Suns drop 1st game with Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal assembled

The Phoenix Suns got their Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal on the court together for the first time all season. Then came the hard part.

In their 24th game of the season, the Suns debuted their All-Star trio against the Brooklyn Nets and lost 116-112.

Booker had the biggest night of the three, with 34 points on 9-of-14 shooting, 12 assists and six rebounds, while Durant had 27 points, and Beal had 14. Center Jusuf Nurkić, fresh off his fateful run-in with Draymond Green, chipped in 15 points and 22 rebounds.

At times, you could see the trio starting to jell:

Unfortunately, the Suns' lack of depth was a problem, with Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen and Josh Okogie all out for the game. The team got only four points from its bench outside of Nassir Little and was top-heavy enough that Durant, Booker or Beal scored or assisted on 97 of 112 points.

The Nets proved to be more balanced, with every starter scoring in double digits and four bench players combining for 26 points. Former Suns Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges, traded away for Durant last season, received a warm welcome and a video tribute before the game, then combined for 36 points.

It is, of course, unfair to judge the viability of a team based on any single game, let alone a game in which three players are playing together for the first time with half of their top bench players out. The Suns fortunately have 58 games left in the season to get healthy and figure things out, but they already have some ground to make up, with a record of 13-11, currently ninth in the Western Conference.

Their next opportunity will be at home Friday against the New York Knicks.