The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Phoenix Suns centre Deandre Ayton returned to the starting lineup for the first time since January 16 and the NBA’s No.1 overall seed continued its win streak.

Ayton was placed on a minutes restriction in his return from a seven-game absence and finished with 12 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes of the Suns’ 121-111 win over the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday night at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

It was the first time the fourth-year big had an opportunity to participate in five-on-five play for the first time since he sustained the injury. “It felt great, but can’t lie I was winded a little bit. I got my second wind in the third and fourth. Coach [Monty Williams] really managed the minutes for me to make sure I got back in rhythm,” Ayton said. “Sometimes you just got to push, you just got to feel your lungs and just feel the flow of the game. My teammates were always talking to me, there was a lot of energy that kept me going so it felt like nothing changed to be honest, it felt like we got better.”

He shot 5-7 from the field as the Suns improved to a league best 41-9 and have now won 11 games in a row.

Ayton’s first basket was a jumper in the lane and in the fourth quarter he finished an alley oop dunk on an assist from Devin Booker to push the lead to 14 late in the fourth quarter. “I needed that, to be honest I was glad I needed that. Once I took off I said ‘yep, I feel the strength, I needed this,’ because I’ve been working the whole time. I haven’t been getting 5-on-5 competition, this was my only competition so yeah I felt good,” Ayton said of his return to the floor.

“If you throw me out there mentally I’m ready and the rest will fall in line. I know the task at hand, testing your limits, all of that is easy. Getting in shape is easy, just sticking to the script, sticking to things we practice and winning together. That’s the things we do best, that’s the tough part.”

With Ayton sidelined, the Suns have relied on veteran centre JaVale McGee, new signee Bismack Biyombo and second-year player Jalen Smith.

“Them dudes are dangerous. I’m telling you the Suns frontcourt is different bruh,” Ayton said. “Biyombo gives a different look when it comes to defence. He’s pressuring the ball, he’s doing something totally different from me and JaVale. Obviously I can guard one through five. Biz puts it on you where he wants to strip the ball from you, he wants to guard you and harass you, hawking the ball. It breaks teams plays when centres are holding the ball all that time from all that pressure.”

Suns head coach Monty Williams applauded Ayton’s effort and productivity in his first game back while also noting his development as a playmaker.

“He’s been out for a minute, it takes you a while, he hasn’t had any 5-on-5 work so I tried to play him in shorter bursts tonight but I think he’ll get better as he gets more reps,” said Williams.

“We’re just at a point in the season where we can’t play 5-on-5 so you can get some real reps and lay that foundation for the game.”

Injuries and illnesses have kept Ayton in and out of the lineup for 21 games this season and the Suns have gone 18-3 in those games.

Ayton has missed six games in the NBA’s health and safety protocols for COVID-19, he also missed three games with a non-COVID related illness and five games with a right leg contusion.

Ayton is averaging 16.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game on 63 percent shooting from the field. He has 16 double doubles in 29 games this season.

He finished 10th among frontcourt players in the Western Conference with 472,402 votes when the league announced the final fan returns of NBA All-Star Voting,

He finished fourth among centres behind reigning MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets (4,132,522), Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves (1,195,004), and Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz (583,976).