The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

DEANDRE Ayton continues to post new milestones during his rookie season for the Phoenix Suns.

Ayton finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the Suns’ 109-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday night.

He became just the fourth player in the past 25 years to score at least 300 points and grab 200 rebounds in his first 20 NBA Games. Ayton joins fellow former No.1 overall picks Blake Griffin, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal on the list.

Indiana led by as many as 13 points in the second and third quarters, but Phoenix used a 15-2 run late in the third and early in the fourth to go ahead.

With the game tied at 101, the Pacers made two three pointers on their final three possessions to go ahead for good.

“In the first half we weren’t putting that much resistance on them at first. They threw the first punch in the first half but we came back and threw one in the second half. We started competing against them and they were a lot more physical than we thought. It was a physical battle on the glass,” Ayton said.

“We just needed to turn it up a notch to force them into other shots. We get better every game, we just have to figure it out. When we are starting we were getting blown out by 20 by half and now we’re starting to lockdown, conditioning is there now, we just have to finish out games. We knocked down some big shots out of the timeouts but defensively that’s where we have to get better,” he said.

Ayton totalled 14 points and seven rebounds in the first half alone. “We have a young centre in Ayton, is going to have some ups and downs. He’s going to have some moments where he needs help and some support,” Phoenix coach Igor Kokoskov said.

“I think the awareness in the second half is something that we needed, that’s how we have to play.”

Earlier this month, Ayton set the mark for most double doubles to start a season by a Suns player since Steve Nash’s MVP season in 2009.

The rookie centre is averaging 17 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game on 62 per cent shooting from the field.

He is ranked third in the league and leads all rookies with 12 double doubles on the season. Ayton is also the leading rebounder among rookies, is second in scoring and field goal percentage and is fourth in assists.

He moved up two spots on NBA.com’s Kia NBA Rookie Ladder behind Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic.

“Ayton climbs two rungs after two weeks of solid play. The more opportunities I have to watch Ayton, the more I leave impressed and certain he’ll be a star in this league for many years,” said NBA.com’s Drew Packham.

“He’s still struggling to defend like you’d hope from a 7-footer (just three blocks in last eight games), but the offensive numbers back him as a force inside,” he added.