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The Phoenix Suns lost their second Summer League game to the New Orleans Pelicans 81-75 despite an impressive performance from their second-year big man Khaman Maluach.
Darius Brown II led Phoenix with 18 points while Malik Dia scored 18 points and Jaron Pierre Jr. scored 16 points to lead New Orleans to the win. But the story of this game was Khaman Maluach.
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Maluach scored 15 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, blocked two shots, and recorded one steal on 5-for-9 shooting and 2-of-4 from the three-point line. Maluach was the most talented player on the floor from start to finish and did not get enough help from his running mates to pull out a win.
After committing seven turnovers in his previous outing against Portland on Friday night, Maluach was much more poised with the ball and did not produce a single turnover. Through two Summer League games, Maluach has been dominant, showcasing a stronger body, better hands, and improved rebounding. What has been most surprising is that he has also been the Suns’ best three-point shooter on the Summer League roster through two games, shooting 5-for-11 from long distance.
The other young players from the Suns trio have not been nearly as impressive. Koa Peat and Rasheer Fleming only grabbed four rebounds each in the losing effort, while each showed flashes but were not consistently impacting the game like Maluach.
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Peat’s performance on Sunday did not match his debut performance against the Blazers. He scored 12 points on 4-of-10 from the field and was 1-for-3 from the free throw line. He committed seven fouls and turned the ball over four times, but was one of the Suns’ main initiators on offense and continued to show an impressive fluidity as a ball handler for a young player his size. What was most disappointing about watching Peat against the Pelicans was that he did not play with the same motor as he did in his debut. There were many times he lacked urgency getting back on defense, leading to Pelicans mismatches and easy baskets.
As for Fleming, he was impactful defensively, recording two blocks and a steal and being a disruptive force creating…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/game-recap-khaman-maluach-brilliance-224132945.html
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Publish date : 2026-07-12 22:41:00
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