The Phoenix Suns defeated the New York Knicks 106-99 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, earning a crucial road win on their Eastern Conference trip.
Suns head coach Jordan Ott highlighted the team’s defensive effort in the third and fourth quarters. “I just thought our defense overall…end of third into fourth was high level,” he said, noting that the Knicks scored only four points in the last five minutes of the third.
Ott emphasized the impact of the Suns’ second unit. “Our second unit was phenomenal both times when they were in there…their energy really carried us,” he said.
He singled out Mark Williams for his progress. “As a young player, he took a major step forward tonight…he protected the rim at times at an elite level,” Ott said.
Devin Booker played through injury, and Ott praised his resilience. “He played both the entire first and third quarters…even when his shot doesn’t feel great, he’s able to get to the free throw line, which really helped us,” he said.
The coach explained his rotation decisions with Grayson Allen and Collin Gillespie. “They’ll go until they’re tired…we thought Grayson was a little bit tired there to start the fourth, so Goody gave us good minutes bringing the ball up and settling us down,” Ott said.
Offensive rebounding was a key factor, according to Ott. “Our offensive rebounding comes from guards a lot of times…we try to offset the possession game, not only the offensive glass, but our defense is trying to turn teams over,” he explained.
Ott also addressed the team’s adjustment to the Knicks’ size inside. “We had to find a way to show OG enough bodies to keep him away from the rim and the free throw line,” he said, referring to OG Anunoby’s 21 points.
He praised his team’s process after a slow start. “From the middle of the first on, our process was starting to get right…we trust that process even if shots aren’t falling early,” Ott said.
Booker led the Suns with 27 points, while Grayson Allen added 16 and Mark Williams contributed 14. Karl-Anthony Towns and Deuce McBride scored 23 each for the Knicks, who committed 17 turnovers.
Ott reflected on the team’s mentality in the fourth quarter. “We knew they were going to make a run…we wanted to punch first, which we did, and the second unit’s energy helped carry us into the fourth,” he said.
The Suns improved to 24-17 and will visit Brooklyn on Monday, while the Knicks, now 25-17, host the Mavericks in the next game of their home stretch.
