Suns 129, Hawks 120: Gerald Green scored 33 points and Markieff Morris added 21 as host Phoenix outlasted Atlanta in a matchup of the eighth-place teams in each conference.
Goran Dragic tallied 19 points and eight assists and Marcus Morris contributed 18 points and nine rebounds for the Suns, who have won two straight to preserve a 1 1/2-game lead over ninth-place Memphis in the West. P.J. Tucker chipped in 10 points as Phoenix shot 55 percent from the field and went 15-for-24 from beyond the arc.
Jeff Teague scored 29 points and Mike Scott added 20 for the Hawks, who have lost seven straight road games and 11 of its last 12 overall. Kyle Korver went 6-of-7 from 3-point range en route to 18 points and Lou Williams added 15 for Atlanta, which was without All-Star forward Paul Millsap (knee) for the fourth straight game.
The Suns finished the third quarter with a 7-1 burst over the final minute to turn a one-point game into a 102-95 advantage, and Atlanta never got closer than five in the fourth. Scott's transition layup pulled the Hawks within 125-120 with 32 seconds left, but Green hit four straight free throws to seal it.
Atlanta trailed 79-65 at halftime despite shooting 62.5 percent from the field. The Suns were even hotter, hitting 63 percent overall before the break and going 12-for-18 from 3-point range with Green pouring in 23 before intermission.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Newly-signed Hawks C Mike Muscala became the first former Bucknell player to appear in an NBA regular-season game, compiling four points, five rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes in his debut. … The Suns' 40 points in the first quarter marked the most in any quarter against the Hawks this season, and their 79 first-half points were two shy of the arena record. … Korver extended his NBA-record streak to 127 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer.
Atlanta | Phoenix | |
Jeff Teague 29 | Scoring | Gerald Green 33 |
Jeff Teague 9 | Assists | Goran Dragic 8 |
Elton Brand 6 | Rebounds | Marcus Morris 9 |
Louis Williams 7 | Free Throws Made | Gerald Green 10 |
DeMarre Carroll 3 | Steals | Ish Smith 3 |
Elton Brand 2 | Blocks | Goran Dragic 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Atlanta | 120 | 52.4 | 14-31 | 18-26 | 24 | 33 | 6 | 11 | 12 |
Phoenix | 129 | 55.0 | 15-24 | 26-30 | 29 | 41 | 5 | 9 | 15 |