- Simba French
- Nov 17, 2023
- 0
Bahamians Eric Gordon and DeAndre Ayton were in action on Wednesday night in the National Basketball Association (NBA), continuing their seasons.
Gordon scored 15 points for the Phoenix Suns, helping them crush the Minnesota Timberwolves, 133-115, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns improved to a 5-6 win/loss record on the season, tied for ninth in the Western Conference of the NBA
Gordon started for the Suns as guard Bradley Beal is still out with a back injury. Gordon made the most of his 29 minutes on the floor, going 6-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-6 from deep. He also dished out three assists.
Gordon got on the scoreboard with 9:08 left in the first quarter on a driving layup that tied the game at 10 points. After leading 17-16 at the 5:22 mark in that period, the Suns went on a 15-2 scoring run to take a 32-18 lead at the 3:08 mark of the first quarter.
The quarter ended 35-29 with the Suns in control. That lead ballooned to a 22-point advantage at the half with a 76-54 scoreline. In the second quarter, the Suns scored 41 points compared to the Timberwolves’ 25. The Timberwolves had no answer for the Suns who were led by guard Devin Booker who returned to the line up with a game-high 31 points, and Kevin Durant who matched those 31 points.
The Wolves were led by power forward Karl Anthony-Towns with 25 points.
Everything was dropping for the Suns as they torched the Wolves by making 60 percent of their shots. The Suns made 17 three-pointers compared to the Wolves’ five.
The Bahamian guard has started in six of the 10 games he was featured in this season and is averaging 13.7 points per game on the season. He is shooting at a 46.3 percent clip from the field which is above his career average of 43 percent. He is making 2.2 three-pointers per game.
After a two-game losing streak, the Suns will look to make it two straight wins when they head to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, to take on the Utah Jazz (4-7) at 10 p.m. tonight.
Ayton had a rough time in the field where he went 3-for-10 to finish at 30 percent shooting. He had six rebounds.
The center missed his first three shots of the game but hit a turnaround hook shot at the 6:52 mark of the first quarter. The Cavaliers led 12-8 at that point. That lead quickly went up to 19-8 with the quarter ending at 30-25 in favor of the Cavaliers.
The Blazers were able to tie the game at 32 points each with 10:14 left in the second quarter. There was a tough stretch for the Blazers as the Cavaliers took a 52-41 lead with 4:11 left in the first half. The Blazers were able to cut into the lead and trailed 55-47 at the half.
The Blazers never got close to the Cavaliers again as the Cavaliers cruised to the 109-95 victory.
Ayton is having a roller coaster season but is still shooting a respectable 55.8 percent from the field. He is tied for sixth in the league in rebounds at 11.5 boards per game. He is averaging 11.9 points on 10.3 shots per game.
The Bahamian big man will next be featured in a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers (6-6) at home in Phoenix, Arizona, tonight at 10 o’ clock.