked up their aggressiveness… that is the response. Our guys battled defensively, tried to keep them off the glass.”
Despite the loss, Ott praised his team’s ability to stay competitive under pressure. “It’s what we want to do. It’s how you want to get better. We’ll continue to get better from this,” he said.
The Suns, led by Devin Booker’s 27 points, now travel to Memphis for Wednesday’s matchup. Phoenix will look to regroup while addressing defensive lapses and late-game execution that allowed Houston to secure the win.
