Deadspin | Suns seek to shake off collapse against sliding Trail Blazers

The Phoenix Suns were cruising towards what would have been their sixth straight win on Sunday, but a dramatic collapse in the fourth quarter saw them squander a 22-point lead and lose 124-122 to the Atlanta Hawks. The Suns gave up an astounding 47 points in the final period, allowing the Hawks to make 16 of 25 field-goal attempts in that stretch after scoring just 20 in the third quarter. Suns coach Jordan Ott pointed to a loss of composure, saying, "I thought overall in the fourth, we lost our way at different points. At that point, you just gotta regain your composure, execute a little bit offensively and then just get one stop, and then the snowball goes the other way." Dillon Brooks, who was acquired by Phoenix in the offseason, led the charge with a season-best 34 points, while Devin Booker added 27. Despite Brooks’ stellar performance, he was visibly frustrated by the refereeing in the final minutes. The Suns were whistled for 10 fouls in the last 12 minutes compared to just four against Atlanta, and Brooks felt the officials were making calls based on emotion, saying, "I seen us playing seven against five. Emotional refs, they're making calls out of emotion and smirking while they're making the calls. That should be reviewed." Brooks was efficient overall, shooting 14-of-25 from the field and knocking down three 3-pointers, his second consecutive impressive outing after a 32-point effort against Indiana on Thursday. The Suns had been dominating with an average winning margin of over 18 points during their five-game winning streak before Sunday's collapse. Now, the Suns will try to bounce back as they head to Portland to face the struggling Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. Portland just wrapped up a tough 1-4 road trip, losing 138-133 in overtime to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Despite leading by as many as 12 points, the Blazers couldn’t close it out, with interim coach Tiago Splitter emphasizing the need for smarter play, especially on defense. Shaedon Sharpe led Portland with a season-high 36 points, though he was inefficient, shooting 12-of-32. Deni Avdija and Jerami Grant also contributed significantly, scoring 29 and 26 points respectively. Avdija has been consistently solid, posting over 20 points in eight straight games. However, the Blazers have struggled defensively, giving up at least 136 points three times during this road trip, and the absence of guard Jrue Holiday due to a right calf injury hurt their chances, especially as Dallas scored 33 points in the fourth quarter and 20 in overtime. Splitter remains focused on getting back to basics and improving on both ends of the floor, noting, "You go back to the basics -- defense, offense, get better. This is the NBA. It's 82 games like this and you have a back-to-back coming up. It is what it is." The Trail Blazers will host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, while the Suns’ guard Grayson Allen missed the game against Atlanta with a right quadriceps injury and his status for Tuesday remains uncertain. Last season, Phoenix and Portland split their two meetings, with each home team securing a win. The upcoming game will be crucial for the Suns as they attempt to shake off the sting of their collapse and maintain their momentum. The core facts reveal that on November 12, 2025, in Dallas, Texas, the Phoenix Suns suffered a shocking fourth-quarter collapse against the Atlanta Hawks, surrendering a 22-point lead and losing 124-122. Key entities involved include Suns players Dillon Brooks and Devin Booker, coach Jordan Ott, and the Trail Blazers with interim coach Tiago Splitter and key players Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, and Jerami Grant. Secondary stakeholders encompass referees and injured players like Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen. This collapse has immediate consequences, highlighting shifts in team morale and exposing defensive weaknesses in the Suns, while Portland’s defensive struggles continue amid injury setbacks. Historically, this resembles prior NBA collapses where leading teams faltered due to fatigue and officiating controversies, paralleling cautious responses centered on mental resilience and gameplay adjustments. Looking ahead, the Suns could leverage this setback to innovate strategies emphasizing composure and defensive discipline, but risk further morale damage if such lapses persist. From a regulatory perspective, recommendations include enhanced officiating review protocols to ensure fairness, investment in mental toughness training for players to handle pressure situations, and improved injury management systems to reduce impact on team performance. Prioritization favors officiating reforms as high-impact but complex, mental coaching as moderate complexity with significant benefits, and injury protocols as easier to implement with steady outcomes.