Suns rally late in 4th, beat Nets 108-100 in overtime
NEW YORK (AP) — Marcus Morris made the tiebreaking basket and scored 19 points, twin brother Markieff Morris and Eric Bledsoe also had 19, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets 108-100 in overtime Friday night.
Brandon Knight shook off a poor shooting night to make two baskets in overtime for the Suns, who flirted with NBA infamy by missing their first 21 3-point attempts and trailed by 15 points midway through the fourth quarter.
They were still down by nine with about 4 minutes to play, but shut out Brooklyn for the remainder of regulation, then took the lead for good at 102-100 on Marcus Morris’ basket with 1:30 to go.
Knight made the insurance basket with 17.5 seconds left as Phoenix improved to 2-4 in overtime after dropping its first four.
Brook Lopez had 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Nets, who seemed to have control after a 31-11 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. They had a 91-76 lead after rookie Cory Jefferson’s three-point play with 5:45 to go, then managed just a free throw by Deron Williams the rest of regulation.
Williams had a miserable night, going 2 for 16.
Knight also struggled, finishing 4 of 16. But two of the baskets were in overtime, and he added seven assists and five rebounds as the Suns won their second straight and moved within 1 1/2 games of Oklahoma City for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.
Bledsoe had 10 rebounds and six assists as the Suns stayed just close enough until their outside shots started falling. They were without a 3-pointer until P.J. Tucker hit with 5:36 left in the fourth quarter on their 22nd attempt.
Denver holds the NBA record for futility, missing all 22 attempts against Portland on Dec. 20, 2012. Phoenix finished 3 of 26 (11.5 percent).
Jefferson had 12 points and 13 rebounds in just 17 minutes, helping the Nets turn around the game after he entered for the first time with 4:59 left in the third quarter.
But they stalled from there in their second straight loss, falling into a tie for 10th in the East.
TIP-INS
Suns: Phoenix improved to 10-3 on the road against Eastern Conference teams. … Brandon Wright finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, making all five shots.
Nets: The Nets presented Lou Carnesecca, who coached them from 1970-73, with a No. 90 jersey. The longtime St. John’s coach turned 90 in January. … Brooklyn lost at Barclays Center to Phoenix for the first time.
UP NEXT
Suns: Visit Cleveland on Saturday.
Nets: Host Utah on Sunday.
This article was written by Brian Mahoney from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
