The Phoenix Suns seemed down and out in their preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets at The Venetian Arena, Macau, on Friday, when they went down by 18 points in the first half. A dominant third quarter in which they allowed just 13 points got them back in the game, though, and they’d go on to win 132-127 in overtime. We asked Suns head coach Jordan Ott what led to the excellent defensive showing in the period postgame, and he praised his players.
“I think it was our activity,” Ott said. “We were able to force, I think, 34 turnovers overall. Eight of them were there in the third quarter. Those guys made the decision to come out of halftime and change the game. Their energy, we were the aggressors, much like the first quarter, where they were more aggressive than us.
“I think the third quarter kind of changed the tide, and then we really used our defense to fuel our offense,” Ott stated. “We were able to get out on our fast break, in transition, in space. But we’re really good, we just have to get there.
“It’s hard after a made basket to take it out against their pressure to really get into something and execute,” Ott added. “Much easier after a defensive stop. And then that’s the game of basketball. Once that snowball starts, it got downhill and we were able to have a good third quarter.”
We asked @Suns head coach Jordan Ott what went right defensively for his team when they held the @BrooklynNets to just 13 points in the third quarter after giving up 71 in the first half.
“Those guys made the decision to come out of halftime and change the game.” pic.twitter.com/tMW1ER5E8c
— Fadeaway World (@FadeawayWorld) October 11, 2025
The Suns only gave up 81 points in their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Nets got to 71 in just the first half. They were 10-10 to start the game, and this looked set to be a blowout.
The Suns managed to trim that 18-point deficit to 12 at halftime, as they entered the break down 71-59. They then came out of it with much greater intensity, and the Nets were unable to find solutions. They only scored one point in the first five minutes after halftime as the offense was stuck in the mud.
The Nets ended up going a horrific 2-17 from the field in the third quarter, and that led to the Suns taking an 89-84 lead into the fourth. Both teams then chose to play their backups for much of the remainder of the game, and they managed to put on a show.
The Suns were down 120-114 with over a minute remaining in the fourth, but went on a 7-1 run to send the game to overtime. This was a one-possession game deep into the extra period, too, but they hung on to get the win.
The Suns are now 2-0 in the preseason, and they’ve played great defense for about four of the eight quarters. The other four haven’t been so good, and it will be interesting to see which version of this defense we see on a more consistent basis in the regular season.
If we see the great version more, then perhaps the Suns will have a better season than many are expecting them to. Jalen Green believes the Suns can be a lot better than last season, where they finished 11th in the Western Conference with a 36-46 record.
Even surpassing that poor record seemed difficult following the departure of Kevin Durant, but maybe the Suns will shock the NBA. The next game against the Nets at The Venetian Arena on Sunday at 7 AM ET will tell us a bit more about this team as they gear up for the 2025-26 campaign.
