Why Jalen Green Didn't Finish Game for Suns

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns fell to the Orlando Magic last night, and a major talking point surrounding their loss was the absence of Jalen Green in crunch time.

Green departed with five minutes left in the third quarter and never returned.

"Not injured," Suns coach Jordan Ott said of the decision to not play Green (h/t Duane Rankin). "We just decided to go smaller, play smaller and use some other guys in that stretch that he's normally in and then we just decided to stay with G, Book and then the three wings."

He scored eight points on 3-10 shooting in the loss in Orlando.

"This is what we've got to get used to. This is how it's going to be down the stretch. Everyone is gearing up for the playoffs. Desperate teams. Playing super physical cause they're big," Ott continued.

Green has been hot and cold through this season after dealing with injuries dating back to training camp. Green registered his second performance of the month of ten points or less.

Phoenix, with six games left sits at 42-34 on the year, couldn't get the job done on the second night of their back to back.

"Tremendous fight. Super physical game. Felt like a playoff game. Knew that they'd be desperate. Probably not a great response by us early. We weren't able to match their physicality, their intensity early. As the game wore on, especially that 3rd quarter, great response coming out of halftime."

Ott's decison-making has come under fire lately, especially late in games as the Suns have been unable to truly clutch wins in recent weeks. Green's presence on the floor as a notable scorer was undoubtedly missed after only playing 20 minutes - the least he has played since Feb. 7.

Phoenix is back in action on Thursday against Charlotte. We'll see if Green returns to his normal role next to Devin Booker, who officially crossed the 18,000-point barrier for his career.

The Booker-Green duo has flashed some strong promise this season, though if Green isn't in the mix late in games, Phoenix doesn't feel like they're at full strength just in terms of scoring.