Phoenix Suns coach Jordan Ott praised his team’s response to a chaotic first half on Monday night. “Absolutely disruptive…but obviously it didn’t hurt us. We were actually in the lead after all the chaos,” Ott said after the 100-97 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Ott highlighted the team’s resilience during back-to-back games 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 contention,” he explained.
Grayson Allen’s return was positive. “His ability to beat people off the dribble … super helpful for a group. It’s just really good to see him create 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 much distance… Royce is there, Book is kind of in the shadows… it was obviously a tough effort, but not the first time we’ve seen them do that,” he said.
He also described the Suns’ late-game strategy. “We talk a lot about two-on-ones in those situations. Tie…we didn’t feel like there was enough time to touch the ball, shoot at the rim…so we felt comfortable just going into our space, ready for a double-team,” Ott explained.
The coach praised his team’s performance despite the final outcome. “The pass is actually close to the money. The execution was pretty good overall… they just played well on it,” he said.
Ott reflected on the Rockets’ defensive adjustments. “They picked up their intensity in the second half … top five offense, top five defense. A lot of that comes from their physicality,” he said, noting that Houston limited Phoenix to four fast break points after 23 in the first half.
He emphasized the development value for his younger squad. “We still have a younger team… getting reps in these environments with physical teams is super helpful for us as we move forward,” Ott said.
As for momentum swings, Ott added, “We had them a little bit… the momentum was on our side in the first half, then they picked up their aggressiveness… that’s the response. Our guys fought defensively, tried to keep them off the glass.”
Despite the loss, Ott praised his team’s ability to remain competitive under pressure. “This is what we want to do. It’s how you want to get better. We’re going to keep getting better at this,” he said.
The Suns, led by Devin Booker’s 27 points, now travel to Memphis for Wednesday’s game. Phoenix will look to regroup while addressing defensive mistakes and late-game executions that allowed Houston to secure the victory.
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