Shorthanded Suns Run Into a Wall as Miami’s Physicality and Execution Expose Offensive Limitations

PHOENIX — For much of the season, the Phoenix Suns’ success has come from overcoming limitations, masking flaws through offensive empowerment, pace, and the individual creation of their best players. But the wall becomes far more difficult to scale without Devin Booker and Jalen Green, and on Sunday, against a Miami Heat team that thrives on exploiting weaknesses, that wall proved insurmountable in a 111–102 loss at Footprint Center.

With Booker sidelined due to a right ankle sprain and Green out with right hamstring tightness, Phoenix entered the matchup without its two primary ball-handlers and initiators. That reality became clear early, as the Suns struggled to generate rhythm, break down Miami’s physical defense, or create clean scoring opportunities. In a league where half-court creation is increasingly essential, the Suns found themselves handcuffed against a disciplined Heat squad.

The Matchup Problem: A Bad Situation Made Worse Without Booker and Green

Just two weeks earlier, Phoenix suffered a loss to Miami in South Florida, and the issues from that game resurfaced immediately. Miami’s drive-heavy approach, combined with size and downhill pressure, forced Phoenix’s on-ball defenders into recovery mode possession after possession. Without their best perimeter creators available, the Suns were at an even greater disadvantage.

The matchup was further complicated by Miami’s recent dominance on the offensive glass. Entering Sunday, the Heat had averaged a staggering 18.6 offensive rebounds per game over their previous five contests — the highest in the league by a wide margin. That stretch included 26 offensive boards the night before and at least 20 offensive rebounds in three of those five games. No team had been more relentless in generating extra possessions, a weakness Phoenix normally exploits in its favor.

To the Suns’ credit, they matched Miami in this category. Offensive rebounds finished 21–18 in Phoenix’s favor, and second-chance points were split evenly at 19–19. But while the Suns managed to compete on the glass, the Heat’s physical advantages showed elsewhere. According to Cleaning the Glass, Miami shot 75% at the rim, while Phoenix mustered only 50%, illustrating how the Suns struggled to finish against Miami’s length and how the Heat repeatedly accessed high-value shots.

Suns guard Dillon Brooks described the performance as “subpar,” a blunt but accurate assessment of how the team failed to address the same weaknesses that burned them in Miami. Head coach Jordan Ott echoed that sentiment.

“They just do it with their length and they go,” Ott said of the Heat’s physicality. “Kind of what we do.”

A Three-Point Meltdown Compounds the Problem

Phoenix’s offense didn’t merely struggle — it collapsed under the weight of low-quality looks, shot-making droughts, and defensive pressure. The Suns went 7-of-35 from three (20%), a number that wasn’t just bad but deeply reflective of structural offensive issues without Booker.

It wasn’t just a “make-or-miss night,” as coaches often say. Many of Phoenix’s threes came early in the shot clock, in semi-contested situations that played right into Miami’s hands. Because so many of these attempts came from empowered shooters taking green-light opportunities — something that has fueled several career-best seasons across the roster — the Suns’ offense created a dangerous feedback loop.

Phoenix allows early-clock threes and deep pull-ups because that freedom unlocks aggression and spacing when the roster is whole. But those same shots become disastrous when they miss, especially against a Heat team built to punish long rebounds with immediate transition attacks. Miami’s downhill pace becomes even more threatening when Phoenix misses three-pointers just seconds into a possession.

Grayson Allen, one of the league’s elite shooters this year, went 1-for-11 from beyond the arc. Royce O’Neale missed all seven of his attempts. Each miss tightened Miami’s grip on the game.

Ott defended the approach, even if the makes never came.

“When they don’t go in people say something about it — it’s pretty typical,” Ott said. “We’d obviously love to get higher quality shots, we’d love to get to the rim every possession if you could, but that’s not what we have.”

Without Booker, the player who creates the “first domino” more consistently than anyone else on the roster, Phoenix had no generator capable of collapsing Miami’s defense.

“It’s just damning when they don’t go in,” Ott admitted. “I think that’s the way we have to score without Book, without his paint presence.”

Miami Controls the Game, Even Without Blowing It Open Early

Despite all their challenges, Phoenix managed to keep the game competitive into the second half. Miami never fully pulled away until early in the fourth quarter. The Heat led for most of the contest but didn’t stretch the margin into double digits until a 16–6 run in the opening minutes of the fourth. That pushed the lead to 15 — Miami’s largest of the night — and it became obvious Phoenix would not mirror the comeback attempts it has executed in previous weeks.

Ott even turned to rare small-ball lineups out of desperation, abandoning size and structure in hopes of sparking something late. But the rally never came.

Phoenix ended the game with just 13 assists, only the third time this season they failed to reach 19. With Miami switching actions aggressively and denying passing lanes, the Suns’ ball movement froze, creating stagnant half-court possessions and predictable pull-up jumpers.

Brooks Has a Strong Night, But His Limitations Are Exposed Without Booker

One of the Suns’ greatest offensive wild cards — the “slot machine” in the lineup — is Dillon Brooks. When he’s efficient, the Suns get a scoring burst that can complement Booker’s creation. When he’s not, the offense becomes disjointed.

On Sunday, Brooks played one of his better games in weeks, finishing with 26 points on 11-of-23 shooting, including several tough makes. But his strengths also underscore Phoenix’s limitations without Booker and Green.

Brooks is not someone who collapses the defense consistently or forces rotations that open up teammates. He scores from individual actions, often in isolation or self-created mid-range situations, and although he has value as a connective passer, he rarely creates advantages for others in the half-court.

Only 13 of his first 66 assists this season came when he initiated the possession as the focal point. With Booker out, those limitations became painfully clear.

The Uncertain Timelines of Booker and Green

Booker’s one-week re-evaluation window signals that his injury is not day-to-day. By the time Phoenix reaches the end of that period, he will have likely missed four games, potentially five. The team will then either enter another week of re-evaluation or begin transitioning Booker to day-to-day status.

Green’s situation is slightly more optimistic. His questionable designation before being ruled out was encouraging, and his MRI came back clean. He even completed some on-court work Sunday morning. Still, the repeated setbacks with his hamstring mean Phoenix must treat his return carefully. The risk of re-injury will linger until he successfully completes several games without a setback.

Both Teams Battle Injuries

Miami entered the game with significant injuries of its own. The Heat were missing Tyler Herro (ribs), Davion Mitchell (shoulder), and Kel’el Ware (hamstring), yet still managed to impose their physical identity from start to finish. Miami also overcame fatigue from travel issues that delayed their arrival until 4:30 a.m., adding another layer of difficulty.

Despite the circumstances, Miami took care of the ball — only four turnovers late in the third quarter — and matched Phoenix 15–15 in points off turnovers, refusing to allow the Suns easy transition buckets.

Final Thoughts

Sunday’s loss wasn’t just another defeat for the Suns. It was a clear illustration of how precarious their offensive identity becomes without their two primary creators. Phoenix can survive some nights with empowered shooting and aggressive early attempts, but without Booker or Green to bend the defense, the Suns’ structure collapses under its own weight.

The result was a Miami team, exhausted but disciplined, walking out of Phoenix with a comfortable win.